• old homes make way for strip malls in Lubbock TX (and everywhere)

    Lubbock’s North Overton neighborhood – once sparsely populated with sprawling ranch-era Craftsman bungalows – is slowly being reseeded with strip malls, tract developments and other signs of the coming apocalypse. One such home is being picked up and moved to make way for that harbinger of class, culture and the real building block of a modern neighborhood, the strip mall.

    "This
    was called a craftsman-bungalow house, it was built in 1911. It’s one
    of the oldest houses in Lubbock, it’s also one of the most historic
    because of the people lived here the first 75 years," said former
    resident, Frank Potts.

    In 1924 A.B. Davis moved to Lubbock.
    Soon after moving into the home. A.B. served as the manager of the
    Chamber of Commerce and later as Lubbock’s City Manager. His family
    called 1724 Main their home for 60 years.

    Frank Potts is A.B.’s grandson, he
    said, "lots of memories here, there really are. As a child it was a big
    world out there, World War II was going on when I first moved here and
    I just remember everything just seemed, the house seemed like a huge
    mansion and I was just a little bitty guy and wondering what happens
    next."

    The original plans for the home show a 4,500 square
    foot house with wide overhanging eaves, deep porches with large square
    brick posts and beautiful wood paneling, all adding to the charm of
    this old home. With the vision and financial help of Lubbock attorney
    Ted Hogan, this old house will be able to stand for another hundred
    years. He said, "a lot of heavy lifting (will go into moving the
    house)! and quite frankly the fellas that the credit goes to are the
    movers because they’re the guys that have the technical knowledge."

    With
    the development in the North Overton area, this old houses days were
    numbered as a strip mall is slated to go here. But in 5 weeks, 1724
    Main will get a new address on the corner of 16th and Avenue R after
    it’s moved, piece by piece, down Avenue R.

    Hogan said, "we
    have about 5 weeks to get it done, we have a May 1st deadline. There’s
    new development coming in here. If the weather permits and if it
    doesn’t rain, we should be good to go at the end of April." Giving this
    old Lubbock home a new lease on life.

    It should be noted that Lubbock’s Overton Park project is currently the largest private residential development in the state. Questions regarding the number of homes destroyed or moved directed to the McDougal Company, the firm tasked with making rubble of old homes in the way and clearing it, were not answered

  • Hewn & Hammered on Flickr

    We have had lots and lots of additions to our photo pool on Flickr; if you want to see pictures of A&C neighborhoods all over the country, interior and exterior remodels, new homes and all sorts of other bits and pieces, please come on over and visit. Flickr accounts are free, too, so feel free to make your own and share your photos with us!

  • Architectural Salvage V: Turning Trash Into Treasure

    Warehouse222

    From Kaleena Cote at Yankee magazine comes this article on everyone's favorite weekend pastime, bargain-hunting at architectural salvage yards:

    Home salvage yards are like garage sales. Once you find that hidden treasure, the whole trip becomes worthwhile. For more than two decades, homeowners have searched for treasure at Vermont Salvage, an architectural Warehouse For Lease that has stores in White River Junction, Vermont, and Manchester, New Hampshire. Doors, windows, appliances – items that have outlived the houses and buildings they used to grace – fill each warehouse, much of it tagged with bargain prices.

    Bargains are what I’m after on a damp and dreary February afternoon as I drive up to the half-brick, half-concrete Vermont
    Salvage store in Manchester. Old toilets, tubs, and trash lie out in the yard, as well as a few abandoned vehicles and an old rusting trailer, while a few red spray-painted squiggles splatter the sides of the building. The place looks as if it needs to be salvaged itself.

    But inside, it’s easy to see why people enjoy searching through the rows of different colored doors, walking past the pastel pink and yellow toilets, and toying with the little trinkets ranging from outlet faces to small brass hooks for hanging clothes. The place has character, and the employees there are eager to please. They're not the in-your-face “buy this now” types of salesmen; they let the customers browse freely. At the same time, they're willing to help and offer suggestions. Just ask.

    Read the full article and see pictures at Yankee magazine’s site. They’ve also compiled a good list of New England salvage firms and shops, which follows the article.