#Lost Buildings

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The grandeur that was Penn Station, 1929.

Photo: Drahomir Josef Ruzicka via Photography & Vision

[vintage-london-images]

The Grand Hotel Trafalgar Square.

The hotel was originally built on the site of Northampton House which had been built in 1605 by Henry Howard 1st Earl of Northampton. Later in the 1640s It was sold to the Earl of Northumberland when it became Northumberland House. Although no longer a fashionable address in the nineteenth century, the Duke of Northumberland of the day was reluctant to leave his ancestral home, despite pressure from the Metropolitan Board of Works, which wished to build a road through the site to connect to the new roads along the Embankment, now Northumberland Avenue. Strangely after a fire caused substantial damage, the Duke accepted an offer of £500,000 for the house and land and the house was demolished in 1874.

The Grand Hotel, on the corner of Charing Cross and Northumberland Avenue, was designed by F & H Francis and James Ebenezer Saunders and built between 1882 and 1887. The hotel had seven floors, 500 rooms, a large ballroom and was decorated with Antonio Salviati mosaics. The building was taken over by the British government in World War I to house military officers, and in the 1930s it became a retail headquarters. By 1972, not only had the stone facade weathered and was crumbling but the whole of the buildings foundations had been damaged by the new Jubilee Underground line. It was later demolished in 1986 and a new building erected in a similar style which still stands on the spot.

[richwall101]

Bristol UK (District of Henleaze) The Orpheus Cinema - Screen from the Auditorium & Auditorium from the Screen, and the Main Building itself. This Grand Art Deco Bristol Cinema has sadly been demolished and is now the site of a supermarket which has a small multiscreen cinema built into it and above the store, its also called The Orpheus.....

[hclib]

New Streamlined Church and a Street Renamed

In 1938, Minneapolis’s northside welcomed a new streamlined church, St. Austin’s Catholic Church, at the northeast corner of Washburn Ave. N and 38th Ave. N. Designed by Minneapolis architects Bard and Vanderbilt, but heavily influenced by the church’s pastor, Rev. James Troy, and his worldly travels (to Brno, Czechoslovakia in particular), the church was an unusually modern, white stucco building with steep arches and curved corners. It was unlike any other building in the city and unlike anything Bard and Vanderbilt would design again.

The Church of St. Austin was a newly-organized Catholic church, made up of about 1500 people who formerly attended St. Bridget’s, St. Ann’s, Ascension, St. Phillips, Holy Cross, St. Joseph’s, and Sacred Heart churches. The new church was named in honor of the late Archbishop Austin Dowling, who was the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul (succeeding John Ireland) from 1919 until his death in 1930.

It was the church that led to the renaming of 38th Ave. N to Dowling Ave. N, which was officially changed by the city council on November 12, 1937. (Note, Dowling Ave. was not named after the other famous Minnesota Dowling, Michael J. Dowling, the Minnesota politician, newspaper publisher, businessman, and spokesman for the physically handicapped, who as a boy lost three of his limbs to frostbite, and for whom Dowling Elementary School in South Minneapolis is named.)

Unfortunately, the streamlined St. Austin parish didn’t survive for long, cheaply built with stucco and wood trusses, rather than poured concrete, it wasn’t built to last. The church and parsonage were demolished in 1963, just 25 years after it was built, and five basic single-story homes were built in its place from 1964 to 1965 (pictured in Google streetview above).

St. Austin parish moved to a new brick building nearby, at the corner of Upton Ave. N and 41st Ave. N and eventually merged with St. Bridget parish. Their second building is now home to the New Oil Christian Center.

Photos, 1940 map, and building permit index card from the Hennepin County Library Digital Collections. See more photos of St. Austin Catholic Church.

[panicinthestudio]

"Bricks and Mortality: Shining a light on the Lost Buildings of Calgary", Calgary Herald, March 23, 2018

Hotel York, Calgary's newest hotel Seventh Ave. at Centre St., ca. 1930, via Internet Archive

[archinform]

Lost Chicago Building 6 - The Granada Theater

By Roger Jones, August 2023

The Granada at night

I only saw a movie at the Granada Theater once, in the late 1970s; I believe the offering was Murder by Death. Nonetheless, I always marveled at the movie palace's facade every time the el train passed the Loyola stop on Chicago's north side.

Granada Theater from the CTA Loyola platform, found photograph, Flickr, probably 1970s

Granada marquee, c. 1930

The grand lobby in 1929

Historical details:

Opened: Tuesday, September 21, 1926

Status: Closed/Demolished Sunday, September 30, 1990

Style: Spanish Baroque

Seats: 3,443

The Granada Theater was a 3,400–seat movie palace located at 6427-41 North Sheridan Road, in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and adjacent to Loyola University. Constructed in 1926 for the Marks Brothers, major theatre operators in the U.S., Edward E. Eichenbaum was the principal designer for the architectural firm of Levy & Klein. Eichenbaum also designed the Marbro, Regal, and Century theaters in Chicago.

The Marks Brothers operated the theatre until 1934, when Balaban and Katz purchased the property. That firm and its successors—United Paramount Theatres, ABC Great States Theatres and Plitt Theatres—operated the facility until approximately 1978. From then until the mid-eighties, it was used sporadically for rock concerts and presented midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for several years.

Despite all attempts to save the theater, Senior Life Styles Corporation purchased the property and demolished it in 1989-90 for a planned apartment/commercial structure.

The new 16–story apartment tower and shopping arcade constructed in 1991 was named "Granada Center.”  Loyola University eventually purchased the structure and transformed it into 12 floors of student apartments over a base containing parking, retail and university offices.

Source: Wikipedia

1920s photo, credit John G. Chuckman Collection

Following are scanned pages from The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban and Katz, by David Balaban:

Granada Theater under construction

Architectural rendering, front elevation (no date)

Advertisement (no date)

Thanks to Cinema Treasures for the following details:

Built in 1926 for the Marks Brothers circuit, this was one of the largest movie palaces on Chicago’s Far North Side, located in Rogers Park. The Granada Theatre was opened September 18, 1926 with a Jack Haskell stage show “Eastern Nights” and on the screen Belle Bennett in “The Lilly”. The Wurlitzer 4 manual 20 rank theatre organ was opened by organist Alfred F. Brown The proscenium was 60ft wide and the stage 32ft deep. Seating was provided for 3,448, with 1,833 in the orchestra level and 1,615 seats in the balcony.

On November 18, 1932, the theatre was acquired by the Publix/Balaban & Katz chain and it was briefly closed, reopening on July 29, 1933 with John Barrymore in “Reunion In Vienna” & Laurel & Hardy in “Me and My Pal”. The Granada Theatre was originally designed by Edward Eichenbaum (of the firm of Levy & Klein) for both live stage shows and movies, but by the 1940’s, was only showing films. On November 19, 1975 the World Premiere of Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” was held at the Granada Theatre, with Jack Nicholson & Louise Fletcher appearing ‘in person’. It remained open as a movie theatre, operated by Plitt Theatres until the late-1970’s.

Information from the HABS Report on the Granada:

The report goes on to say that the primary reasons for the Granada’s historic significance include:

its size, as it was one of the three largest movie theatres ever built in Chicago, the other two being the Uptown and the Chicago theatres; its elaborate design, often cited as the most ornate in the city; its place as the flagship of the Marks Brothers empire, who were second only to Balaban and Katz in the construction and operation of opulent movie palaces; and its association with architect Edward Eichenbaum.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking element of the HABS report is one of its closing statements: “The Granada had survived in essentially unaltered condition until the past two years (1988-89), when it was left unattended and the weather and vandalism were allowed to proceed unchecked.” This was a demolition that could have been avoided.

The HABS report included several dozen photos of the interior and exterior of the Granada Theatre, taken shortly before demolition. While it is depressing to see the damage the theatre suffered in its final two years, especially during a time when movie palaces across the country were being renovated to the benefit of communities large and small, these photos do show in great detail the artistry of Edward Eichenbaum.

Source: Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads

In addition:

...the Granada was still in remarkably good shape as recently as 1987. While it was allowed to deteriorate after that, eyewitnesses to the demolition mourn the fact that there was little wrong with the theatre structurally, that it could, in fact, have been saved.

Despite efforts to landmark the theatre or get it reopened, the Granada’s fate was sealed. Much of the terra cotta of the facade was stripped and sold off, as were many of the interior decorative elements. One of the large chandeliers from the lobby was salvaged and now hangs in the Riviera Theatre. Another, smaller, chandelier hangs in the Music Box on Southport.

Source: Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads

Photographs from the HABS Report, Library of Congress:

VIEW OF BLOCK FROM NORTHWEST LOOKING SOUTHEAST, 1980s, N. Sheridan Road

MAIN LOBBY CEILING FROM GROUND LEVEL

HORIZONTAL VIEW FROM STAGE LOOKING SOUTH

VIEW OF CEILING FROM STAGE

ALCOVE 2ND FLOOR LOBBY WALKWAY, during demolition

LOOKING EAST, VIEW OF COMMERCIAL OFFICE SECTION, NORTH PORTION OF THEATER COMPLEX

VIEW OF BLOCK FROM SOUTHWEST LOOKING NORTHWEST - during demolition

Admission ticket

Photos during the theater's destruction can be viewed in the Flickr set by Genial23 Ruined and abandoned.

A final view: Granada Theater, 1920s - Cinema Treasures, photo by Chicago Architectural Photographing Company

An incredibly detailed description of the building can be found on Historic Structures.

Today:

"Completed in 1991, Granada Center hosts residential apartments, a parking garage, office space for Loyola University, and several store fronts. The Center was built to help aid the growth and development of the Rogers Park neighborhood, as well as to provide more space for Loyola University." Loyola University Chicago Digital Special Collections

Finally, if you're interested in fragments, view the Urban Remains site for some interesting pieces of the Granada Theater.

[abercynonhistoryblog]

A Brief History Of St Cynons Church

A brief history of St Cynon's church.

The Industrial Revolution transformed the South Wales Valleys. Sleepy hamlets were transformed into bustling towns almost overnight. As these communities grew, so did the need for places of worship. One such example was St Mabon’s Church. Sited on the top of Llanfabon, St Mabon’s had been a place of worship since medieval times. As the population increased it quickly became apparent that St…

[bixels]

In the past, people in the Animal Crossing community would make fun of Tom Nook as a sleazy landlord. Since then, he's really rehabilitated his image as this 'heart of gold' businessman (he's the one who puts bells and furniture in trees for you to find! he adopted orphans! he donates to charity!), but New Horizons genuinely paints the most devious version of him.

He's successfully privatized settler colonialism: you pay HIM to move to a "deserted island" (which apparently the oceans in the AC world are just full of) and start a colony that he is directly invested in. At best he's running a weird vacation package scam (you arrive on the island with no money and in debt for "using his services"). At worst, he's using you to set up company towns. For god's sake, he literally has his own fake currency that he forces you to use to pay off your debt. But don't worry, he's repackaged it in a way that definitely doesn't sound like an MLM scam: the Nook Mileage Program!

You're no longer just his tenant or his temporary part-timer, you're his business lackey. The entire tutorial section of the game has you spending actual weeks running around completing tasks and doing hard labor to set up his colony. You're even tasked with preparing his properties and finding buyers for them. No, you aren't a tenant anymore. You work for the landlord. You are directly responsible for finding tenants for him. And he doesn't even fucking pay you. Not for setting up town hall and museum, or his nephew's shop –– which is the ONLY store on the entire island that sells necessities –– or bringing KK Slider to town, or helping populate his town. Not a single cent. No, actually, you have to pay HIM to BUY infrastructure like bridges and stairs and park benches. And all the while, he's telling you're the "resident representative"; you get to call the shots! That the reward is the community's progress. That what you're doing is in everyone's best interest (but most importantly, his).

Since NH's release, people have done a lot of legwork to say that Tom Nook isn't a capitalist while the game shows him at his very worst. He owns the only general store in town. You're forced to use a phone that he modified and branded as his own. Buy Nook-branded furniture and merchandise at the self-serve kiosk in the town hall, a governmental building! There's no conflict of interest here!

But hey, if you're tired of being the landlord/business mogul's goon, you can also find work as a deluxe resort home designer for a company that also pays you in their special company currency that can only be used to buy their products instead of a real salary! Because that's what the Animal Crossing franchise needs! More vacation homes!!!

[ghostbird-art]

Cursed Relic // Divine Relic

[critterbitter]

A trip down memory lane! Though the tower seems to have changed…

Celestial tower! Built during the direct aftermath of the Founding Unovan Civil War, it remains a cultural landmark in memory of those lost in the fire and storm.

Time has dulled the scars left behind by the twin dragons. Today, the tower is primarily used as a mausoleum (the preferred method of burial are urns) and, well, a tourism site. Legend says if you climb to the top of the tower and ring the bell, you can lay your ghosts to rest. But mostly? You can ring a GIANT bell.

Course, you gotta GET to that bell first.

Masterpost for more pokemon shenanigans here!

[anastacialy]

guys, i think the hermits are going to accidentally start a prank war again. because just like last time, a game of telephone has begun. first, false made iskall's build into ''false beans,'' her shop from the previous season. however, to give herself plausible deniability, she signs it with "love, Joel. x" due to his username, smallishbeans.

next, iskall sees this, and completely believes it. he thinks it was joel who pranked him, and as he says to pearl while showing off the sign, which he kept even after tearing the prank down, "joel gave me a kiss." in his most recent video, he pranks joel by sending him loads of anonymous messages in order to completely spam and fill his inbox, preventing him from getting any more mail, with notes such as "thinking about you. x"

of course, joel is going to have absolutely no context for this, because he didn't make the initial prank. so who is joel going to assume sent him all those messages while he was away on holiday? well, i have a guess.

etho.

[vintage-london-images]

These images show The Queen's Hall Concert Hall in Langham Place London which originally opened in 1893. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts known as The Proms. In 1941, during the London Blitz, the Queen's Hall was destroyed by incendiary bombs, unfortunately it was never rebuilt despite much lobbying. The government of the day decided against doing so and the main musical functions of the Queen's Hall were taken over by the Royal Albert Hall for the Proms, and the new Royal Festival Hall for the general concert season.

[probablyanalienindisguise]

Hellooo personal hc that thk was blinded as a result of the infection

[varpusvaras]

After Tim becomes Robin, Dick starts stressing so much. He needs to balance being Nightwing, teaching Tim (making sure he doesn't die), manage Bruce and Tim, and also still manage his team, all the while he is still very much grieving. This goes on for a while, and he is getting severely burnt out, and the Titans have had enough.

They more or less kidnap Dick and tell him that enough is enough, you're taking a vacation. You're going to some very lovely beach town in Europe and lay under the sun and just chill. Seriously. We are not joking.

So they fly him over to Europe with Bruce's Black Card and an order to just relax. Being physically removed from Gotham and the United States in general helps a little, so Dick starts to ease up into his sudden vacation. The town is nice to just lounge around for the day and the nights are warm and there's bigger city nearby, just a short drive away, and Dick goes whatever, why not and decides to go check out the local night life. It's pretty nice, and he gets to brush up his language skills, and he's just a little lost after taking what he thought would be a shortcut through an alley, and-

-and he gets tackled to the ground when someone falls off the roof directly on top of him. They're very much dressed in League clothing, and all of Dick's training kicks in, and he grabs the guy to fight him off-

-only to look up directly at his dead little brother's face.

[leo-kinnie]

continuation of this post !! Donnie never makes it through the movies Leo downloaded (they suck)

[aroaceleovaldez]

my hot pjo take is that Jason isn't a second Percy, Jason is a second Annabeth. Jason is just if Annabeth was a guy and also a Big 3 kid.