Ireland

Ireland

Sunday, August 7, 2011

I'm attracted to old stuff. I don't know why, but I am.
If I'm home channel surfing and I come upon the TV shows "American Pickers" or "Antique Road Show", well, lets just say the "honey do list" has to wait.
I just can't get enough of old oil cans and tarnished tea pots.

The same is true for buildings.
Give me a brand new building with mirrored windows and glistening steel support beams, or a building with broken windows and cracking cement that serves as home to the local pigeons, then I'll take the bird house.

The new one seems snobbish
The old one tells the stories, old interesting stories, but you have to listen.

This old structure,



is one I see a lot when we're working in New York Harbor. It catches my eye every time.
During it's hay day in the 30's and 40's this building which sits perched at the waters edge in Brooklyn, NY, was the processing center for grains used by distilleries and breweries that were shipped down from upstate NY. It was built in 1922 and closed in 1950.

Just imagine the amount of people who raised families in the area because of paychecks received from an office in this old stout structure.
I would guess in the 1920's, people were proud to say they worked "at the terminal."

Today it sits vacant, except for the rats, and rots.

The thousands of lunch pail toting workers who worked there over the years are now replaced by a few freelance graffiti artists who found a new canvas.



That's too bad.

9 comments:

Reena said...

I'm with you ... I'll take the old and discarded any day!

bon bon said...

yup, me too. i love those shows as well. and back when i actually earned a paycheck, i loved going to auctions. even if there was nothing to buy, taking photos at an old farm auction on an early saturday morning, can be enough of a score in itself.

Sueann said...

Love love love old architecture!! True class for sure.
Love the building you shared. Very cool!!
Hugs
SueAnn

Formerly known as Frau said...

I totally agree I love old over new. It really bothers me when they build new near the old, couldn't they have renovated the old instead. I love the show American Pickers! Have a wonderful Monday!

Joy Tilton said...

Fascinating! We are American Picker lovers too! Our little town of Rogers is re-doing the downtown area. So far they have replaced the brick streets and now the fronts of the old buildings are being exposed to show what they used to be in the early 1900's. I hope it will revitalize the downtown area, not much there but maybe this will encourage someone to put in unique shops.

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

It's amazing that for such a big structure, it wasn't in service for all that long, and no one has found a real use for it since. I'd love to have camera in hand and explore the old place.

Vintage over new any day :-)

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Oh, and I LOVE American Pickers and Antique road show. Sometimes it amazes me how the old timers just will not part with most of the "stuff" they have in the old barn out back full of it.

beth said...

i love old too.....but you knew that from all my old barns and buildings....
have you watched the show {drawing a blank on the name} where they bid over storage units filled with junk in hopes there's something fantastic inside....
OMG
we watched a marathon version one sunday afternoon and it was soooo good. you'd love it.

Marilyn Miller said...

Oh yes you know and think like me, a story to tell for sure. Tarnished teapots, now who would have guessed. I would love seeing those.