Webfoot Wednesday: Renovation Stories

Interesting photos of one of Portland's historic buildings, gutted for renovation of its lower floor: Lost Oregon posting. I'm fascinated by the stories buildings tell about past use, old construction practices and so on. Our built environment remains quite young here on the West Coast compared to Europe or even the eastern United States, but even our (comparatively) new buildings have stories to tell. I'm reminded of the time my parents found an old camera behind the cabinets while renovating the 1926 home in which I grew up. No film, unfortunately, but fascinating nonetheless. The cabinets themselves told a story of past technology, having been constructed with openings to the outside, long capped, that would originally have been mesh screens--food preservation mechanisms for a pre-refrigeration era. Take a look at the sidewalk walking down the street in an older neighborhood... chances are good you'll eventually find a hitching ring. History is a story (well, many stories), and the stories are everywhere for those who take the time to see them!