20 January 2013

Items Found in Vacant Building

Inside every vacant building are hundreds of stories. This particular building was last occupied/owned 10 years ago by an old man and his brother. Neighbors told me that in the end the last brother was sleeping in his car, because there were too many rats in the building. After he died, no one entered the building for years. His niece, who never entered the building because of the stench, sold it a few months ago. The basement was filled a foot deep with raw sewage. And if you go back in the City Directories, you can see the names of people that lived here and sometimes what their profession was. Anyway, I like to post these things for the record. Sometimes years after I post a photo like those below, someone will google a name and find it and send me a message saying they always wanted to find a photo of such and such... So here is some detritus found this weekend:

5 gallon, glazed clay crock with label of G. Gennert found in crawlspace. The Gottlieb Gennert Co. was a camera and photography supplies manufacturer in operation from 1869-1921 in NY. City Directory at the library shows that 100 years ago a photographer had his shop at the building where this was found:
Found amongst the debris was this customized notepad from Greg Spring a man who demolished lots of buildings in OTR, 20 years ago.. Check out the logo of a Trackhoe chomping into a seemingly occupied house...
Futuristic model car, box misprinted A beautiful woman, "Itche Hogue"? (written on back)
1986 "Rita and Baby"...
"with love, your sister"
fountain square with Carew Tower in backround (and whatever the building was at the SE corner of Vine and 5th in the 70s)
A teenager's journal entry from 1999
second journal entry
And lastly, found in the attic:
Todd Oneal is a good man. Maybe he should run again..

4 comments:

Quimbob said...

My dad did property management for the VA. It was always interesting to see what people left behind in repossessed houses.

CityKin said...

I find it fascinating. Usually sad too.

VisuaLingual said...

Wow! What's a pager? ;)

Anonymous said...

On 1/22/1945 Ida E. Gottlieb became the owner of 965 Burton, in gorgeous Avondale, until 12/6/1955. I wonder if there is a connection to the photography manufacturer.
It's a Hannaford house in DIRE need of rescue. Check it out.