Sure, there was a block party going on at street level. But as usual, the downtown facades drew my eyes. This one from 1888 is my favorite.
Check out these herons between the arches and all the intricate other details.
Here's the one I think of as "downtown guy," surrounded by what look like sculptures of hops. Guy looks like he wishes he had a beer, maybe.
This white building has a pretty wreath at its pinnacle.
A no-nonsense brick design, but still venerable.This block of East Front Street between Park and Watchung is just as old as the North Avenue Commercial Historic District, but does not have the protection of being in an historic district, as far as Plaintalker knows. Having seen a couple of facades in other locations disappear behind foam panels and spray-on stucco, I hope those pictured above will not suffer the same fate.
--Bernice
it takes so little to guarantee the survival of these and other architectural wonders in Plainfield....Simple "WILL" to save our past is all it takes...the age of human love for architecture has passed for the majority of people and we should not be party to it's disappearance. Too bad Plainfield doesn't have that will...
ReplyDeleteI love the facade photos. I can't believe the disregard for the fine architecture we've seen in town lately. I hope these remain.
ReplyDeleteI also appreciate the photos from the street fair. I really wish I could have made it!
Bernice, Great story. I hope that the Courier News includes this in their paper. It is this kind of news that needs to be about Plainfield. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou picked my favorite as well. You would think Paramount would want to help preserve instead of destroying. Alas, they have a history of disregarding history. In Orange, they ripped off an historic Indiana Limestone facade to provide stucco and glass for a T-Moblie store, and of course, got away with it.
ReplyDeleteThe City Administration really needs to take the time to make sure that these architectual treasures are not demolished or resurfaced. like so many other buildings in Plainfield which have been totally destroyed by self-interested developers and owners who don't care about the integrity or history of the City or the buildings. Their interest is the bottom line -- nothing wrong with that -- but a little more care could go a long way for everyone.
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