Comments on f8hasit: yet another sale sign...

I love this area you're in: I was introduced t...

2010-03-02T10:41:16.052-05:00

I love this area you're in: I was introduced to it when showing dogs in Ohio...I find that whole Erie shore area lovely. Unfortunately, what's happening there is happening a lot of places: Toronto, ON basically tore down pretty much anything built before 1950, getting rid of a lot of the Art Nouveau and Deco buildings. I actually went to Buffalo to photograph the Art Nouveau downtown buildings before they finally kill them too.
One of your previous commenters said it: the dollar rules, and in this disposable "just build a new one" mentality of today, there's not much that can really stand unafraid of the wrecking ball.
I love my old house, and frankly can imagine no worse fate than living in a ticky-tacky box that is shoddily built because it's only designed to last fifteen years.
With all the churches 'going out of business', it'd be nice to see more schools or even private citizens take them over: but with all the building code changes that it'd require it's likely not feasible. Better living through red tape, eh?

i too just noticed the lutheran church by the main...

2010-02-17T16:55:56.725-05:00

i too just noticed the lutheran church by the main library now up for sale! was shocked to say the least....

in cleveland heights there is an old church (on euclid hts blvd) that has been refashioned into a very attractive townhouse/condo/apartment set up - I have to say when a building as architectural significance it's so much more preferable if they can reuse/recycle/renew the building than knock it down to put some ugly box in its place....

the old church next to the madison branch has been up for sale for quite some time - is there something about libraries and churches not mixing???

I have to agree with ya on this one. It's so ...

2010-02-13T16:14:03.428-05:00

I have to agree with ya on this one. It's so sad to see a beautiful old building knocked down. One that has years and years of history. I like new shiny things as much as the next guy... but why not find a use for what we already have instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on new stuff, while the old stuff sits empty and abandoned? Doesn't make sense to me.

Yes, it is very sad seeing all of these places clo...

2010-02-10T09:21:06.196-05:00

Yes, it is very sad seeing all of these places close down. I can understand some of the really terrible buildings with no redeemable qualities being taken down and replaced but structures that have architectural or community significance need to be re-purposed. It is our culture these days to always want something new and shiny.

2010-02-10T05:21:34.734-05:00

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Nancy, it's the same here in the Detroit archd...

2010-02-09T17:54:45.242-05:00

Nancy, it's the same here in the Detroit archdiocese. A few of our beautiful churches have closed over the years & stand empty, crumbling. They all used to look like yours. My church just turned 100 last year & looks like St. James, as well. ALl of the ornate, paintings, carving & statues are still there. But with so few families, ours will, too, go the way of the rest sooner than later. The school closed about 8 years ago also. As much as we try to keep it up with donations, the archdiocese seems hellbent on closing them all eventually. With neighborhoods being so bad & people moving out to the suburbs, we may not have a chance either. It's a very sad time in the Catholic dioceses in the United States.

It is soo sad. Such a shame that some people don&#...

2010-02-06T13:08:47.791-05:00

It is soo sad. Such a shame that some people don't appreciate what we already have.

I hope you church gets saved.

It is sad. How many Walgreens do we need, or CVS? ...

2010-02-06T00:34:51.902-05:00

It is sad. How many Walgreens do we need, or CVS? Are they not on just about every other block? With all our travels, we see a Walmart in just about every town. I hate to see little Mom and Pop grocery stores go under because of Walmarts coming into towns.

Reminds me of the old Kinks song Come Dancing, &qu...

2010-02-05T17:57:26.400-05:00

Reminds me of the old Kinks song Come Dancing, "They put up a parking lot on a piece of land. Where the supermarket used to stand. Before that they put up a bowling alley. On the site that used to be the local palais."

Very touching post.

A wonderful post! I agree with you whole-heartedl...

2010-02-05T17:19:46.427-05:00

A wonderful post! I agree with you whole-heartedly! People forget what imagination, creativity, and dreams it takes to design these beautiful buildings, bridges, and homes. Architecture is an art that is being forgotten by new generations and all that is happening is that "new architects" are simply recycling the designs of the past, not creating anything new.

I hope your diocese saves your church, it is beautiful!

Yeah, it's everywhere. America-Home of the Fre...

2010-02-05T12:32:11.523-05:00

Yeah, it's everywhere. America-Home of the Free and Land of the Wasteful.

One of my corner-of-the world hot button issues. So far, ranting hasn't stopped it. How is it that so many people feel the same way yet nothing changes?

Um, never mind. (But keep up the good fight. When a grocery store moved out down the street from me-to build another store a mile away-a church moved in and utilized the existing foundation and added on. So, there's hope, be it ever so small. Gotta start somewhere.)

A lot of churches have changed hands here - but fo...

2010-02-05T11:07:11.147-05:00

A lot of churches have changed hands here - but fortunately its working for the better - since here, the old church dies off since they don't seem to attract new members and we have a bunch of immigrants (mostly from Korea) moving in and buying the old churches. The nice thing is, they are an industrious people and immediately paint and clean up the places that have had maintenance deffered to far to long.

@ KFred- I KNEW I liked you for a reason unknown t...

2010-02-05T08:28:56.943-05:00

@ KFred- I KNEW I liked you for a reason unknown to me! That is SOOOO great! Recycling the old switches and things! Your house must be fabulous! Will I be seeing it in a upcoming copy of 'This Old House'? I should!
:-)

@ Rebecca- I hope that I will pass on my love of things old to my daughter. Then perhaps she will do the same to hers. To tear down farmhouses to put up flimsy condos just burns me. I just keep scratching my head. Bah.

@ Gayle - It kills me when they do that to the tree lawns too! I had a 60 year old oak that they trimmed so far back that it killed it and then they wanted me to pay for it's removal.($3000, using a company THEY referred) It was healthy BEFORE they chopped it all to hell, so I stood firm. Guess who didn't have to pay for it. AND got them to plant another tree there as well.
:-)

@Pine Lakes- Yeah, I know...that ol' economic bottom dollar. SOME buildings need to be torn down, as they probably shouldn't have been built in the first place! But some of these houses that they are razing in my area should have some sort of material value for salvage, at least.
It jsut seems so wasteful...

@Carlos - That would be a great scene in a futuristic movie. I love it!
:-)

Nancy

Hey maybe we'll get lucky and our future gener...

2010-02-05T07:48:26.654-05:00

Hey maybe we'll get lucky and our future generations will be married in a 1200 year old Starbucks. You sound like me in this post but less angry and more coherent.

So very, very sad. I don't know if they still ...

2010-02-05T06:45:58.022-05:00

So very, very sad. I don't know if they still do it, but there used to be a show on HGTV about ppl who would convert spaces into private dwellings.

It would seem to me that with ppl scrambling to find places to live that they can afford that SOMEONE would be happy to have someone responsible living there. It's hard to believe the banks would rather see so many places empty or torn down than filled with families who desperately need a roof over their heads.

It's such a shame.

I love your church, it's beautiful. I love ol...

2010-02-04T22:21:50.233-05:00

I love your church, it's beautiful. I love old buildings and history and abhor our throw away society. I'm like the only woman I know that REALLY never wanted a new house. I hope you save your church and I hope I get to see the old buildings in Europe some day.

It is so sad when they tear down churches! The chu...

2010-02-04T21:47:07.160-05:00

It is so sad when they tear down churches! The church that I attended in CA as a child is still there but when I went inside it years ago everything in it was gone...sold. It was a Catholic Church. Then in NC they did the same thing and then tore the church down to put in a Barnes and Nobel. I just don't understand this...the rate they are going we won't have any beautiful old churches. As far as malls... they are doing the same thing here in NC as they are doing there. I just don't understand. The power co. is taking my road frontage and beautiful trees that it took us 20t years to grow..cutting them down for a power line...what I don't understand is why they can't put the power line somewhere else..we even asked them to save our trees and put it underground and we would pay for it. They said NO it would cost us 300,000. hmm..wonder what they would have said if we had said ok....they just didn't want to do it. We have so many building around here old and new that are empty. Anyway, sorry for writing so much...I totally agree with you!!!
ps ...I love heads too;0

Your church is so beautiful and I am so glad to he...

2010-02-04T21:32:27.367-05:00

Your church is so beautiful and I am so glad to hear people are trying to save it. Money talks in these cases. The oldest church in my town (over 120 years old) is going to be saved, too, thanks to an appeal by a sweet elderly woman in the local paper.
Some beautiful old farmhouses have been torn down here, too only to be replaced with high-density townhomes - a good use of space, but sad for those of us who like a little history left besides gravestones.
Loved your post. Thanks for caring and promoting something so important.

Gosh Nancy, you touched on so many subjects here! ...

2010-02-04T19:09:21.628-05:00

Gosh Nancy, you touched on so many subjects here!

These days many buildings are built new rather than renovated because of expense. One of those expenses being energy costs. Old buildings are not energy efficient compared to today's standards. My husband's company retrofits old buildings with new climate controls. Even once the retrofit is complete, the cost of maintaining it is through the roof.

I work at an art museum that is 80 years old. On the property we also have a historic home. Not much in this part of Florida was built before the 1920's. The home originally cost around $2 million. About 12 years ago it went through a 6 year, $15 million renovation. It's beautiful! But both buildings require so much money to maintain and are constantly needing repair.

Many retailers will move from a strip mall to a free-standing building because of real estate ownership. In the strip mall the retailer is a tenant. Often times in a free-standing building the retailer owns the building and the land. It's an investment. In the long term, it's more economical for the retailer. Sometimes that difference can see a retailer through the lean years.

The outdoor malls... it's the trend. Huge indoor malls were trendy 40 years ago. Now it's the outdoor shopping experience. It works in Florida but I have no idea why they would do that in Ohio. I was perplexed when I saw it in Oak Park, IL.

As for the churches closing, unfortunately, that's the trend too. Not as many priests. Not as many members. The only thing that will save them is someone with a lot of heart and a big checkbook.

Can you tell that I used to work in real estate but got out when the getting was good?

Hey Nancy! The threatened church breaks my heart...

2010-02-04T18:25:11.824-05:00

Hey Nancy!

The threatened church breaks my heart, tho not from any sense of piety. Just, Plain. Wrong.

And I'm with you on the rest. I lived in Birmingham in the Midlands of England for years, and they tore down hundreds of years of industrial history to build new disposables. It was derilict, sure enough, but there was craftmanship and beauty in the humblest factory. Something should have been saved.

As for your ex's woes, all I can do is smile.

Indigo

It is so sad that as a country who is so proud of ...

2010-02-04T17:46:47.079-05:00

It is so sad that as a country who is so proud of recycling and reusing...this is what happens on a daily basis.

What a crock! Old buildings are so beautiful compared to the average strip mall.

It has become such a sad sight!

I've had similar thoughts over the years. Som...

2010-02-04T16:43:45.882-05:00

I've had similar thoughts over the years. Some building were bad buildings in the first place and thank goodness they are getting torn down, but so many others are wonderful structures and with a bit of tlc would remain grand and full of so much history.

Lately, our council has taken to tearing down old heritage ruins around the area. Many people, including myself, have protested to no avail. I love old ruins, aside from their photographic beauty, they tell an incredible story of the struggle and lifestyle that settlers lived in the outbacks (now outer suburbs!) of our state. Some of them have had plaques telling the story. Now they are no more.

I couldn't agree with you more, Nance. As opp...

2010-02-04T16:38:02.004-05:00

I couldn't agree with you more, Nance. As opposed to one of your other commenters, though, I did build a new home, but.................I made it very clear from the beginning that I wanted to build a new "old house".

I chose to recapture the romance and love of craft that was put into the workmanship of years past. I did opt for the luxury of "stain grade" trim instead of white lacquer (yuck!) and then tried to incoroporate as many old relics as I could find. Leaded glass cabinet doors from Detroit, push button style electrical switches (from Ohio!), a 1926 buffet and dining set from Wisconsin and my favorite, 7 old authentic lighting fixtures. There is something about a piece of equipment with a manufacturing stamp of 1923 in it that reminds you that it is now serving another family nearly 90 years later. I envy you in the Midwest for all of the hold homes. We simply do not have it on the West Coast.

Old doesn't mean something is past it's usefulness. Especially with buildings.

I know what you mean Nancy. Lots of churches every...

2010-02-04T14:55:00.607-05:00

I know what you mean Nancy. Lots of churches everywhere are closing, and I wonder what will become of these amazing buildings. Here on the Vineyard our parish only opens one church in the winter, instead of the 3 they use in the summer, which I understand. But I wonder how long that will last.
And the disposable mentality drives me crazy. Everything from electronics to buildings. I love old houses; they have such warmth and character. And I completely don't get why they'd want outdoor shopping where you live. That's the only good thing about malls, staying warm and dry!

blasted economics again. Stabilizing a vacant old...

2010-02-04T14:01:48.274-05:00

blasted economics again. Stabilizing a vacant old building can be costly. Clearly the current owners cannot afford them any longer. Who will bear the expense to renovate and bring the buildings up to current codes and efficiency standards? Bitter pill. I'd far prefer for all the lovely, historically significant buildings to remain too. But this is reality (or realty, not sure which).