Original oil painting by: Grandfather’s wife
Do real estate developers necessarily build a whole subdivision of houses or something like Donald Trump’s tower?
Well, Grandfather says … “No.”
When integration came to America’s public schools, a “colored” school in Union, West Virginia, became surplus and Grandfather decided to buy it:
He fixed the roof, painted it, added a flower box and built a proper entrance:
He installed interior trim, milled from wood off an old barn Grandfather pulled down. Then Grandfather wallpapered the walls and brought in an old Steinert piano he brought with him when he moved to West Virginia. He stripped off its original black lacquer finish to reveal rich mahogany underneath:
And, not to be outdone by signs like “TRUMP TOWER” on a high-rise building, Grandfather painted a sign naming the new institution, on a little billboard which once advertised rooms for rent where he came from. The lettering is classic Greek, learned when he was studying to be a commercial artist in technical school. Instead, Grandfather became, among other things, a (shudder) real estate developer.
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here. This article was originally published on 19 April 2018.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
Pretty work, Grandfather. Pretty work.
Thank you, Jason.
As an old man now, I sometimes think back on these projects, done years ago, and feel content with the fact that I cannot do them anymore.
Jason (and others):Try and do as well as you can with your talents (EVERYBODY has them – different from everybody else’s).
When you are old, there will be few regrets.
It’s interesting sometimes to follow the adaptations and use of buildings.
Eventually Grandfather bought some land surrounding the studio and used a part of the land as a homesite for his mother.
When the studio was no longer needed, it was sold to a church congregation. They added a sanctuary wing to the original studio and used the remainder of the vacant land as a parking lot.
(the piano’s subsequent history is circuitous, but that’s another story …)
Your studio certainly does have an interesting history! Of course, being in my late 20s from central Maine, the concept of a segregated school is somewhat foreign to me. Around my area there is something of a tradition of moving buildings around. Once they are no longer useful to the current owner, a new one is found nearby, and the building is moved. When I was in high school we moved a barn from our neighbors place into our backyard. It was certainly a great way to create the extra space we needed, while relieving the neighbor of a tax and maintenance burden that he didnt need.
Jason,moving buildings around is interesting, too! Sounds like your part of Maine is more down to earth than most places in the U.S. today.
Still to come in “Grandfather Says”: An episodes about Baxter State Park and one about moving a house.
Im looking forward to them!
https://lenpenzo.com/blog/id49698-grandfather-says-the-family-trip-to-maine.html
https://lenpenzo.com/blog/id46725-grandfather-says-heres-a-clever-way-to-change-neighborhoods.html
Very cool, Dave. Something deep in my soul is stirred when an old building is fixed up. I hate to drive by empty storefronts, too, and always dream up a new business to put in each one.
I assume the winner in this one was your wife teaching piano?
Well, Gee, I think all the principals were winners: The church congregation, my wife and I.
Now, a few years later, the schoolhouse, to studio, to church is thriving.
I wonder at several recent “historic” renovation projects hereabouts, where the resultant impressive buildings are empty dead monuments.
Love your conversion, your flower box and the recycled sign! I covet that sign! The ability to see something productive like this when others see only a shabby old building is a talent. Americans don’t recycle enough old structures. I’m trying to give away a huge 18th century Dutch farmhouse in NJ so the timbers can be reconfigured into a neat modern timber framed building or timber framed garage, workshop or barn and after 100,000+ views of my ad and contacting more than 50 companies which supposedly recycle wood we are being forced to have it bulldozed. I wish you and I were younger, we’d partner up and recycle it!
We had an old barn we “recycled”, Karen:
https://lenpenzo.com/blog/id49711-grandfather-says-the-majesty-of-trees.html
Just have the dozers pull the house down and apart with chains, instead of crushing it with their blades and tracks. Then, get an enterprising youngster to dismantle the “wreckage” for the wood.
“Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas Edison