at last...the other kind of building

honestly, what a building is (or was actually) isn't the biggest draw for me, i really just care what it looks like. on the other hand, there are some kinds of buildings that tend to have been pretty damned cool looking. obviously, one of them is fire stations. i'm also fond of old libraries, and schools, among others.

schools do tend to be too large though, even a lot of older schools like my alma mater (and others that have been torn down). most that are of a reasonable size to live in are too small to be used as schools, and without a use few buildings survive around here. there are only a handful of small school buildings left, although there's one i am particularly fond of that has since been a library and is now home to a law office, an insurance agent, and a title company. for the life of me a can't find a picture of it anywhere on the internet, so i can't share. in fact the only one of a fairly reasonable size, that i know for a fact is still there, and i can find a picture of is this one, although i know for sure of one other.

but the point of this post was not to talk about old schools. it was something else altogether: churches. i've been told that the idea of living in a church (me specifically, i think) is discomforting to one of my friends. honestly, the same thing that i'm sure bothers her about it appeals to me, the odd juxtaposition of me and a religious place (not that i'm anti-religion, i just don't prescribe personally). besides, churches get some of the best architecture. that's not to say i'd want to live in any old church. i don't want to live in a church like this any more than i want this firehouse.

as i mentioned back in november when i first alluded to this post, finding a church for sale is a bit rare around here. yes, i know most of the old firehouses aren't for sale either, but they aren't being used for their original purposes anymore, and the churches tend to be, if not by the original occupant. according to my mother, a rather awesome church not to far from here was for sale a few years ago. i can't be too upset by it having been bought and currently being used as a church, since i didn't and still don't have the money to buy it.

a new development is that there is a church for sale in my lovely city, and while it's certainly not up to par with my aesthetic standards on the outside, the inside picture isn't bad, and it is worth mentioning since it's local. there are a couple more in indiana that i like, but they're both in fort wayne, and as i mentioned before fort wayne just doesn't hold any appeal for me as a new hometown. this tabernacle has been for sale since i first decided to look, and is both gorgeous inside (check the flyer for inside pics) and out, and reasonably priced. too bad it's far away and i don't have the money to buy a shed let alone a real building. this church is new enough it should have an icky look about it, but it's done old school church style, quite possibly because it's lutheran (and they tend to have some damned fine church buildings). on the other hand, since it comes with a school, it's far too large to live in.

so if fort wayne doesn't do it for me, where wouldn't i mind moving to? well, i sure do like chicago. of all the churches i found the most interesting was in the chicago MSA. it wasn't too ornate, pretty simple really, but after having been a church it was a public library, which sways my opinion some. two problems with it though. first, i can't link it for you because it sold before i got my links together. also, it inspire the name i had been planning to give to this post, "too far for public transit", as the small town of peotone is a bit past the metra system. and with my inablity to drive, i'd have been trapped in a village of less than 3,500. plus, it may or may not even have a library since everything still lists that building as the only library in town.

the chicago area still has a few good churches, though. yes, this one really is too large, but that's nothing compared to the fact it's in an alarming state of disrepair. nothing like a place with plastic caution fencing, where the listing even points out the multiple city violations, but it sure is interesting. or there's this one in brookfield. it's a tad more modern, but not too, and it's convenient for public transit, which is a great for those of us who find our multitasking ability not up to the act of driving.

another city i like is saint louis. the options in that area are more attractive, but possibly less practical (yes, i know my looking for a church to buy when i don't have any money is inherently impractical). the smallest of the three in this area is still too big for a single dwelling, not to mention it's location in the notorious city of east saint louis. then there's one in centreville that would still be too large but considerably less so if it didn't come with a school and a convent/rectory. but then again, it's still not as big in total as the one in saint louis proper. church may be smaller, but on top of a school plus convent and (not or) rectory, it comes with 2 storage buildings. it does have 1.1 less acres of land, though. i don't know for sure, but i think that picture is of the school, not the church.

okay, that's my post about churches, and schools to boot. i decided to use links instead of adding pictures directly to the post because they're easier to insert, it gives you guys more information that way, and it's easier to fit more than one in a paragraph. if you've been sad that you couldn't just scroll down and look at all the pretty pictures, here's a little appeasement.

this is quite possibly the most awesome looking firehouse ever. and no, it's not for sale. so, here's the deal. obviously, this is not here in our splendid little burg, but can anyone guess where it is? i'll even been nice and give you a few hints. it's apparently on lafayette street, two blocks south of canal. oh, and it's in a city i don't have any particular desire to live, but wouldn't mind visiting. so, any idea where to find this gothic beauty?

p.s. talk about a fixer-upper. and you guys think old number 10 on columbia is really rough. hell of a bell tower, though.