Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Old homes in my Burg...










Let the drooling begin...these wonderful, old river city, architectural masterpieces grace the bluff overlooking the Mighty Mississippi River. This is our version of Knob Hill. These grand Victorians tell of a time when homes were status and a graceful, romantic period had taken over in the states...the Victorian era.


Our little village once hummed with the clang of trolleys and people swarming the storefronts, they would've rivaled even downtown Chicago. A vast sea of people wondering the streets, horse-drawn buggies and Model T's clambering for a space to park. Grand hotels, opera houses, saloons and brothels(ahem), industry, mercantile and banks on every corner and riverboats crowding the riverfront. Oh, the wonderful buildings I have seen raised in my lifetime...the 60's were brutal on old architecture.


Where has it all gone, thanks to a preservation society, many old structures are being renovated. But alas...the traffic has moved on, more money to be made elsewhere, yet we stay...loving the slow city life of the small, Midwestern burgs.