Urbex Dream Turns to Nightmare

From Dave Brigham:

Brooklyn native Bob Diamond realized every urban explorer's dream when he rediscovered the Atlantic Avenue tunnel in his hometown in 1980. Built in 1844 as part of the Long Island Railroad, the tunnel was sealed shut in 1861. The tunnel was allegedly used in the 1920's to grow mushrooms, and opened in the 1940's so the FBI could hunt for Nazis. But after that, people forgot about it, and efforts to locate the tunnel were fruitless.

Through hard work, determination and smarts, Diamond found the tunnel. He led tours there for 28 years. Then his license to guide people through the tunnel was revoked.

That's the short version. Read Diamond's story here. If you'd prefer, you can watch the 9-minute video that's embedded in the story. I suggest doing both.

Coincidence?

From Dave Brigham:

A few weeks ago I drove with a friend from my home just outside Boston to Springfield, MA, to see a museum exhibit about art forgery. Neither of us knows the city very well, but we found the Springfield Museums without too much trouble, and drove around the corner to park. I got out of the car and looked across the street at a somewhat imposing building and chuckled to myself.

My dad, who was born in Orange, New Jersey but grew up in Springfield, had the YMCA running through his veins before he passed away earlier this month. I knew right away when I spied this building that he had spent a good amount of time there as a kid and young man.

Built in 1915, the former YMCA at 122 Chestnut Street, is now an apartment building. A new Y building was constructed years ago a short distance away. My father went to the YMCA as a kid, and over the years told my brother, sister and me all about the mentors he had there, and how he worked in Y camps as a young man.

When we were kids, my brother and I joined the Indian Guides, a Y-affiliated group similar to the Boy Scouts. After my dad retired from 34 years of teaching, one of the many volunteer gigs he had was teaching archery at a YMCA near my parents' house in Simsbury, CT.

When I saw the YMCA building, I thought, "What a cool coincidence," but seeing as how I found myself there two weeks before my father died, I've begun to think of it as something deeper. And I'm not the kind of guy who normally believes in signs of this sort.

After my friend Jim and I had lunch at the Student Prince Cafe-The Fort Dining Room, an oddly named place that has the most incredible German beer stein collection you'll ever see, we strolled back toward the museum.

On the way, we passed a cool old building that used to house the Worthy Hotel (aka the Hotel Worthy). Built in 1895, the hotel has been an apartment building for many years. I love this sign:

I hope to get back to Springfield in the near future to explore more cool buildings, and to learn a bit more about the city that helped shape the great man who was my father. Rest in peace, dad.

Beat Hotel

From Dave Brigham:

My parents moved to Windsor, Connecticut, several years ago, but I just noticed this place on a recent visit. My son and I were walking around the town center, killing time in between Amtrak trains (he loves to railfan). There were a few cars in the back parking lot, and evidence that perhaps somebody was living/staying there. But I don't think it's open for business.

There are numerous hotels right off the highway, closer to Bradley International Airport, so I imagine this place slowly got squeezed out. I have no idea when it opened or shut down.

I chose the title for this post without knowing what the Beat Hotel was. So I looked it up:

Round and Round

From Pete Zarria:

(The Arcadia Round Barn, Arcadia, Oklahoma, along Route 66)

Love Your Mother

From Mick Melvin:

You never know what you're going to see in New England. I spied this custom ride at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, CT.

I was at the beautiful historic park attending a weekly music concert during the summer of ’11. The truck belonged to a young couple who had attended the concert. It was something out of a Grateful Dead concert. All that was missing was someone saying, “I’m looking for one ticket.”

The young lady was even selling handmade jewelry. She and my wife went on to have a conversation about eating organic and the benefits of organic food consumption.

No matter the reason for the custom paint job, organic food or the jewelry sales, I love the message from the young couple. I wish that more people kept Mother Earth in their thoughts.

What's In a Named Building? (Part 2)

From Dave Brigham:

Late last year I posted the first part of this series (see December 26, 2013, "What's In a Named Building? (Part 1)"). Today I give you the second part, which really should have been the first, since the buildings here are the ones that inspired this concept. But I didn't focus my camera on these until after I'd taken other pictures of named buildings.

Stick around for part three in the near future, and most likely others as the year goes along.

Beacon Street in Brookline, Mass., has some fantastic old apartment buildings. Known as "French flats," they were apartment hotels designed for permanent residents, according to the city of Brookline's official web site. Originally the buildings' residents included doctors, lawyers, publishers and other upper middle class types.

These days these buildings -- many of which have highfalutin or Waspy names -- have mostly lost their glamour, but they still look OK. Some are under construction, others, like my favorite, Stoneholm, still look fantastic. Here are some buildings from the street's south side, between Washington Square and Coolidge Corner. The next installment will feature buildings from the street's north side in the same area.

(Majestic -- have been unable to find out anything about this place, the first one I walked past.)

(Bonair -- look at that awful entryway! "Bonair" means "good air," but I bet they don't get much with that monstrosity hanging over the entrance. Designed by Arthur H. Bowditch, the building at 1477-1483 Beacon St. was built by Abram and Jenny Bilafsky of Boston, according to documents from the city of Brookline. The building has two wings, the second of which was known as the Kenmoir.)

(Empire -- this building suffered a fire in January 2012, and is currently being renovated.)

(Royal -- contains "several studio, 1BR, 2BR and 4BR apartments, each carefully restored to maintain their original elegance," according to the property manager's web site.)

(Pembroke -- can't find anything about this building.)

(Imperial -- just love the attempt to cover up an awesome old sign with a ridiculous new one, which obviously isn't that new, because the "B" in "Beacon Plaza" has flipped upside down. Evidently this is a "guest house" of some sort. It has received some pretty negative reviews online. Sad.)

(Metropole -- little information available about this one. As for the word, Wikipedia says: "The metropole, from the Greek metropolis for 'mother city' is the British metropolitan centre of the British Empire, i.e. the United Kingdom itself.)

Ripple in Time

From lostlosangeles:

(Abandoned barn, Vermont)

Swedish Car Cemetery

From Dave Brigham:

Every once in a while the blog ventures outside U.S. borders. In this case, to an auto graveyard in Sweden. Check out these pictures, and the video below:

http://bastnas.blogspot.com/

Sign, Sign, Everwhere a Sign

From Pete Zarria:

(Superior, Wisconsin)

(Yukon, Oklahoma)

(La Crosse, Wisconsin)

(Lebanon, Tennessee)

(Davenport, Iowa)

(Mercer, Wisconsin)

(Gallatin, Tennessee)

(Lebanon, Missouri)

Going, Going....

From Pete Zarria:

(Tobacco auction barn, Horse Cave, Kentucky)

Old Road

From lostlosangeles:

(Abandoned section of old I-95 in Newburyport, Mass.)

For shots of another abandoned highway section in Massachusetts, see January 24, 2011, "End of the Road."