What's in a Named Building? (Part 1)

From Dave Brigham:

Architects still design buildings with corporate names on them, but too often these days signs designating a business tend toward the ugly and temporary. The same is true of apartment buildings and condos -- the name may be on a sign out front, but rarely it is etched into the stone.

This is a new fascination for me -- seeking out old buildings with names carved in for all eternity. Or at least until a developer comes along and knocks it down. Below are five named buildings I found on a recent walkabout. There will be more in coming months.

The Otis Building in Watertown, Mass., was built in 1899; an addition was built in 1913. Both were designed by Alberto F. Haynes, an architect who also designed St. John's Methodist Church, which is right around the corner from the Otis Building.

The Natoli Building is also in Watertown. I've been unable to find out anything about its history. Located in a rather unremarkable commercial block, the structure is nowhere near as imposing as the Otis Building.

The Yerxa Building is also in Watertown, and was evidently named after a grocery store that dates back at least a hundred years.

This is the Elks Lodge in Newton, Mass.

Built in 1905, the Evans Hotel in Newton, Mass., was incorporated into an assisted living facility about 20 years ago.

When the Fun Dies

From Dave Brigham:

Tip of the hat to my buddy Ken Tretler for pointing me to this feature on creepy abandoned theme parks on the Weather Channel's web site.

They're not all in the U.S., but once in a while I bend my rules.

The Big Reveal

From Dave Brigham:

A former elementary school close to my house is coming back to life. The city of Newton sold the Carr School decades ago, and then bought it back at a loss, of course. For quite some time, the building housed a nursery school, a Suzuki music school and other non-profit groups. Now the city is spending upwards of $12 million to renovate the facility, which will be used as a "swing" school while other elementary schools in the city are rebuilt or renovated in the coming years.

Recently, I checked on the school's progress. Demolition crews tore down a cement patio, shedding light on this 32-year-old mural for the first time in, well, who knows how long.

I'm not sure what's going to become of this piece of art. I love all of the Boston references here: Boston Celtics mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun; the Hatch Shell along the Charles River; the Prudential tower. And of course I dig the music stuff -- the Van Halen logo; the Lynyrd Skynyrd hot air balloon; and the Grateful Dead skull.

Two by Two

From Pete Zarria:

Remnant of the animal park that was part of the Blue Whale attraction along Route 66 in Catoosa, Oklahoma.

Target Practice

From lostlosangeles:

(East of the Sierras, California.)

New York Escape

From Joe Viger:

East 12th Street, New York City

It's All Downhill

From Dave Brigham:

Like so many New England communities, Waltham, Mass., once had a ski hill. More than one, probably. Prospect Hill, like nearby Cat Rock in Weston (see July 27, 2012, "Cat Rock, Part I"), thrived for years until corporations started building larger resorts.

Here's a view of the slope these days:

And here's what it looked like in its heyday, courtesy of the New England Lost Ski Areas Project web site.

Unlike Cat Rock, Prospect Hill has little evidence of its ski hill past. But as I meandered down the path, I spied something in the woods.

I'm not sure what this little building was, but I'm guessing it was a storage shed, snack shack or power supply cabin.

Yet More Signs That Say "Boo"

Just in time for Halloween, here are a bunch of ghost signs from a few photographers here at the Backside.

(Photo by Pete Zarria, Galena, Illinois, along the Burlington Route)

(Photo by Pete Zarria, Galena, Illinois)

(Photo by Pete Zarria, Mt. Airy, North Carolina)

(Photo by Dave Brigham, Burlington, Vermont)

(Photo by Dave Brigham, Waltham, Massachusetts)

(Photo by Dave Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts)

(Photo by Dave Brigham, Watertown, Massachusetts)

(Photo by Dave Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts)

(Photo by Pete Zarria, Crawfordsville, Indiana)

(Photo by Pete Zarria, Olney, Illinois)

Cool Book

From Dave Brigham:

I read a fair amount, so I keep an eye out for cool books. I just added Bradley Garrett's Explore Everything: Place-Hacking the City to my Amazon wish list.

Here's what the publisher has to say about the book:

Plotting expeditions from London, Paris, Berlin, Detroit, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Bradley L. Garrett has evaded urban security in order to experience the city in ways beyond the boundaries of conventional life. He calls it ‘place hacking’: the recoding of closed, secret, hidden and forgotten urban space to make them realms of opportunity.

Explore Everything is an account of the author’s escapades with the London Consolidation Crew, an urban exploration collective.

The book is also a manifesto, combining philosophy, politics and adventure, on our rights to the city and how to understand the twenty-first century metropolis.

Sounds pretty cool to me.

Open Door Policy

From Lostlosangeles:

(Detroit's long-abandoned Packard auto plant has been in the news lately. Built in 1903 and vacant for more than two decades, the plant is on the auction block. Last month, an Illinois developer announced a plan to buy the 35-acre site for nearly $1 million, but that effort fell through. Bidding in the auction's second round closes October 25. -- DB)

(Packard Plant, Detroit, Michigan)

Fill 'er Up, Part III

From Pete Zarria:

The Backside's man in the Midwest, Pete Zarria, has taken some great shots of gas stations over the years. Here's the latest batch.

(German Valley, Illinois)

(Illinois)

(Wisconsin)

(Platteville, Wisconsin)

(Spencer, Missouri)

(Macon, Missouri)

(Commerce, Oklahoma)

For more of Pete's gas station shots, see June 6, 2012, "Fill 'er Up" and July 2, 2012, "Fill 'er Up, Part II."