Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Am I crazy?


Is it bizarre that I look at things like this and want to save them?


Am I really the only one who thinks this sort of construction merits our stewardship?


Are people REALLY telling me that such a house is beyond salvage?


What will fill the void if this house goes away?


Does no one else wonder how many children have sat on this bench to remove their galoshes or snow-boots?


Do we really want to fill our landfills with shards of quality craftsmanship; bits of old-growth history?


Apparently I AM crazy.

To say nothing of tired.

And very very sad.

9 comments:

Margaret said...

That really is beautiful stuff. Nearly impossible to replicate today, and of course the patina of age is actually impossible to replicate. I would hope that if the house can't be saved, that some of the details can be salvaged.

I know you'd prefer to save the house but you know how many houses are need to be saved. Given the glut of housing, I doubt many of them can be.

Ranty said...

Actually I think that many of the houses on the demolition list *are* beyond the point of salvage, and even as I am sad to lose old housing stock, I believe I can mostly tell what's beyond reasonable repair and what's not.

There is admittedly a LOT out there which is beyond reasonable repair.

The one is not.

Plus, it's priced SO LOW right now that it makes financial (to say nothing of ecological and aesthetic) sense to rehab it!

Trouble is, who the heck wants to come forward and buy it with the threat of impending demolition? That paper on the door just killed a large percentage of the prospective buyer pool.

Ang said...

If I had the money and the time for the rehab, I'd love to have a house with that kind of architectural detail. Those tiles are beautiful.

If it's being demolished, do they allow people to remove any of that stuff? Because I'd come in and take that tile.

Jennifer said...

What a gorgeous house. Surely it can be saved.

They should rip down the crappy tract housing if there's a glut of housing!

Anonymous said...

If there is no hope of saving ( I hope somehow there is!! But... if there is not...) can't parts of this house be salvaged? (LIke Ang mentioned) I have been to guilded salvage over in N Mpls and these guys go into places just like this to save things like you have pictured from being destroyed. He might be interested in the info....

Bunny Hugger said...

I totally looked at a seventies crack house last year and declared that I must have it because it had history and stuff.

I got vetoed.

Sandy said...

Such beauty. No, you're not crazy.

Loops O'Fury said...

They don't make 'em like that anymore.

I'm with Ang. I'd make off with anything usable and keep it around for home improvement or art projects.

goddessof4 said...

What a great house.I am one of those old house lovers!!! I wish more people would fix them up and keep them around.Alot of new construction just looks cheap!!!!!