Friday, April 11, 2014

Waking up third floor ghosts

CHRIS KELLEY AND his Table 16 crew set up our third floor room last night. I enjoyed watching them lift really heavy stuff and clean the place up. Hopefully they didn't mind the cigar smoke.

The third floor has only four rooms, including one massive space that once housed Bedford Dance Studio. It was a dirty and dusty mess until just a week or so ago - I threw out a bunch of old wood and junk, and Chris and his crew removed other stuff to set the scene.

Basically they want it to look like an apartment and work space. It's amazing how much better it looks now - they found some old chandeliers, brought up a huge bank teller grate from the basement, hauled up a couch from our first floor back room. It's almost - homey!

Earlier in the afternoon I took Victoria Kelley up there for a guitar lesson. She is singing in Quincy's version of The Voice and I'm playing guitar for her. Her vocals and my bad guitar bounced off the walls and ceilings, and I swear I heard somebody say, "Come up here more often."

The far corner of the third floor housed Dr. Glower's office for many years. The Wilson & Schmiedeskamp law firm took over the space until it was remodeled for Bedford Dance Studio. George Lewis used it for a law library - I found some of his old books and papers and made sure Mr. Lewis got them back before we purged the place.

While I was sitting there last night and the others were plotting movie scenes and world domination, I swear I heard a dance instructor call out to her students. I swear I heard a woman's voice say, "Dr. Glower will see you now." I swear I heard a man say, "Heading to the courthouse, back in a bit."

When you own an old building and slowly coax it back to life, embedded voices bounce off walls and history reminds us of our place, and how to respect time.

So we are waking up ghosts and having more fun than should be allowed!


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