Sad and Happy Doors – #ThursdayDoors

Connecticut, History, Thursday Doors 78 comments
The Methodist Episcopal Church – closed and sold. The congregation has moved to a larger facility.

Last Sunday, I tried to stop at a bakery we used to like. It’s no longer open. That was sad. I was able to find something at another store (which made me happy), but before heading off to that store, I snapped a few pictures of some other sad doors. The explanations are mostly in the captions, but I’ll give you a little bit of insight into a few of them.

The Strand Theater in Enfield, Connecticut opened in 1937, closed in the late 70s, reopened in the 90s and closed again. There is a group, Save our Strand, that is trying to figure out some way of reopening the building for something. The town was able to secure a $200,000 grant, but judging from the signs on the building, that amount is but a drop in a very large bucket.

On the other hand, a while back, I featured some sad doors from nearby Windsor, CT that also include a theater. There seems to be some activity in this building. I haven’t seen anything official, or anything at all, for that matter, but someone put some scaffolding under the old marquee. For all I know, it’s because the thing is in danger of falling down, but a boy can hope.

The inspiration for focusing on sad doors this week came while our daughter and I were attending a preview of a documentary that a mutual friend had made. The documentary is about RC Airplanes and a particular RC Club in CT. It was very good, and very well attended. We were early for the event, but still had trouble finding a place to park. We ended up blocking a driveway to an abandoned house that had plywood covering all the doors and windows. I commented that it was weird seeing shutters on windows that were covered with plywood.

As for happy doors, well, maybe the old theater in Windsor has reason to be happy. The library in which we watched the documentary sure was a happy place, and I think some of you will find a happy door in the gallery. Last week, I featured a Victorian house in the Windsor Historic District that bears the result of a questionable color choice. There were one or two people who liked it, but most agreed with me, that is was a little blah. I promised to share a happier Victorian and I was able to get a good picture of it for this week.

So, we have a mix of emotion in the gallery.

As always on Thursday, this post is part of Norm Frampton’s very happy blog series called Thursday Doors. Norm brings people together from all over the world – really – to share happy doors, sad doors, missing doors, old doors, new doors and every other kind of door you can imagine. Paraphrasing the legendary Brooklyn department store, Abraham & Straus, Norm’s place – “It’s worth the trip from anywhere.” Check out Norm’s doors and then check in with the blue frog. You’ll see, you won’t be disappointed.

It is sad to see a house boarded-up like this.
Happy place!
There’s a door, but that’s not the important thing. Check out the crowd for the screening – everyone left happy.
Sad and not sad. The congregation of this church sold the building and moved to a bigger church.
The Strand Theater – “In Old Chicago” was released in 1938.
The Strand Theater is just beyond the J C Penny store.
Inside the Strand. From the Save Our Strand website.
The Strand Theater today. The warning signs speak to the danger of breathing the air inside – I’m guessing that means they found asbestos.
The old firehouse.
Fire Department in earlier times.
I remember when this was a little gift shop.
This building is empty today but has been a furniture store numerous times.
This church is still in operation.
The bakery and the firehouse would have been on the right. The gift shop and the Strand would have been on the left.
We used to stop at this bakery on our way home from church. Excellent bread and pastries.
It may not be a sign of life, but I find it encouraging.
Hopefully, you will find this color scheme more acceptable.

78 comments

  1. Any abandoned and dying buildings make me sad, Dan. There are so many homeless people, people with innovative ideas but no capitol and people freezing n the streets…
    The event you attended sounds terrific. I’m glad for Faith’s friend that it was so well recieved. Stay warm up there.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl. The documentary was really cool. We’ve both known this guy for a lot of years (he worked where Faith works). He is passionate about RC Airplanes and video production, so it was a good fit.

      The buildings are so sad. To look back 50-60 years and see how vibrant that area was, and drive through today and see everything boarded up just makes me feel bad. We’ve lost so much as a society.

      Like

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  2. Boarded-up buildings do look sad. Abandoned and no longer loved. You hit on a very interesting theme though. It seems there are a lot more of them around than I remember.

    I love the last house. Turret 🙂 … but how could I not love a house wearing its heart on its proverbial sleeve, not to mention the striping which I’ve never seen used on a house. Unlike the abandoned buildings you have featured, this is a house that is clearly loved.

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    1. Thanks Joanne. I hope there will be new life for these abandoned buildings. The walled-up church is for sale. The bakery is still in operation, but only the commercial sales portion. The theaters face a huge uphill battle, but it would be good to see them find a new purpose.

      The Victorian with the heart is a wonderfully happy looking house. I pass it on my way home from work, but it’s rare that I can stop because it’s a busy street.

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  4. I think the first picture is sad, it would be such a great house if restored. The last one is spectacular!
    I know what you mean about it being sad to see things close up. There was a bakery that I always got heart-shaped cakes for my son’s school on Valentine’s Day, one was for his birthday and the other for Valentine’s – now gone. Old buildings downtown, now replaced in the name of revitalization.

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    1. Thanks GP. Our “downtown” area was a victim of Urban Renewal in the 60s. Everything was torn down, without much thought as to what would replace it. Basically, nothing ever did. They are trying to revive the area, but it’s an uphill slog. I don’t think people understand what we’ve lost.

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      2. Urban renewal is a synonym for every bad idea known to man. Sure, a number of neighborhoods have been revived, restored and many of the buildings repurposed – but most successes, though not all, have been despite rather than because of urban renewal.

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    1. Thanks Colline. The replacement isn’t as good, but it is available. This town had a lot of retail businesses. So many have closed, and many others, including a minor shopping mall, are in trouble. I hope there’s an answer we haven’t thought of.

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  6. First of all, thank you, because I got a blog post idea through this post. Since you mentioned of The Strand Theater it reminded me of the Strand Cinema in Mumbai. I don’t want to add a link here but if you want to take a look at it. Google ‘Strand Cinema Mumbai’ and go to Images and it will show you a Flickr link. You will see the picture of the now defunct Strand Cinema in South Mumbai. It was once one of the popular cinema halls in the city.

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    1. I look forward to reading that post, Sharukh! I’m sure theaters around the world suffer from the same problems, especially small single-screen theaters. It’s sad to see these shuttered and torn down, as I spent a lot of my childhood inside a theater like this.

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      1. I was born and brought up in Grant Road. Being right in the heart of Mumbai, Grant Road was popular for many things. I can write an entire post on Grant Road, but since we are talking about theaters, yes, it was a place for cinema lovers. There were 12 theaters in my locality. These are the names: Minerva (defunct), Apsara, Novelty (defunct), Super, Shalimar (defunct), Alfred, Nishat, Gulshan, Swastik (defunct), Naaz (defunct), Imperial and Dreamland. It was just a 10-minute walk from my home to reach any of these. So you can imagine the impact of cinema on my childhood? Also, the school I went to had 3 cinema halls around it. One was right opposite to my school so I and my friends would go to school library and open the window to see the posters of the movie. I’ve also participated and won movie contests during my school days. It was for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze (1991). I got food vouchers, a calendar, a t-shirt and some merchandise.

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          1. Yes. In fact, even before I started my travel blog I actually had a movie review site. If you Google my name you will still find movie reviews on my name probably on the 3rd or 4th pages. I shut it down because it didn’t worked out the way I wanted it.

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  7. I see an abandoned building and I think of the stories it could tell, the history that evolved within those walls. Not all history is earth shattering. Most of it is slow moving and Intractable. I find that last house odd. It is beautiful but I don’t think it suits me. I’m just saying . . .

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    1. Thanks Pam – I think about the Saturday mornings I spent in theaters like this, watching horror movies like The Blob, The Thing and all the Godzilla movies. I like that house, but I’m not sure I would choose those colors if I lived there. I know for a fact I wouldn’t want to have to paint it, or pay to have it painted.

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  8. I love the heart on that last house. I hope it is loved. Abraham & Straus…I was hired as Christmas help and then hired as permanent part-time. This was when I was young and had the stamina to work a full-time and a part-time job. I worked in the Men’s Department. Every young girls’ dream department.

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      1. It was one of the dream stores at our new mall. It was a NY store in NJ! And it was right down the mall from the Black Bull Inn where we would sneak out for a little break. Life was good back then!

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    1. I tried to end on a happy note. Although the congregation of the bricked up church is in a happier place, that building makes me sad.I’m glad it’s being cared for (and I hope the original doors and windows have been saved, but it’s still sad,

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  11. That last house is a winner, Dan. I find old, decaying buildings very sad, although there are many that should just be razed. The others I love to see saved, even if repurposed. Hope you’re staying warm. We’re well below zero this morning again (-21 and -33 with windchill), but much warmer than yesterday at the same time, which is sad. Tomorrow we’re headed for tropical temperatures in the 20’s and by the weekend, rain and 40’s, creating a huge mess of melting. Never a dull moment!!

    janet

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    1. Thanks Janet. I wish these could be saved, even that first house that no doubt will be demolished. I prefer this Victorian to the one last week – I like the heart. I remember this house when it had a very bright color scheme. I think I liked that better. We were at -6 this morning. Also heading into the 40s this weekend.

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  13. I just want to run up to that first abandoned home and assure it that it will be repurposed and not become a pile of firewood. We have the same problem here. Both private homes and commercial properties left abandoned…..for years…..and nothing is done. Apparently the ‘movers and shakers’ aren’t ‘thinkers’, or lack any form of imagination. But I guess the bottom line is money. It always is.

    Looking through the library doors I see a bright and cheerful welcoming space. Our library is quite dark. So glad the documentary was so well-received.

    I’m not sure I like the striping on the last Victorian home, but I love the building. Beautiful front doors and the heart is awesome.

    We were at -6 degrees earlier. Having a heatwave now….reached “0” degrees. I swear, when Murphy peed it was frozen before it hit the ground!! Lol. (Lest anyone is reading my comment, “Murphy” is my dog, not my husband!! 😜😜
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    1. I’m laughing at your clarification of that last bit, Ginger. I do wish that first house could be saved, but the proximity of the parking lot seems to suggest that it won’t be with us very long. I’m not sure if the town bought the property to build the lot or if they took over abandoned property where back taxes were involved. Still, the house could be saved.

      The library was a fun place. The movie showing certainly brought more people in the door than they were used to having, but I think they saw it as a good thing.

      We started out at -6. The Mrs. had Maddie out for a quick pee. Maddie wasn’t showing any interest in me taking her back out later. MiMi was staring at the wood stove waiting for the fire to be started again.

      I like the Victorian, but I’m not sure I’d choose those colors/stripes. I remember it once having a much brighter and more traditional color scheme. But it does look like a happy place.

      Thanks for taking your gloves off to type this ;-)

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  15. Just the right blend of sad and happy, Dan. I hope the old Methodist church is put to use and preserved, it’s a lovely building, very like some we have here in Ireland. My favourite photo has to be that last one. Beautiful building and setting.

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  17. We had a beautiful, Art Deco movie theater (circa 1945) that was closed in 1987, but then rescued by a big-name book store. Thank goodness they maintained the outside architecture as well as most of the interior design. I often wonder what will happen eventually to the building. Many big bookstores are closing and this one may too at some point. Fortunately, it’s located in a fairly well-to-do neighborhood so hopefully there will be a well-funded push to save the building.

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  24. Oh thank goodness you closed the gallery with that gorgeous blue-themed house, Dan. Too much sadness in this doors post. Golly! Too much has folded, too much has failed, too much has been abandoned. Now if we lived in Europe those abandoned buildings would be put to good use. There is just so much waste in this country. I thank you for bringing us another door day. And …. I would bet you are glad January as of tomorrow is finished. Good job on JOT!!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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  25. Hi Dan – too many buildings are being boarded up … and I suspect more will be in our economic climate – we’ve one church with some ‘exceptional’ paintings in – but it seems it’s going to be an effort and a huge expense to rescue them … the building is due for demolition. The need for dedicated and passionate ‘restorers’ and investors always seem stretched in many communities. Life changes though – and will go on – cheers Hilary

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      1. Hi Dan – you may not have time to look here … but this is the church and its ‘famous’ paintings … I’ll check out what’s happening when I bump into someone who might know more ..
        https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/eastbourne-st-elisabeth-victoria-drive/

        looks like this may well not have a good outcome … sad, but life sometimes …

        Hope the weather hasn’t hit too badly … cold, but clear here – cheers H

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  26. It’s always sad to see abandoned buildings. I wonder who bought the church and what it will become. Our old church in Groton was purchased and turned into a home by Matisse’s grandson. I love the children’s library doors, and the Windsor house. If you told me there was a house with blue stripes and a red heart, I never would have believed I’d like it! Thanks for a great Doors post, Dan.

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    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the house and library, Jennie. The children’s library looked like such a bright and happy place. The people who bought the bricked-up church have it back on the market. I hope it finds a good owner. That little district used to be so vibrant, but it’s on the other side of the highway from where all the new development occurred. It is sad..

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  28. Too bad about your bakery, and I’m glad you got some snackies.
    There’s a house on a main road here, my old hood, seen it all my life, yellow Cape Cod, and the door’s been boarded over for about a year now. Kind of worries me.
    Too bad about the likely asbestos in the theatre. Our high school had asbestos (What didn’t?) and when they did the remodel/addition, there were lots of guys in hazmat suits and everything was plastic-covered for years as they worked on it. Our kids aren’t being exposed to asbestos, (they said) but who knows what else is in there now that will be torn out before their kids attend,
    For all you know the cones are preliminary to demolition, but just like you, I hope better.
    The place you remember as a gift shop still looks cheerful. Maybe someone will bring new life to it.

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    1. Most of the boarded up places are in the same section of the town to our north. It’s sad, it used to be such a vibrant area of town. They remodeled our schools years ago, and they finished just as our daughter entered each school. Who knows what was in that air.

      I do hope some of these buildings can find new life. The theater is in tough shape, and the building isn’t really an attractive thing, It’s nostalgic, but I’m not sure how much money can be poured in. I think the key is restoring the inside and that’s expensive.

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