Saturday was the kind of spring day that made me want to spend as possible outdoors. Fortunately, the weather forecast and my new interest in hiking had me at Crane Mountain’s trailhead by 10:00 and home again by late afternoon.
The loop my friends and I did in the Adirondacks wasn’t without exertion, but my dog still demanded a little time in the sunshine for himself so off we went for a walk. When Jeter tugged me to the left when we reached Delaware Ave, rather than to the right for our usual walk down to the Normanskill Farm, I yielded. After hours chasing trail markers, I was happy to allow my 85 lb Labrador to lead. As if I had a choice.
As we walked north on Delaware, I noticed that something was different. It took a few blocks to realize what it was that I was sensing – for the first time in more than a year things felt normal. Kids were playing and riding bikes, folks were walking, businesses were once again finally open.
I was most struck by this new feeling of liveliness when I strolled past New World Bistro Bar, Delaware Supply and the Spectrum. I can’t adequately express the internal warmth that sparked and grew as I saw the sidewalk tables full of people enjoying one of life’s greatest combinations – sunshine, friends and beer. I beamed with happiness, smiling at everyone I encountered.
Jeter and I continued our walk, turning left onto Holland Ave. The joy I was feeling continued to grow when I took in the lovely landscaping in front of the NYS Office of Mental Health. There was something about its simplicity and carefully placed mulch which suggested a pride that most certainly was present in the caretaker(s) of that property. It just looked great.
Maybe that’s what made what laid immediately beyond those neat and well maintained flowerbeds seem all the more sadly derelict.
On a gentle slope, immediately past the impressively cared for property owned by the state, are six Tudor homes. Vacant more than a dozen years, these houses retain their original magnificence despite an amount of attention completely the opposite of what I had observed just down the street.
I’ve passed these house countless times without ever approaching them for a closer look, but on this particular afternoon I was compelled to go near. Peering into a window, I noted graceful doorway arches, a fireplace and wood floors. It wasn’t difficult to imagine how gorgeous this home, as well as the others, must have been. I could picture dinner parties and holiday celebrations hosted over the decades and families growing within the solid walls of these timelessly beautiful homes. Wow – how tragic for them to have been abandoned and left to deteriorate.
These properties have been written about many times, including most recently by the Times Union’s Chris Churchill. They’re very much on the radar of preservationists and have prompted an SOS report to Albany’s SeeClickFix site. Being untended doesn’t mean they’re unloved.
As a person who has been fortunate enough to travel to Europe dozens of time, I’ve seen medieval buildings which have been thoughtfully preserved and modified for modern usage. In the university city of Freiburg, Germany an original part of the wall which once surrounded the city now is home to a McDonald’s. Perhaps not the most inspirational choice, but the takeaway (see what I did there?) is that the edifice was retained and incorporated into contemporary life.
This situation reveals, to me, one of the worst parts of American culture. Far too often, we don’t respect, much less cherish, what former denizens built and occupied and instead place an inflated value on new, and often poorly constructed, present day buildings. How terribly sad and unfortunate.
Suddenly, I was exhausted – and it wasn’t from that hike I had taken. It was most definitely from the walk.
Photo credit: Albany Times Union
