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Easton, PA: this is where they shot the movie we saw, or at least examined a bit, on Monday.
A good sign: it may have had its ground floor overhauled . . .
. . . but the upper floors haven’t suffered window closure.
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Seventies civic building with those big protruding smoked-glass windows, looking as if they’ll stomp down and mash the pitiful insects who scurry in to do their business.
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From the early days of parking garages: one floor, noble decoration in terra-cotta.
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Again, a mixed bag: post-war renovation with thin, irregular, rust / pastel stone, slanted window displays - and careful preservation of the upper floors.
I don’t know why they had to do that. It made every building look at odds with itself.
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A sure sign a town is an important place: one of these beasts.
But . . .
Hotel or office? You can tell by the windows. There’s no tiny window for the bathroom. They’re spaced for offices.
Originally the First National Bank.
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OUMB, stretched-out version:
THOSE DAMNED NARROW WINDOWS
Do you get the feeling that it wasn’t built like this? The original facade was different? You’d be right.
Idiots.
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The monument in Centre Square, which is not French, and is round.
Some history of it all, here, if you’re interested.
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Easton National Bank: perfect.
Never occurred to OUMB designers to take their cues from these structures.
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This doesn’t look at that special . . .
But peer closer:
It’s the little touches that define an era.
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“Block up all of the windows! The sun will ruin all my dough!”
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I hate sad things like this. You can tell it’s been untouched for a long time, based on the dreaded Coachman’s Lanterns fo the 50s and 60s.
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You could turn your chair around, lean forward, and hand something to a guy on the other side of the building:
Its original name. It’s just dripping with ornamentation.
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Again, sigh.
It’s not the most elegant design, but it’s interesting. And at the time, a reassurance: Easton is up-to-date! All the latest styles and modes make it here.
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Same idea, bad outcome.
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It’s like something out of between-the-wars Germany:
Maybe it was.
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Now this, you know, was a hotel.
It’s the ballroom windows that always give it away.
I should stop here, and just let you explore. There’s a lot of interesting stuff here.
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