January 21, 2022
A plain four lane bridge belies what crossed the river here before it was known as the “Kennebec”, when the flowing water was called “Sagadahoc”. Sagadahoc was navigated by canoes, rafts, horses riding in oar-driven ferries, and epic schooners built in the shipyards along the shore amidst the flowing tide and the seasonal ice floes. […]
January 10, 2022
I’ve spent a lot of time in antique stores – enough to distinguish that there are many different types, some of which are far more engaging than others. Some are primarily based around rustic décor, others are fully of kitschy tchotchkes, and many are just filled with random banal bric-a-brac that you’ll forget as soon […]
January 5, 2022
Built from 1935-1937 in a gorgeous Art Deco style, the Edward W. Bok School was named after a Dutch author and editor of the Ladies’ Home Journal, which was noted as being one of the most influential publications in American domestic architecture of its time. The school was designed by Irwin Catherine, architect of dozens […]
January 5, 2022
It is good to know that all of the humor in the Medical Supply industry is not of the bedpan variety. It would be far too pungent.
January 5, 2022
Entertainment is a hard business. Some of the hardest-working entertainers are circus clowns. A dying breed, they must travel from town to town putting on the same show. They are trained and paid to look clumsy, unintelligent, and rude. Most of them are not. The athleticism required for pratfalls and other site gags goes […]
December 31, 2021
The Pink House on Plum Island Turnpike in Newbury, MA, is a celebrated landmark full of local lore. The story goes – a local couple was getting divorced, and part of the agreement required the husband to build a replica of their house. However, the agreement didn’t specify where, and he built it on top […]
December 31, 2021
On November 1, 1913, the Loew’s Boulevard Theatre opened in the Bronx, NY. Marcus Loew, founder of Loew’s Incorporated, was one of the 2,800 people who attended the opening night celebrations. Loew announced that the theater would feature “small time” vaudeville and motion pictures. Thomas W. Lamb, famed theater architect, redesigned the interior of the […]
December 31, 2021
The Rivoli Theatre opened on April 22, 1922 in Rutherford, New Jersey. It was designed by architect Abram Presikel and featured a marble facade, ornate interior and a centerpiece chandelier made out of crystals from Czechoslovakia. The 2,200 seat theater opened as a combination vaudeville and silent film house. During this time, acts such as […]
December 31, 2021
The Casino Theatre originally opened as the Willis Theatre in late December 1923. It’s located near 138th Street in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, NY. The 2,166 seat theater was designed by architect Eugene DeRosa, who is known for many other New York Metropolitan Theatres such as The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, Studio […]
December 31, 2021
The 1,149 seat Palace Theatre originally opened on December 21, 1914, in Norwalk, CT. It was known as “the theater you play before you play the Palace in New York.” Many famous vaudeville acts performed at the Palace over the years such as Harry Houdini, W.C Fields, Mae West, and Enrico Caruso. It’s rumored to […]