neighbors.

September 16, 2009
4 Otherwise a beautiful morning
at the risk of sounding awfully sentimental, tonight i am very sad. after standing for more than two and a half centuries on a stretch of one of the oldest postal routes in the u.s., a house just a few hundred yards from the one i grew up in, was razed to the ground this morning. our houses were neighbors. for a very long time.
as in other cases in the neighborhood, the site will most likely be the new host to a gargantuan mansion which takes no time to build and less time to design. dentil molding and dormer windows will be featured prominently. and i doubt very much that this new house will give a pleasant knock on my house’s back porch to offer a peach cobbler and an afternoon of conversation.
ok. maybe i’ve lost it. but still. thinking tonight, as always, about ways to make old beauties like this one seem relevant enough to be saved. onward and upward.

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12 Comments

  • Reply Vivian September 16, 2009 at 1:54 am

    ah, that is sad, very sad. it's part of history, and now it's gone. ouch.

    1
  • Reply Carissa September 16, 2009 at 5:05 am

    that is sad. you're not crazy. your sentiment is appropriate. old homes should be treasured not trashed. because once they're gone, they're gone, and nothing can ever replace them.

    1
  • Reply Mrs Charlie September 16, 2009 at 11:10 am

    That is really sad. I hate when things in my hometown – that meant so much growing up – change, and then it's almost like you don't recognise your home any more.

    1
  • Reply cindy September 16, 2009 at 11:19 am

    it's really sad. we lose a bit of our heritage when things are just torn down like that.

    1
  • Reply Sealicious September 16, 2009 at 11:39 am

    I'm sorry to hear that about your neighbor's house. I don't know what to do in these situations either… I wish it was easier to make people understand.

    1
  • Reply vintage simple September 16, 2009 at 12:56 pm

    Oh, no..! Such sadness…! I have no words, really. Today, I mourn your old house neighbor… Really, really sorry to hear that, Erin… It makes me incredibly sad…
    Big hug, dear.
    -maria

    1
  • Reply Emily September 16, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    Oh, that breaks my heart! I cherish old, beautiful things, especially the unique creations of historic homes (having grown up in one myself)! I feel like our society has its priorities mixed up – we should be restoring and reusing what we have instead of destroying and building new, artificial, poor quality, and essentially, boring structures.

    1
  • Reply Stacey September 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    šŸ™ It pains me when such beauty and history is gone in a blink, just to be replaced by something generic.

    1
  • Reply doebmom September 16, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    Brava, sweet child o' mine. Ye did a good job here today. love, love

    1
  • Reply denise September 16, 2009 at 8:10 pm

    I hate seeing such things occur. I was once very close to owning a charming little house in a quaint neighborhood west of Chicago. I was able to view a photograph of it from long ago, before the neighborhood was really established, where the small house stood alone in a huge field of daisies. It was absolutely beautiful. I really wanted to make it my home. We were outbid (above asking) by a builder who tore it down and built a large house, far too large for the property, that almost overflowed onto the sidewalk. So sad… I never even lived there and it makes me sad. You and your memories must make your situation far more difficult. Sigh…

    1
  • Reply anotherfishinthesea September 16, 2009 at 10:26 pm

    awww i am sorry, that must be a terrible feeling. did you know the people who lived there well? what happened that they decided to give the house up…
    i hope there are more lovely friendly neighbor houses in your future!

    1
  • Reply knack September 17, 2009 at 12:15 pm

    awww man…that is not a happy day…….I hate to see such character and quality be torn down….and you are right the details will never be recreated……

    0
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