Cranes and Monorails and Murals, Oh My!

That Rust-Hunting Guy:

Is there something wrong with me because I practically salivate when I see a scene like this?

With so much development (I know, I say this a LOT) going on in Boston, I was quite surprised to see a lot with heavy equipment and concrete blocks weighing between 4,800 and 5,300 pounds (!). This is the side yard of Leon Electric, which was founded in 1931. The company offers power equipment, scrap handling magnets, plant design services, underground wiring and much more. Located between Washington Street and Harrison Avenue, the low industrial building is bounded by Savoy and Perry streets. It is also home to American Crane & Hoist Corp. "The United States Monorail and British Monorail divisions of AC-H specialize in Monorail and Crane Systems," per the ACHC web site.

There's a cool mural on the backside of the building, along Harrison Avenue.

On the Perry Street side I found this pleasantly rusty tableau.

And around front, along Washington Street, some very important signs over the garage doors.

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.

Walk-in Cooler

From Pete Zarria:

I just liked the look of this place in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I walked in to a chilly reception....

Garage Needs a Lift

From Pete Zarria:

Litchfield Garage, Rio, Illinois