Surprise! Surprise!

I remember this building as a kid, my mom had a friend that lived in an apartment behind it. We used to visit her and I remember seeing it when we parked the car. I worked in the neighborhood for years, responded to a call or two there and maybe even performed an inspection there. I've driven by it a bajillion times and even though I always tried to keep track of what the often modified buildings in my district actually were, this caught me by surprise.

After talking with several former co-workers, I was not the only one.The brick and girder exterior was added in 1961, covering the original Churrigueresque exterior. The remodel was so complete and durable and occurred before most of us could talk, so no one recalled the pre-remodel building. In the photo above, part of the facade has been removed from the Bravo side of the building.

The above photo shows the entire masonry portion of the faced having been removed. It is my understanding that the girders will be removed as well and that much of the building's missing ornamentation will be recreated and placed on the building.

The good news for the crews and for the public that will visit the building, is that it will now be brought up to the current fire code, including fire sprinklers and a modern alarm system.

This is the building in it's past glory. Ornate for sure, though I am not sure if the Churrigueresque influence works on it.

Regardless, I was sure surprised to see the exo-skeleton  removed and it's original shell evolve. Kinda embarrassed that I let this one get by.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe