Everyone is dismayed at the impending destruction of the Nineteenth Century Club on Union Avenue. But most of the stories about the building only show the exterior, which is nice enough, I suppose, but really can't hold a candle to the magnificent hand-craftsmanship of the interior.
We are talking about burnished mahogany paneling, hand-carved family crests, gleaming marble fireplaces, hand-painted and embossed wallpaper, banks of brilliantly colored stained-glass windows, inlaid tile floors . . . it just goes on and on.
I was lucky enough to visit the house on one of the last days it was open to the public. I was also unlucky (and stupid) enough not to bring along a nice camera. I don't know what I was thinking, but all I had was one of those disposable gadgets. So I apologize for the incredibly poor quality of these photographs, but I think even through the blurriness and darkness of the images, you can recognize that this is a house that is worth preserving. They just don't build things like this anymore.
