Disclaimer: In this posting I am not taking a stance as to whether or not demolition of older buildings that have historical, community, or emotional value is right or wrong to make room for the new. When ever certain buildings are demolished there is always a hole or a wrong felt by one side of the community while the other side feels there is no wrong made in the name of progress. There are extreme ends to each issue. I typically find myself in the middle.
Any historical researcher will tell you that you better document places and buildings today, or they could be gone tomorrow. It is a belief my dad held, and I carry that on too. I’ve explained it over and over again, that is why I take 300 pictures of seemingly mundane subjects (and still never feel I have enough). There are also many structures that I will never have a chance to see such as the Fremont Union Depot.
Sometimes, as I found out, we can salvage something from this destruction. It seems inevitable, so when it happens, we might as well make use of it. (And again, I’m not saying don’t fight to save a building, I’m just saying, when you lost your fight, salvage something from it).
Take the old papers that were used to insulate the walls of homes and buildings. Many a time old depots were torn down revealing documents, such as time tables, ticket stubs, and manuals stuffed in the walls. They ended up giving us a glimpse into the past (and if the demo crew was thoughtful) tangable history that could be handed over to museums and historical societies.
My father-in-law often does remodeling and found old newspapers and magazines in the attic and walls of the houses he was working on. I received an old paper, and a December 1939 edition of the Railway Employees Journal this way.
How about when siding is removed to reveal painted ads of yesteryear? This recently happened in Centerville, Minnesota, when a building was being torn down to make way for road improvements. When the siding was removed an ad for Lee Jeans was exposed. A few years back a friend of mine reported that when they resided Zesto’s Ice Cream in Fremont, Nebraska, a soda ad was revealed.
Once the arena was removed, the roofline of the prior Armory was revealed on Foley's west wall.
Right now, the college campus I work at is undertaking a huge construction project. The athletic arena, field house, administrative building and theatre are being torn down for an even larger athletic complex. I’m taking interest in the demolition, not only because I worked in the administrative building as a student, but because it has historical significance to the university. Foley, which until recently housed Foley Theatre on the top floor, Financial Aid on the middle, and ROTC in the basement was built in 1914. From old pictures I knew that the present Mankato Limestone facade was not the original. In fact the original was brick with many arched windows and doorways.
Last Wednesday, after the arena was removed, the old armory roof line was revealed on Foley as well as bricked in windows and a doorway. It gave me my first glimpse into campus history that had been covered up 30 years ago when the armory was torn down to make way for the “then new, now old” athletic complex.
Then, on Friday, June 12, 2009, the glass entrance connecting the theatre to the field house was removed as well as a “hidden” staircase enclosure. This revealed the back of the building with it’s original brick and window decorations in tact. I was somewhat mesmerized. It was like the ghosts of the past were coming back to life. An excavation of modern times. The removal of a man made structure to reveal what had long been forgotten. Knowing that soon this revelation will also be removed, I snapped a few more pictures.
The original north side of Foley was exposed on June 12 revealing the original brick walls and cornices
I must say, it was amazing to see (as I wasn’t there 30 years ago when the original facade was covered up) the red brick walls and cornices in true living color, three dimensional… live.
So get out there, take pictures. Maybe not today, but some day those scenes will be forever altered. Next time I will talk about a technology that one of my colleagues made me aware of while we stood witnessing the destruction of the UST athletic center. I beleive it is an awesome way to stitch together photos into a scene that is almost “walkable.” We are on the verge of bringing scenes back to life though the use of technology. It is what I have been waiting for and I am so excited (thanks Eric!). Here’s a sneak peak with what he did in regards to the Foley demolition and here’s my first attempt at the White Bear Lake Depot. Again, I’ll explain how it was done and what this means to the art of modern historical photography.
