Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The ham way

I was driving along Commercial Boulevard when I saw it. A sadly faded and dusty relic of the old Fort Lauderdale. It is for sale, and it is hard to tell if Hamway Flooring is still in operation within it.



There must have been a time when this glorious facade was part of a thriving business route. Now it is mournfully uncomfortable, surrounded by the likes of these hideous neighbors:




It would make a fine nightclub or restaurant. It wouldn't take much to restore it. New windows. Lighting. Details. A little polish. And of course, a new sign... You're one click away from 1925:

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps this could serve as temporary headquarters for the Father Tony Monastery? It would need to be relocated to tillable acreage, but the design is fetching.

Cooper said...

It's a gem. Maybe you should buy it and open Father Tony's ... a place for sun and stars and moon ... and filigree of gold ... Art, books, food, drink, conversation ... living water for gasping fish.

Anonymous said...

That building was renovated to look like art deco, it used to be a nondiscript office building until 2 sisters with deep pockets bought it and opened a cute shop named "Fresh" oh, and it's empty and for sale

Tony Adams said...

Dear Anonymous,
The thought had crossed my mind. The glitzy tiled pillars and their chunky pedestals didn't feel quite right, but I thought maybe they were old renovations. I began to think more in the "faux" direction when I googled the address and got nothing. You confirmed it. This means there probably is not any terrazzo inside. Disappointed. (Slightly mortified.)

tornwordo said...

Reminds me of The Silver Fox in Long Beach, CA.

Birdie said...

It still looks better than its neighbors.

I grew up in a house in Sarasota that is entirely floored in terazzo. It used to be the cheap flooring (way back when this house was built). Now it's too expensive even to repair. Slippery when wet, but it is beautiful.