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.

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.

 

From the early days of parking garages: one floor, noble decoration in terra-cotta.

 

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.

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.

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.

The monument in Centre Square, which is not French, and is round.

Some history of it all, here, if you’re interested.

Easton National Bank: perfect.

Never occurred to OUMB designers to take their cues from these structures.

This doesn’t look at that special . . .

But peer closer:

It’s the little touches that define an era.

 

“Block up all of the windows! The sun will ruin all my dough!”

 

 

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.

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.

 

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.

Same idea, bad outcome.

It’s like something out of between-the-wars Germany:

Maybe it was.

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.