I came across a small aside in an article about Frederick Douglass about his short history as a real estate developer, responsible for building a short stretch of row homes known as Douglass Place in 1892. The homes were built on the site of the Methodist Episcopal Church which Douglass attended in his younger years, and which had become dilapidated by the time he acquired the property for redevelopment. A 2015 Baltimore Sun article has some pictures from inside one of the homes, all of which still stand today.
Stranger Thing’s third season landmark set, Starcourt Mall, was more than a typical soundstage production. Built into a struggling mall in Georgia, the set featured both original and period store reproductions.
Matthias is an oddball with evergreen appeal, I was recently re-linked to his personal study on wood joint strength.
Places published a piece in April about shade as a civic resource and, as the wet heat bears down in the Midwest, it’s clear how easy it is to make the urban environment bearable or unbearable for pedestrians. I bike to work mostly under a leafy canopy except for one glaring asphalt six-lane intersection. A noise and heat mini-hell. One business along that street recently removed their awning and now the sidewalk feels less like a protected space and more like an extension of the gutter. I’ve been privileged to live my entire life in a Tree City.
Charity of the Week: Miles4Migrants funds plane tickets used to re-unite the families of refugees and asylum seekers using donated airline miles and cash. A wonderful person I grew up with really cared about their program and volunteered a lot of time (and miles), based on his own family’s experiences escaping poor circumstances. He recently passed away at a young age, so now seems like the right time to help fill his shoes.
TYPD 