Thursday, November 09, 2006

holding on to my corners



i love
my apartment.
it's the first place
that i ever lived
that's almost
perfect.

it's 1930s
vintage
with cool
glass front
cabinets
,
art deco fixtures,
spacious rooms,
a vintage tub...
and
it looks out
onto the park,
has lots of light
and
HUGE closets
in every room
{that's where i keep
all my collections
julie!}



some of you
may know
that i have
to move soon.
the owners
want to
rennovate
the historical
wing where
i live so
so they can
charge
super duper
luxury
rent.
so
their tactic for
getting
everyone out
is raising
the rent 20%
every 160 days
(it shouldn't be
legal but
loopholes
allow it to be).
we just
can't afford it
(we could
barely afford it
as is)...



so they are
going to
"modernize"
these gorgeous
old apartments.
grub and i
strongly
disagree
with each other
on the ethics
of modernization.
i say historic buildings
should be valued
inside and out
(historic buildings
only have
to preserve
the outside appearance)
i believe things
were made
better with
more care
and interior
architecture
should
be preserved.



grub
is more
practical
{=architect}
and argues that
in this case
things have
already been
replaced
and much of it
(like my
beloved cabinets)
wasn't made
that
well in
the first place.
and
things have
to be updated,
however classic
so they
function better...
e.g.
vintage sinks
that don't leak,
cabinets
that close properly
and
toilets
that don't
waste water.

i hang on
to things...
i am a woman
in love with
the past-
watching it
thrown away
just breaks
my heart.



so i am
holding
onto
my little
corners
for a little
bit longer.



more
corners
here
and here.

.....

it rained yesterday.
hard.
and
the ground
became
a carpet
of leaves.

20 comments:

Erin Lang Norris said...

your post made me sad, it must be so difficult for you to know that you have to head out soon.

moving is no fun. ive only lived in 2 places my entire life. the 2nd place is the one i live in now, with my husband. it's an apartment, and while its quiet, it has no charm at all. none. i dont like living in an apartment, its so boring to me. your apt. sounds and looks gorgeous, i hope you can find somewhere just as nice sometime down the road.

good luck.

f. pea said...

i am going to miss your beautiful apartment in that beautiful old building. and i know spot will miss the wide sills and the view. then again, every time you & grub move i get to learn a new part of the city, so there is some excitement in it for me! maybe not so much for you, though. maybe the next place will be even more *almost perfect*.

lisa solomon said...

oh gwen gwen gwen....

these shots are just so beautiful.... i can't stand it! wow.... wow... wow....

i feel like you {and grub} - being a libra i can balance both....

i am so so sorry you have to leave, but hoping that you find a grand apt. and that you have fun re-arranging all your stuff.... sigh....

i'll say wow again to the photos!
xo

Carson said...

It's always traumatic when you're forced out of a place you love.
Sometimes there seems no justice!
Goat & I had a similarly traumatic experience a few years ago, but finally we're in a much much better house now and happy.
I can see both sides of the restore/renovate argument.
The archivist in me wants to preserve.
While the functionalist in me gets frustrated by decrepitude or badly-proportioned things that really need replacing.
But there is such a thing as sensitive renovation.
Although it sounds like your buildings owners aren't exactly sensitive.
On to happier topics: the polaroid on the bottom left of that collective: What a monster! And what a fabulous-looking thing! What make/year is it?

Anonymous said...

That is really sucky of your landlords. I really hate it when people have such little hindsight to preserve historical things. My dream home is a historical one that has been slightly modernize but all the special details preserved.

One of the main reasons why I moved into my new office space was because they won an award for restoring both the inside and outside of a historical building.

Hopefully, you will find somewhere that is even more beautiful...

Anonymous said...

Oh, i would have such a hard time with that too - you describe it all too well. It sounds like your heart is really in this space! I do hope you find something 'else' that you love and adore soon too, easing a bit of the sadness of leaving that space!

Anonymous said...

oh bug! I'm so sorry you have to leave your lovely nest but even with all it's total coolness, you and all your awesome treasures are what add to the personality of that apartment. Wherever you go, it will be an awesome place because your soul with be filling it with love ;)

beautiful photographs as always.................


xoash

Anonymous said...

These photos of your home are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! I love the little details of you and grub!!!!WOW! And im on your side on this one...i love the character of old...the leaks and squeaks make it all more interesting!!
But im sure you will find a wonderful new home and you will make it beautiful...because you make it!

Anonymous said...

Oh how sad :-( I totally agree with you, the old stuff should stay. I love your photographs.

Anonymous said...

Cabinets... that close properly - what are they?
Mine all have their own agenda too.
take care, g

Anonymous said...

That's so mean of your landlords.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful photographs.

shari said...

gwen, gosh. i'm so sorry that you and grub have to move!!! these photos are so very beautiful and i know you will treasure them...good memories of a special place. thinking of you two. xoxo shari

Anonymous said...

i´m so sorry. :( this happened to me when i was living in ny. the rent on our already chopped up tenement apartment kept rising and rising and we were finally forced to leave. it was sad to see the building change from artists and students to people with more and more money. but i bet there is another beautiful place out there just waiting for your artistic touch.

hannah said...

oh gwen. i am so sad about your apartment. it does look so very lovely. enjoy it for as long as you can, and at least you will have these photos to remember it by. i owe you an email, soon!

Anonymous said...

beautiful pics, I love them .....

Anonymous said...

your polaroids are just so beautiful! the light is amazing! i'm sorry you have to move, it's not funny to be forced out of your loved surroundings...and that place looks so beautiful (oh my, those windows!).on the matter of inside renovation: i wouldn't mind if it only were done nicely! unfortunately what happens around here so often is that after inside make-over, what was charming before is turned into a place of plastic. hope you find a lovely and affordable new place!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the journey around your beautiful home. I hope when you have to move you are able to find an apartment with as much character as this one. However, I'm sure wherever you settle,m be it modern or old, will very soon become a lovely home.
Cheers, lj

Anonymous said...

sorry to hear you have to leave your wonderful place!! your polaroids are absolutely fabulous: the bright colors, the light, the mood ...

Anonymous said...

Wow. Wonderful photos of a wonderful place. I hope you find somewhere great to make your new home.

(I guess I understand both viewpoints.)

Anonymous said...

Gwen this post made me tear up, so sad to hear this story. It seems to be happening all around us here in Seattle too. Enjoy those special corners. As always you capture images with such an eye, I shiver.