Weekly Grist Gallery, September 4, 2011

What ever happened to the really cool windows and doors?

aking a swing through the old part of any city or town, you will normally see really ornate windows, doors, and building decor, all of which give the building a unique visual statement. At some time, for reasons I can't fathom, these jewels of design fell from favor. Today, we revisit a few. See the stories that go with the pictures at Corndancer dot-com and Weekly Grist for the Eyes and Mind.

 

Navigate

Hide Thumbs

First

Previous

Pause

Next

Last

Set Speed Slideshow speed: 5 seconds

Move

New Image Set

• 
  This is the front entrance to the old US Post Office. It had wood floors and spitoons. There is nothing sterile about this entrance.
• 
  A front window in the old post ofice. The building is now used by one of the local school districts for storage.
• 
  Other than the "window shaker" above the big bird, I'd say this entrance inspires more confidence than the current sterile architecture of the US Post Office.
• 
  At the back of the post office sandwiched between the old Smart Chevrolet dealership was The Post Office Lunchery, a popular little cafe which catered to downtown employees, visitors, and I would suspect, folks waiting on their car to be fixed.
• 
  The Post Office Lunchery up close and personal.
• 
  At the east end of the Chevrolet dealership was this unique doorway. The last residents used the upper window to facilitate a gas appliance vent.
• 
  The cool window at the top up close. It still could be returned to its former glory. Maybe.
• 
  Down the street from the post office and Chevy dealership is this phalanx of non-boring windows.
• 
  Art deco au go-go with the old Community Theater entrance doors.
• 
  The entrance, facade, and marqee of the old theater.
• 
  Across the street is the historic Saenger Theater. A local group is agressively seeking funds to restore the old building. It is replete with the ornate decor you'd expect to see from a first class venue which opened in November of 1924.
• 
  A closer view of the front showing the ornate windows.
• 
  Detail over where the old ticket office lived. Local supporters created the mural.
• 
  Detail of the window and balcony.
• 
  Detail of window decor.
• 
  This mean looking dude has been on the job since November of 1924.
• 
  The Saenger "S" at the capital of the faux columns at each corner of the front of the building.
• 
  Side entrance to the former Harlow Sanders Cotton Company, which, I believe was a former something else.
• 
  The front of the former Sanders cotton operation has two more of the neat pointy doors.
• 
  The top of a restored building across the street from Sanders. The bottom of the building (in my humble opinion), is not true to the original, so I did not show it.
• 
  This building bears the name of J. E. Altschull, 1883 at the top center. At the bottom of the colums in the green area, you find Bocage and Co. 1888 (or is it 1883) cast at the bottom of the iron columns. Both families were prominent the the community.
• 
  The green door with attendant iron column.
• 
  The bottom of the column with the Bocage emblazonry.
• 
  The iron colum with more detail.
• 
  Cool, non-boring windows on Barraque Street.
• 
  A closer look.
• 
  Another Barraque Street building with the "modern" treatment on the ground floor.
• 
  The bulding sans "modern."
• 
  A side street entrance to the Henry Marx Company building. Sho-nuff classy!
• 
  The side entrance is at the lower left. Look at the patterns in the upper windows.
• 
  Closer view of the unique windows in the Henry Marx Company building.