TBT- Old Electrical System

How much do you love these old electric outlets?  Before we did the renovation for the Counts Brothers Building these old outlets were scattered around the upstairs. I put a multimeter on them and none of them actually were live, but they looked cool. I guess I should have kept them and made some art but it didn't occur to me at the time.

Video of El Barrio When it was still Storkland

Want to see El Barrio before it was a restaurant? Check out Joe Walker's video!

Residence, Before Construction

The front 2000 square feet of the 2nd Floor will be my new loft.  There will be 8 huge windows across the front.  I'm keeping most of the beadboard wall in the middle.  The brick will remain exposed and the heart pine floors will be sanded and sealed.  The main room will be 50 feet wide with 8 windows facing 2nd Avenue. [gallery]

Space 111's Impromptu Art Installation

Wednesday I went to the weekly figure drawing class over at Space 111.  Afterwards I invited everyone over to Storkland/Counts Bros. to see all the weird odds and ends and give me advice about making some art out of it that I could display in my new loft.  I showed them the display I put up in the window with all the weird old stuff I found.  

I used a couple of the old ladders and put up the Standard furniture sign, the ink bottle, an adding machine (the only one I could lift), the thread box and various spools, and other odds and ends.

They asked if they could make their own display, and I said "heck yeah!"  In a whirlwind of activity they put together a better display in 15 minutes than the one that had taken me days.

They used items which I had previously found less interesting: mason jars, mirrors, glass medicine bottles, glassware, balls of string.

My pictures don't do it justice, so if you're in the area walk by and take a look for yourself.

2nd Floor "Loft"

Not a loft like you're thinking.  Guess they put this stuff in for some extra storage?  I like it, but it may have to be taken out in order to rework the rest of the space; maybe it can be put back?  This is the West front of the 2nd level.

The Brick

On the upper floor the brick is exposed.  Perfect.  We don't have to worry about historic issues and can just use it.  Part of this will be my living space.  Part of it will be self storage.

Plaster

To get the historic tax credits, we have to take the walls down to something no less than 50 years old.  The first floor has several layers, most recently drywall.  There is some old plaster under the drywall.  We can't go down to the brick because the plaster is more than 50 years old, probably original to 1904.  Mike denies it, but I think he was a little worried.  But the plaster will look so cool; if you need an idea of what the finished plaster restoration will look like, head over to Pat's place.  There are a few places the plaster still shows.  Imagine this polished; it will be the interior walls of the retail space.

Before pictures- 1st Floor

The first floor has possibly two store fronts, but could be one large space.  Mike and Jacob have got some cool plans to fix up all the heart pine floors and ceilings and take the walls down to the original plaster.  It is going to look great and I can't wait to see a fun retail small business in this space to compliment the rest of the 2nd Avenue scene [gallery]