Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
I get a little obsessive with trying to figure out what used to be on a site. I think whenever something gets built you should have to frame a little photo somewhere on the site that shows what "used to be there" and a little blurb about it. It's amazing how hard it is to trace back things that are only decades in our past.
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I'm the same way. My neighbourhood sees a pretty steady drumbeat of infill activity, and anytime the "fences of imminent doom" (as we call them in my house) go up I try and snap a "before" picture with the intention of also getting "after" pictures from the same angle later on. Often the houses being torn down are in pretty bad shape, but you can't help but wonder what stories they could tell if the walls could talk.
I also like finding sections of sidewalk where you can see contractors' stamps from the 1940s, when evidently most of my neighbourhood was initially poured. They aren't especially rare but it is kind of impressive that the work done is still doing good service today and in most cases in excellent condition.