Village of the Damned

Wilshire Village Apartments by Finijo

After work today I was struck by an overwhelming urge to cry. Stress is building in some parts of my life and I am probably PMS-ing, so I thought I would go to the Rothko Chapel and (if nobody was around) have a good cry and just get it out of my system. On the way to the chapel, I had a better idea. I stopped and took some pictures of some old apartments that have been fascinating me for as long as I can remember.

Bleeding Door by Finijo

They are in much worse shape than I thought they were, but their decay is still incredibly beautiful to me. Maybe because I feel a bit decayed myself today. The patina on the copper porch covers is still beautiful. Somebody put a lot of effort into the design and building of these apartments - which is probably the only reason they are still standing in a city that seems to revel in tearing down its own history.

Window Cat by Finijo

Much to my surprise, people actually live here. I found this well-fed and frisky cat staring at me as I was taking pictures. I asked him to pose for me and he didn't hesitate. I also saw a couple of the residents, and contrary to what I would have guessed, they appeared to be made of flesh and bone, not ectoplasm and aura.

Wilshire Stairs by Finijo

The curve of the stairways on these old buildings is great. I can imagine what they looked like in their heyday and this must have been the place to live. They look like they were the perfect setting for an Agatha Christi murder mystery back then. Now they look like the perfect setting for a ghost story or maybe even a slasher flick.

Garden Door by Finijo

Before I could take all the shots I wanted to snap, I was unceremoniously chucked off the property by the maintenance man. I asked if I could talk to the manager and he told me "No!" He kept asking me, "Why are you taking pictures?" I told him because I thought they were beautiful and I really like them, but I don't think he believed me.

Out Building by Finijo

Later, I found this info on the Internet and it really does make an interesting story:

Is this story for real this time? I have a friend that lives in these apartments, and has heard this story many times before. For those that have never seen these apartments, they are really nice on the inside. The tenants have always been able to do whatever to the inside, as long as they made to improvements to the exterior. The interior of the apartments are very decorative, with aluminum(?) stair railings and other deco touches. Unfortunately, lack of maintenance has taken its toll and they need to be torn down. The owner actually still lives on the property, and his sister owns the property across the street (Fiesta center). They have supposedly (second hand info here) been in an argument for years, and has kept the apartments around just to spite his sister. Maybe BS but it sounds interesting.

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=2223