Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot

Hi everybody, amd Merry Christmas! We're not allowed to say that up here in New York City, where there is a War On Christmas! Just kidding! It's been far too long since I last posted, so here is a long-planned update on your favorite ABR sites, a la at the end of movies when it's like, 

and,

The following post sat idling in draft form probably a year ago or more, as I added a note here and a photo there. I never got to take all the hoped-for photos before moving, but here we are. If anyone wants to supply missing shots and/or more information, I'll be happy to credit you.

But don't think of it as an epilogue for a dead blog; only one that is mostly dead. Consider this also a call for suggestions: I need more curious abandoned sites to feature on ABR. I'll be back in town briefly in April and would love to shoot photos for future posts.

Broadmoor Theatre, Merchants Landing flea market, and more

The Broadmoor movie theatre is one of those places that's supposedly not permanently closed. It's still up for lease, or as the roadside sign reads, FOR L A

 

One that's probably not going to reopen

When we last left Romano's, they were "closed for renovations," and it looked like this.

Here's the update on that place.

More Gustav Damage: Christian Book Store and more

This is one of many businesses on Florida Boulevard whose freestanding roadside sign, as you'll see below, took a beating from the winds of Gustav.

 
But more interesting to me was that instead of all the usual crap being left inside an abandoned, er, closed for repairs business, it was standing out in the lot for the world to see.

The next Gustav update

Remember Rome Cleaners?

I guess that sawhorse means "don't go under the beat-up awning" but of course I did not listen.

Remember the sign announcing that Rome Cleaners was having a sale on unclaimed wedding gowns, that made you want to kill yourself? Well, how would you like to see those gowns? You would? Me too!

Ahhh...nothing like a yellowed wedding gown, on display at a dry cleaner, with an obvious stain on it.

How many horror movies does this photo remind me of? Let me count them...

The Bellemont, Part Three

Welcome back to the show. Please start with Parts One and Two, if you haven't already seen them.

Back at the main entryway, we took that left, which looks like this (not our car):



And the wedge between the 9 o'clock and noon views from the entryway looks like this:

 

The Bellemont

The Bellemont was an Antebellum, Colonial, plantation-style hotel and convention center built in 1946, according to a Yahoo travel listing that doesn't yet know it's closed.

 

This enormous complex is empty now...kind of. (See that car? Not ours. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.) Thankfully I had a new abandoned co-explorer to help me braven up for this mission.

 
 

Purpera Building, Romano's Pack & Save, Mason lodge, and more

I had usage of a car today, so I was able to expand my territory, but sadly I was forced back to the Old Blue Eye camera. No matter, because I shall make it up to you with a cavalcade of sites...and my first confrontation.

This is the Purpera Building, as proudly announced on the crown of the building. You'd think there'd be some mention of it somewhere on the world wide Interwebs, right?