Imagine These Buildings...

After having coffee with a friend this morning I stepped out on the street and saw these old buildings on East Avenue. The light was perfect, shining on their fronts. There are wonderful architectural details on the second floor of the building at the right. It made me stop and think of how beautiful that building must have been when it was new, probably at the end of the 19th century and before a commercial front was added on the first floor. These buildings are not long for this world, however. They have already been bought by a nearby supermarket chain which wants to expand its present building.The buildings are old, and appear to be in disrepair, but it feels as if something important will be lost when they are torn down.