April 17, 2006
Old things, new again
17th and East Main Streets
When I first moved back to Richmond in 1992 and for a long time after, these buildings were all boarded up (except for the buildings at the end of the row, which are no longer there). I didn't have a car, but since I was living in Church Hill, I could walk downtown for errands and what have you. In the summer, this was kind of a long, hot walk, but the south side of Main was shady in the afternoons and these buildings exhaled cool air onto the sidewalk. When I passed by, I would peek through the gaps in the plywood to see what was inside. Which was nothing, basically. They were shells, with the floors fallen in, and contained old junk, fractured joists, and a vast, cool, dark space. The Baldwin & Brown building (with the highest façe and the circular windows) was covered with pink and peeling paint. I don't recall the others looking much better. Before the buildings could fall all the way down, they were converted to apartments up and offices down.
184 words | April 17, 2006 09:12 PM | Ghost signs