Friday, June 14, 2013

What's Old is New Again


Thought for the day:  Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.  [Thomas Edison]

Some people have a real knack for taking a bunch of seemingly useless odds and ends, and turning them into pieces of artwork... or into something new and useful. They often rescue items that were otherwise destined for the dump, clean them up, and turn them into something entirely different.


Some developers have the same sort of talent, but on a much grander scale. They see an area that looks like a dump, and picture its potential as a place of beauty. Let me tell ya, what developers did to transform Baltimore's Inner Harbor is nothing short of miraculous. Locals are still somewhat bemused to see tourist buses in town, but they're darned proud of their city's phenomenal face lift, too.

The Tin Decorating Company of Baltimore, or Tindeco for short, opened in 1900, and by 1914, was the largest tin decorating plant in the world. When the presses were running, all the windows had to stay closed, because a draft could mess up the images in the wet paint. So with all that heavy machinery running, not to mention giant ovens in use... can you imagine how beastly hot it must have been inside that factory in the middle of a sweltering Baltimore summer? Oh, and they also had an in-house surgical department, too. Those big sheets of tin they worked with weren't only slippery when wet with paint; they were sharper than razor blades. In other words, I'll betcha lots of guys who worked there had the nickname Stubby.

The factory changed hands a couple times over the years, but closed down for good in 1965, and quickly deteriorated into an eyesore. Then voila! Like magic, in 1985, it became repurposed as luxury apartments. Who'd a thunk it?  

And... it happens to be home sweet home for one of the characters in Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade:

Pearl turned onto Boston Street and followed it from Ida's neighborhood of want all the way to Luke's neighborhood of plenty. His apartment looked down its nose at the harbor from atop a converted seven-acre building that used to be Tindeco, the largest tin decorating company in the world. Now the former factory was called Tindeco Wharf, and in addition to upscale offices and shops, it offered high-dollar living at its finest. Much to the amusement of Baltimore's old-timers, the rich and trendy couldn't whip out their platinum cards fast enough for the privilege of living there.

Because I was curious about the old tinware and nouveau living quarters, I thought you might find it interesting, too.




Check this out. There's an Olympic-sized pool out back, right next to the harbor. I'll bet those guys who were shut up in that hot-as-hell factory would've gladly given up another finger or two for the luxury of being able to cool off in a pool. (Even a kiddie pool!)







This lobby sure doesn't look like it was ever part of a factory, does it? You can only see one in this picture, but there are actually two cabinets against the wall on the left, and they both hold spiffy samples of Tindeco tinware.










Here are some candy and cookie tins. Peter Rabbit was a popular design, as was Mother Goose.


Cigarette tins. Lucky Strike... no strike back! (Anybody remember that?)

Intricately painted containers for Christmas and Halloween are very popular with collectors.






How do you like these Roly Poly fellas? Each of them originally held about a pound of tobacco.

Dunno why, but I only took one picture of this other cabinet. Too bad, because some of this stuff was pretty neat, too. (We probably high-tailed it out of there to get some lunch.)















Here's a closer look at a couple Peter Rabbit tins. The first was produced in the '20s, and the second, in the '40s.






Animal crackers, anyone?
















Uneeda has to be one of the best names ever for a brand of tea, dontcha think?









Pretty cool, huh? Have any old factories in your town turned into trendy places to live?

What's the most unusual case of repurposing you've ever seen... or done yourself? Smarticus pulled off a pretty cool one. (In addition to his repurposed-out-the-wazoo 1930 Model A ratrod, that is.) At a hamfest some years back, he bought a wooden shipping box full of vacuum tubes. Not that he needed the tubes; he already had a ton of them. What he did need was something handy-dandy to put beside his end of the love seat, and that box looked like the perfect size. It still has the old Ft. McPherson mailing address stamped into it, but with the addition of a couple pieces of wood (which secures the crate's lid.. I mean, table top... about six inches above the crate) and a coat of polyurethane, it makes a dandy... and very unique table/magazine rack.

As we like to say... it suits us!

                                Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

80 comments:

  1. Very interesting, I love the Chesapeake, I want to go to an Orioles game some day.

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    1. Isn't the Chesapeake grand? It's one of the things I missed most when we moved away. I was a rabid O's fan... in a family of rabid O'd fans... so I screamed myself hoarse at a lot of games at the old Memorial Stadium. (You know, back in the days when seats in the bleachers were actually affordable.)

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  2. Yes, very cool. The Peter Rabbit tin is my favorite.

    The luxury apartments remind me of trendy places on the Waterfront in San Francisco. Might Pearl need a roommate?

    xoRobyn

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    1. Could be a lot of waterfront areas are going for face-lifts. The first time I heard about an old factory being turned into luxury apartments, I thought the developers were nuts. I reckon they knew what they were doing.

      Pearl's son Luke is the one who lives at Tindeco, and come to think of it, he might welcome a roommate. One can never have too many servants.

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  3. ...in-house surgical department...

    After reading about that I had to laugh because someone I work with was whining about those nasty people from OSHA and their regulations they other day.

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    1. Lots of people complain about OSHA, especially the ones who don't realize how bad conditions were before all those rules and regulations were put into place. I worked a summer job at Bethlehem Steel back in the Dark Ages, and one of the first things I noticed was the multitude of cheerful signs boasting of how many days they'd gone without any accidents. Didn't take me long to realize one of the reasons they'd gone so many days is because accidents frequently weren't reported. Their precious record was held in higher regard than actual safety.

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  4. I like the painted tinware. I like containers since I use the ones I collect.

    As for repurposed:
    Our Yaletown in Vancouver was a warehouse district before it was renovated into Condos and trendy stores. It looks very nice, but it's pricey. They call it "Gentrification" here.

    An interesting post, Baltimore is one place I know very little about, except the Baltimore Orioles are their baseball team.

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    1. I have quite a few tinware containers that I still use, too, but it never even occurred to me that they were "collector's items" until I started doing research for my book.

      I reckon part of the reason these gentrified place are so pricey is based on a theory that people who pay that much money to live there are more likely to take better care of them.

      Glad ya liked it.

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  5. I'm intrigued by recombinant structures. Have a friend who built his downtown home from an old grocery store. We bought this old farmhouse when it only had three walls left. Decades of work and after work work. You end up with something so special you almost can't stand it. When an architect --who probably had parents who bought little old stores and rotten farmhouses-- does something on the scale in your post, it's so impressive!

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    1. An elderly ham couple we know bought an old (vintage 1920s or so) schoolhouse many years ago, and filled that thing with a plethora of stuff. Room after room filled with magnificent prototypes of electronic marvels and test equipment he'd designed as an engineer, and more electronic antiques and equipment than the Smithsonian. It was the perfect home for them... until it wasn't. A leaky roof led to collapsed floors, and a verrrry dangerous situtation. So much so, when my hubby and several others helped them move out, a ton of stuff had to be left behind because it was too risky to try to get to it. Even so... if we found a similar old schoolhouse, no doubt, my hubby would LOVE to live in it.

      Very neat about the work on your farmhouse. (Says the lady who didn't have to do a lick of it.) If you have any before and after pics, it'd be neat to post them on your blog someday.

      Ooops, almost forgot.


      Dude.

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  6. I love it. Sometimes I have reservations though. At the top of the street my parents lived in there was a garage. Petrol (gas) pumps and a workshop. It was there for probably fifty years. The garage closed down and the land was sold. For reasons I don't understand the old garage was heritage listed. Posh apartments were built where it stood - but they had to keep the facade of the garage. Huh? In the days that the garage operated environmental considerations were very low priorities. The soil has undoubtedly soaked up more chemicals than I want to think about. And the apartments (all six of them) sold for close to three-quarters of a million dollars each. They might be elegant but I wouldn't live there.
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Yeah, I know what you mean. There's a not-too-ladylike expression I use in my book: "You can't polish a turd." Oh, you CAN, of course, but no matter how much effort you put into it, in the end... it's still a turd.

      All that oil and gas (petrol) and whatnot had to go somewhere. They can build "pretty" over top of it, but it's still there underneath. Still a turd.

      You have a super weekend, too.

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  7. The old tins are wonderful and the story of the factory is intriguing. Places with such a history are worth saving. I'm glad that you incorporated it into your book. As you pointed out, those long-ago factory workers never dreamed that one day there would be an olympic-sized pool gracing their hot & stuffy place of employment.

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    1. Cool. I'm glad you found it to be interesting, too.

      Baltimore has done pretty well, but Atlanta doesn't have a very good track record for saving her old buildings. For many years, the mindset here was to demolish, regardless of historical or architectural significance, and build something new and shiny. Such a shame. So much of a city's character is destroyed by doing that. Of course, the truly old stuff in Atlanta was burned down during the Civil War, but that's no excuse for widespread razing in the name of progress. Thankfully, preservation groups have made huge strides in the past twenty years or so in changing that mindset.

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  8. That lobby is very pretty. I like the pristine feel given off by the ivory and the impression of curvature. I guess those are flags hanging from the ceiling?

    I liked your outtake very much. Believe it or not, I woke up thinking about your novel! Who'd a thunk it? ;)

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    1. What you see hanging in that lobby are banners, but they aren't hung from the ceiling. As best as I can remember, they were hung from cords strung across the area. The ceiling in that portion of the lobby soars waaaaaaay up high, to the original roof of the factory.

      Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, and am honored you woke up thinking about my book. (I'd a never thunk it!)

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  9. Adelaide has a couple of transformed places that I know of and there's probably more. In Maylands, my previous suburb, there's an old Tram Barn which is now units and townhouses, I took photos once but I've lost them, and more recently a Brewery closed down and apartments were built in its place. Some of the Brewery was retained as facade, but the apartments are several stories higher.

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    1. I think the transformations, for the most part, are great, and a much better use of our resources. It strikes me as beyond stupid when one company, say, tears down a gas (petrol) station just so they can build another doggone station in its place. Or perfectly good stores are ripped down to make way for another perfectly good store. Makes NO sense.

      The idea of apartments built in a former brewery is intriguing. Especially if the old facade has been preserved. That's using the ol' noggin.

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  10. I love old tins! I have way too many of them in my basement. But, heck, you never know when and how they might come in handy, right?

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    1. Hey, what's "too many?" As long as they still fit, it can't be too many, right? And absolutely, you never know when one of them might come in handy. Even if one of those cans is sitting abandoned in a dark corner covered with ten years' of dust and cobwebs, the minute... I say, the MINUTE... you get rid of it... you'll need it.

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  11. Downtown Cincinnati has transformed a lot of they're structures/buildings as part of their renovation project and it really does look amazing and has revitalized parts of downtown. Lexington, KY is diong the same.

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    1. I'm glad to hear it. I like the notion of cities making the most of what they already have in place.

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  12. I love to go to the Baltimore Harbor area. They transformed that area so perfectly and we, in other cities on the east coast wonder why they don't do something like that to our harbors. If Philadelphia did something like that, I would be more inclined to visit.

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    1. Remembering how bad Baltimore's Inner Harbor looked in the sixties, it's hard to believe it's become one of the crown jewel of the east coast, but it has. It's been a lot of years since I visited Philly, ( maybe 1963 or so) but I loved it. Especially the Franklin Institute. The last time my hubby was there for a business trip, (maybe the early '90s) he said parts of Philly looked like it'd been bombed. He and his co-workers actually ran red lights in the wee hours of the morning because they were leery of the gangs hanging out on the street corners.

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  13. Oh, I LOVE the Peter Rabbit tins! The Potter books were among my favorites as a kid and I still love them. Love the animal crackers tin too, how fun. Now I want to run out and buy a bunch of old tins LOL.

    Have a great weekend, Susan. :)

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    1. I'm glad you liked the tinware. If you're serious about wanting to buy some, do a Google search. Ebay and Amazon, among other places, usually list a few pieces for sale.

      You have a super weekend, too, Julie.

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  14. I'm always happy when something old gets refurbished instead of being torn down, especially old buildings. Love the tin boxes and while I never got my animal crackers in a tin the pictures painted on the one here look just like the pictures on the box I remember.

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    1. Yeah, me too. I hope to get my own personal refurbishing any day now. (Just kidding. I worked hard to achieve this "look.")

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  15. I don't have that knack
    Here at my shack
    In the trash they go
    Or stuffed in the closet at my show
    Those tins are grand
    Would hide those away in my land

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    1. Here, old treasures are piled knee-deep.
      Nope, I'm not a collector.
      I'm simply... cheap.

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  16. I love what architects can do with old spaces. There's several here as well. I just knew you were going to say he auctioned off the vacuum tubes. They're all the hot item with musicians these days. As you would say... who'd a thunk?

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    1. Nope, he didn't auction them off, but he has sold quite a few and given a bunch away. Amplifiers built with vacuum tubes have a much better sound than solid state ones, so I'm not surprised tubes are in demand with musicians.

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  17. Very interesting Susan. Everything about those old tins speaks to an older time. I look at them and feel like we have lost something precious. It isn't the working conditions in that old building. But definitely something...

    As for what you were actually talking about Repurposing Things... I think it is great. If you ever watch HGTV, some of the most interesting pieces that they come up with in the home are often found at Junk Stores and Repurposed. They end up being one of the most interesting and lovely things in the home. I am all in favor of it:)

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    1. The working conditions may not have been ideal in the old factories, but the workers usually had a genuine sense of pride in the products they were creating. That may be what you sense is missing today.

      I am a HUGE fan of HGTV, and love the way they turn trash into treasures on some of those shows. They possess much more "vision" and talent than I do.

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  18. Philly had done the same in several neighborhoods (they had a word for it but it escapes me) while I lived there (through the early 90's).

    Sadly, in Phoenix, the land is so cheap that the older neighborhoods are simply abandoned and new ones built. I moved into my house here when it was five years old and people called it "old" construction.

    As opposed to the northeast where I don't think a structure is considered old unless it's older than the Liberty Bell.

    It's been so long, I do not remember the Inner Harbor before it was revamped, and it's been years since I visited, but I remember it always being a fun day. I loved the ballpark (visited it about ten years ago).

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    1. Even by Atlanta standards, calling something five years old "old" construction is a bit extreme.

      Even though I grew up in B'more, I've never been to the new stadium at Camden Yards. My hubby and sons have, but not me. So you're one (at least!) up on me.

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  19. They turned the old mill into a mall here, and the little cottages that were once on a very polluted river sell for way too much money. But I'm glad the river is less polluted.

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    1. Let's hope the "way polluted" river isn't polluted any more.

      Selling and renting these re-imagined old places for way too much money seems to be a standard practice. Then again, whatever the market will bear, I suppose. If nobody was willing to pay that much money, the companies wouldn't keep charging it.

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  20. I have seen the renovation of Baltimore Harbor on TV, it's amazing. I don't have any talents for stuff like that, but I found an antique dresser and made it into a sideboard of sorts, and I made my old nightstand into something that holds office supplies, printer paper,etc., here in my home office. Since I have so little talent, I am insanely proud whenever I accomplish something like that. Love those old tins!

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    1. It really is amazing. It used to be a filthy area with polluted water, frequent fish kills, and tons of garbage, weeds, winos, and prostitutes. People used to be half afraid to frequent the area; now it's always jam-packed with tourists.

      Good for you. We don't have to be the most talented to take on those kinds of projects; in fact, I think those of us who really have to work at it take more pride in the results.

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  21. That's an amazing transformation on the factory!

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    1. Isn't it???

      And judging from some of the posts I've seen on your blog, you know a thing or two about repurposing and refurbishing.

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  22. The most dramatic example of this I can think is Brooklyn. When I was a boy it was all abandoned warehouses, at least along the waterfront. Now it is expensive condos and lofts and such.

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    1. Good to know. I love the idea of beautified waterfront.

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  23. amazing conversions and very cool post. I like how your story reflects the past and also got you exploring more. Some folks are very clever at turning old to new. I like seeing quilts made from old material that has meaning - it tells a new story.

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    1. One of the neatest ideas I've ever heard of for making a quilt involved using a mess of much-loved tee shirts. Like you say, by incorporating team shirts, school shirts, and shirts from various attractions and bands, etc... the quilt tells a story.

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  24. I love Baltimore's Inner Harbor. We took a water taxi there one time. I can't remember where we went, but The Hurricane and I bought very cool, unusual summer dresses. Mine was blue and hers was green. She wore hers for years. Might still have it more than ten years later. When she was here for Christmas, she wore a dress she got in high school. She's 26. I don't know that I re-purpose much of anything, but the developers of my neighborhood re-purposed it from a swamp. Not a very good idea. I ordered your book a couple of days ago. Yeah. It was me (and a bunch of other people, too, I hope). It should be here soon and I'll put down the huge "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin and enjoy me some Pearl.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Very neat that you've visited the Inner Harbor. If you went to some really funky shops, you might have been in Fell's Point. Cobblestone streets... lots of eclectic shops, some with a certain hippy flair to them. My mother, aunt, daughter, and I LOVED to shop in those little stores.

      I'm thrilled to hear you ordered my book. At the moment, I'm kinda over the moon ecstatic. My book's first review hit Amazon today, and it's a GOOD one! What's even cooler is I don't know the reviewer from Adam... so the review is completely impartial. Yeah, I know some stinker reviews are inevitable, but for now, I'm taking this first one and wrapping it around me like a mink stole. Life is good.

      Happy weekend, kiddo.

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    2. Yes. Fell's Point. Congratulations on the good review!

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    3. Cool. I LOVE Fell's Point.

      Thanks. (Got another one!!! Still good!)

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  25. I love those ducks in your main pic! They look like the mate for life kind.
    There's a revamped mental hospital in a town not too far from me, now some lovely Victorian looking flats. I thought they might be a bit creepy but they seem rather calming. And I never realised how dangerous painted tin could be!!

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    1. Those ducks are actually Canadian geese, and I'm pretty sure they DO mate for life. (Good eye!)

      I've never heard of a mental hospital being turned into regular housing before, but if it has Victorian architecture, I imagine it's quite lovely.

      Happy weekend!

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  26. My heart sang a song when I saw your comment just now.
    How appropriate that you would be there.

    Thank you Sweetie. And NOW I see I have a book I must go by, instantly.

    HOW EXCITING. I am sorry that my life got in the way of your sterling news - I have been so anxious to get back to you and see what's going on - but now I have a book, a piece of you I can hold, in my hands, knowing you are there, at the other end.

    Congratulations my amazing friend. I am honored to know you and so, so, so, very happy for you.

    Now, where's my kite? [oh and I packed my Ms. Potato Head and I swear I cried a bit thinking of you. The new header is . . ..fine, but it's not your Ms. Potato Head. ::giggle::]

    I love you sweetie. And I would've sent this in an email, but um, yeah - you don't have one I KNOW to use.

    HUGS, Skippy/JG

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    1. I know what you mean. My heart sang a little tune when I saw your post pop up on my reader, too.

      Funny you mentioned Ms. Potato Head. She'd been MIA for quite a while, but I put her up a couple weeks ago, and just replaced her again. So ya just missed her! I'll have to put her back soon, just for you.

      I'm thrilled that you're gonna get my book. I like the idea of you reading it and laughing. Or crying. (Don't say I didn't warn ya!)

      Thank you. I love you, too, kiddo, and it's so good to hear from you again. 12:34

      Delete
  27. Did I actually write "by" for "buy".

    Okay, I understand if the friendship is officially off because I am too stoooooooopid to proofread a two/three letter word.

    Hey, a girl gets internet back and her hands work too fast, what can I say? Not to mention how big a knot my panties are in with the excitement of having a connection back. Big. Honker. Knot. ::giggle::

    Okay, outta' here. I didn't even attempt to read past the first spelling mistake. I am off to fly my imaginary kite :) Love you, again.

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    1. Nah, you can't wiggle out of this friendship so easily, kiddo. You're stuck.

      I'm glad you're "connected" again. Take care, and have a super weekend.

      12:34

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  28. I love it when old structures get rehabilitated and used for something else! Love that HGTV show that shows people living in old grocery stores, churches, train stations, etc.

    I'm not creative enough to repurpose stuff, though I did use a cheap old Army foot locker for a coffee table. My boss recently needed some flexible tubing to fix something on his airplane, so he bought a used wet suit (the kind used for diving). He said that worked best. I had to stop myself from rolling on the floor laughing.

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    1. Yeah, me, too. We just saw an episode on TV tonight where this family in Vancouver live in a sprawling multi-floored tree built up and around the trees. Amazing!

      My "hope chest" was made out of an old Army foot locker. A little bit of padding and material, and it looked like an ottoman. Not sure about your boss using a wet suit to make a flexible tubing, but hey! He's the boss, right?

      Happy weekend.

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  29. Love this post, especially the images of the old tins. Thanks so much for visiting my blog and following. Hibbs, the bear with two shadows, sends an enchantment your way, but he won't tell me what it is. Look for the rainbow. :-)

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    1. Those old tins are something else, aren't they?

      Thanks so much for returning the favor; I do appreciate it. Welcome aboard!

      (I ALWAYS look for the rainbow...)

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  30. Love this! We had such a great time last year in Baltimore. If we go again, I know who to ask for insider information :)

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    1. I can tell you where to get the BEST sandwich you ever ate... a grilled cheese made with four kinds of cheese on reeeeeally good bread... with a thick layer of fresh backfin crab meat on it. The same place also has a fancy burger... also with a thick layer of fresh backfin crab meat on it. (Noticing a theme here?) Or, I could just tell ya where to get crabs.

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  31. Turning that into apartments was a clever idea! And I bet by the waterfront, they go for top dollar.

    There are some warehouses in downtown Wilmington (on the NC coast) that were also turned into apartments. The main one on the river is priced at $1 million dollars an apartment.

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    1. It was a clever idea that caught everyone by surprise. Locals couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live in an old factory, but like you said, they've been going for top dollar. Not sure why people are willing to pay a million bucks to live in an apartment, (even if it IS on the waterfront) but to each his own.

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  32. Love the post! As someone who's husband is into real estate-this was interesting!

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    1. Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. I imagine the commission for selling all these commercial properties turned residential would be pretty impressive. (Enough to buy LOTS of books!)

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  33. Wow very cool! I'm fascinated by peep's ingenuity as well. Love that they revamped Baltimore. ANd that factory lobby is tres cool.

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    1. I'm glad they revamped Baltimore, too. Those of us who lived there loved it warts and all, but now that the unsightly warts are gone, it has a face everyone can love.

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  34. Lovely blog. I always enjoy stopping by and I always learns something new too!
    ~Just Jill

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  35. Wow, amazing that they could do that!

    And I love those tins! So charming!

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    1. Yeah, it is pretty amazing, but from what I've seen on TV, it's pretty darned amazing how New Jersey has rebuilt following Sandy, too. Better than ever!

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  36. Hi Susan .. those tins are just beautiful. It is amazing how quickly a business springs up, then less than 80 years or so goes down the tube .. your husband's tube table perhaps!

    I think probably the London Olympic Park has been pretty amazing - sadly I never got to see it .. but it will be interesting to see what it becomes .. as there is a renaissance for housing etc ...

    I hope to get round and up to see what's left etc at some stage ..

    Thankfully they don't always tear things down .. can't think of a particular building at the moment ...

    The creation of the Eden Project out of the St Austell clay bits has been a huge hit ... and is very clever conservation and environmental set up emulating natural biomes.

    No doubt the brain could click into gear for more! Love the tin company though .. and Baltimore looks amazing - the waterfront developments are great news ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. I'm glad you like the tins. A company called Bristol Ware (which sounds awfully British to me) made reproductions of the Roly Poly tins in 1980, and they're quite popular with collectors, too. You'd probably have an easier time finding some of them, if you wanted to.

      HA! I got a kick out of your "less than 80 years" comment. Kinda like us, huh? I sure don't look as bright and shiny as I did when I sprung into the world, either. Maybe I should consider a face-lift, too... (Just kidding!)

      Eden sounds like a great project, but it's kinda sad to think of the Olympic Park in London changing to a residential spot. The Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta has been preserved as a park, and even though we don't go downtown very often, I understand the park is a wonderful gathering place with lots of fun activities going on.

      Cheers!

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  37. The harbour area has been completely transformed. Some people are pretty good at visualizing the future and then working to achieve it. Lovely pictures.

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    1. Yes, and the transformation is absolutely glorious. Thanks. Always good to have you stop by.

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  38. Wow I wish I were a character in your book living here would be amazing. I can't wait to order your book from Amazon and read it. I do admire you so much for being published.
    Like everyone else I love the Peter Rabbit Tins.
    Now I am off to order your book.
    Love
    Maggie

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    1. I have a feeling you'd get annoyed with city living real fast. No yard at all. (Then again, that'd mean no mowing, right?)

      Super! I hope you enjoy it. Take care.

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  39. Enjoyed reading your blog and seeing inside the Tindeco building. It was being worked on when I moved away from Baltimore.

    I'd collected a number of the tins while I lived there, but don't see them much around here.

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    1. Hi-ya, Virginia. Thanks so much for stopping by. It's always a special treat when someone stops in and comments on one of the older posts.

      We moved away from B'more before the Tindeco makeover, too, but my husband was sweet enough to take me there for a visit when I was working on my book. Seeing it was much more better than imagining it.

      If you do a google search, you should be able to find some more tins for your collection. Not too outrageous in price, either.

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