Layers of History

I absolutely love this photo. There are four different paving styles that have been uncovered by the lack of upkeep on this road. Original abstractly-cut cobblestones, local straightforward brick, and two types of asphalt. As the years have gone by, the new has given a peek at the old. I wonder how many people have walked upon all the years of history here.

The Door of Mystery

I really liked the contrast of the green door with the old red brick surrounding it. It reminds me in a way of this house in Seattle. Located near the Warehouse District, there is a U-shaped cut out in one of the buildings that reveals this door and the alternating windows. I wonder what (if anything) is inside?

Fire! (Escape)

One thing I wondered when I was a kid (ok, and also up until a few years ago until the answer dawned on me) was why some gorgeous buildings with ornate architecture have these hideous fire escapes that cover all of it up. Look around Chicago, New York, Boston...tons of old buildings that have their façades completely ruined with ugly steel staircases and pseudo-balconies. It wasn't until I was walking around New York one day that I realized they were never intented to be there in the first place.

I know this is probably not the biggest shock to most intelligent beings, but it just (for whatever reason) had never occured to me that these buildings were not built with fire safety precautions in mind like so many of our modern buildings are. Hence, ugly steel additions that break up the glory of the original building's front.

This building may not be the prettiest, but the fire escape now does lend it a little extra something that is almost ubiquitous in city architecture these days.

Bringing Back The Past, One (Cobble)Stone at a Time

Cobblestones line Bridge Street in the slowly revitalizing Warehouse District. I honestly am not sure if these are new stones or if they are older original ones that have just been stripped of the asphalt that was lain on top of it--as many cities have started to do to bring back some of their older "charm". I do like the look of the street with these stones and I'm a fan of bringing back cobblestones to areas you want to make more walkable and pedestrian friendly.

SCIENCE!

The Danville Science Center is one of those interactive Science Museums that are geared mainly for children. I've yet to go in, but this very modern building sits in what is becoming Danville's cultural center. It's here that the Riverwalk Trail starts, the outdoor concert venue is located, the train station, the repurposed warehouses as luxury condos have gone up, the Farmer's Market takes place, and the Amtrak train stops by. It's really a crossroads for a lot of Cultural Danville.

Bridge....Not.

What looks like a cool archway to invite you to walk or drive across the Worsham Street Bridge is...well a bit of a misnomer. You see, there is no bridge.

The Worsham Street Bridge opened back in the early 1920s (I believe). And even then it was frought with fundamental structural problems. It finally closed a few years ago and they erected this archway in somewhat of a memorial of the once popular bridge. It connected residential areas on the north shore of the Dan to the warehouses and factories on the south shore. The residences still stand--and are much quieter since the closing of the bridge--but the warehouses and factories on the south side have been quiet for decades now. The proximity of the Main Street Bridge (only a couple blocks to the west) made the destruction of the aged Worsham Street Bridge that much easier.

Courtyard Entrance

On my never-ending quest to find good photos of Danville, I found myself walking by an area in the Tobacco Warehouse District where some friends of mine used to live. I loved the little walkway under here that opened up to a nice courtyard. This old warehouse building has been converted into luxury condos that really are pretty nice. They saved a lot of the old wood and doorways so you can really admire the historic building while you cook on your new granite countertops under the modern light fixtures. The entire building--inside and out--is a great combination of old and new together. It reminds me a bit of Europe, actually...

DO NOT BLOCK SIDEWALK

I kinda liked the washed out look of this sign that surely has been here for decades. It sits on an abandoned building in the Tobacco Warehouse District. I wonder if anyone actually even notices it.

Back to Nature

Now on to a different part of town. Due to Danville's Tobacco Heritage there is a large distrcit that is full of old tobacco warehouses. Many of these have been repurposed into offices or condominiums, but there are still numerous ones that just sit empty. This parking lot has obviously been unused for some time. It sits between Bridge Street and the Dan River. I like the two towers that--I assume--were once part of a factory of some sort. Currently they just sit (unused?) next to a repurposed office building.