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Save that artifact!


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This weekend I took a long look at the buildings which will be demolished in preperation for Hines' new project on Main Street. There are architectural elements that I think are worthy of salvaging.

The West Building has an Art Deco/Streamline metal doorway on Main Street that, if cleaned up a bit, would look great on another structure.

The Montagu Hotel (Hotel Cotton) has four bronze (?) lion's heads, barely visible above the main doorway. The supporting chains for the canopy emerge from their mouths; kind of a weird image, but they're lovely.

The building just south of the Montegu is clad in limestone and granite, which would make for great paving or even outdoor furniture (tables, benches, etc.)

When the William Penn Hotel was demolished, I was disappointed that the ornate egg-and-dart copper details on the canopy were not preserved, but sold for scrap.

Anyone else know of buildings scheduled for demolition which have elements that should be preserved?

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  • 1 month later...

The West Building's exterior masonry has pretty well been stripped, so if any architectural details were to have been saved, it's a done deal by now.

I did notice today that some of the bricks were neatly stacked in a corner of the worksite, so perhaps at least a few will be salvaged. (This should come as good news to at least one other HAIF-er, who's a brick pack-rat ;) )

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I did notice today that some of the bricks were neatly stacked in a corner of the worksite, so perhaps at least a few will be salvaged. (This should come as good news to at least one other HAIF-er, who's a brick pack-rat ;) )

;) ....although it sounds like someone might have plans for them.

I happened to swing by another lot today at Newhouse and Gross, between W. Dallas and W. Gray, where several original shacks had been relocated, exposing the residential underbelly/crawlspaces. I found a Pepsi bottle from the 40s (broken at the top), an intact Dr. Pepper bottle from the 50s, and old White Horse whiskey bottle and many old bricks, some long, Mexican ones that we're individually numbered in quaint lettering.

Hopefully someone bought the salvage rights to the Montagu so some of those interesting features can be reused.

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