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zombie rotten mcdonald

@AbandonedAmerica yes, would need some kind of focus. In Milwaukee, the African American Community - for which I have done several hundred residential units and infill - are looking to fulfill the historic character that was known as Bronzeville before the white people killed it with a freeway, now has the most notable Black Holocaust Museum in the country. And then we tore down a freeway that cut the neighborhood off from downtown, and now connects to the arena where the Bucks are kicking ass

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Abandoned America

@zombierottenmcdonald well, the freeway is a huge problem here too. Would be nice to see that go. Glad the Milwaukee project was successful

zombie rotten mcdonald

@AbandonedAmerica well, now I start to wish I took more 'before' photos of the wrecks that I have helped restore. I was part of a team that stopped demolition of the 8 story Manitowoc Hotel. We helped the alderman stop the demolition of one of Milwukee's TWO extant row houses. SO MANY SCARY BASEMENTS....

zombie rotten mcdonald

@AbandonedAmerica but frankly, I am an architect, and I love to build, not get overwhelmed by the degradation. - frankly, I sometimes find your postings a bit disheartening, through no fault of your own. Just gets a bit of a gut punch
how much of built America is disposable.

zombie rotten mcdonald

@AbandonedAmerica here's what I mean: our house is a rickety old kind-of Victorian that was one of the first built in the neighborhood, by permit records. Built for a doctor, and the layout indicates he may have had patients visit. It was built in 1904 - yes, it was built balloon frame, but modified....It has WAY more windows than any house at the time, and likely more ghosts than we've ever seen. But it is a stately lady, standing proud on a corner of the East Side.

Abandoned America

@zombierottenmcdonald I love stories like that and if you have any good distressed projects let me know if I can do before photos - and honestly I get discouraged by it too. But it's important to record because a) it's who we are, b) it is our present moment, and c) hopefully the sheer waste of it will change minds about wanton demolition. Not hopeful about c but it would be nice

Abandoned America

@zombierottenmcdonald honestly there are a lot of elements in what you're talking about that are super familiar from the Old Town story

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