Demolition Derby

A month after I had hoped to start the work, the stars finally aligned between my contractor and architect and demolition started on Tuesday. In one day I saw a more dramatic transformation than I will witness in the entirety of the project.

The beauty in the destruction lies in the layers of history that are revealed. I saw smoke imprinted on the walls from a fire in the 80’s. There was a dumbwaiter that had been sealed off, connecting the first and second floors. My guess is that the top floor rental may have been a food and board arrangement, so the parlor floor housekeeper sent meals up using the dumbwaiter? You can see the dumbwaiter in the original framing above and more clearly in the pic below:

We discovered metal canisters running up and down the walls that the workers thought were some kind of chute for trash or mail, but a neighbor told me this is part of the original heating system that sent hot air through metal chutes. These are pictured below along with perforated metal paneling used to adhere plaster to the walls.

Wallpaper with a ship pattern was tacked to the stud walls.

The archeology of the demolition reveals the volume of the past, and thinking about all the people who lived here feels bittersweet. I feel nostalgic for the past inhabitants, long gone, who have this thing in common with me - calling this house their home.