Gathered as a family watching television, a passing siren fills the air. More sirens follow and they stop down the street. A phone call confirms - the Institute is on fire. A school building over a hundred and twenty years old, it has been some twenty-five years since students graced its halls. Even in its sad state of neglect, it is majestic with stonewalls and castle like towers and turrets.
tattered leaves
covering the ground . . .
faded dreams
We walk the two blocks and watch from the sidewalk. The massive walls engulfed in flames crash to the ground in a spray of sparks. Nothing can be saved. It is just a decaying old building lost to time and flames, but for a six-year old, it will remain forever.
for a moment
the world stands still . . .
daydream
Top photo: Columbia Institute postcard (unused 1930-1945)
Bottom photo: 1959 Aerial photo after the fire at the Columbia Institute
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