Most of the south side of the subdivision (south of Innerstate 270) has already been destroyed. After all, the runway is fully functional with three-fourths of the south side of Carrollton existing under the barely used concrete strip. The houses I cared for the most have been well buried for years… ten years next November for my best friend’s home.
Yet, there are a few remaining on the south side, and I must be blunt- I have done a sorry job documenting them. I guess since they are in such close proximity to commonly used roads through Bridgeton plus the fact that I lived on the north side contributed to my taking only typical street-level shots of those places. Yet, now that the airport is relentlessly pushing for cleaning the whole slate, the south side has been attacked the most as of recent days.
#s 49 and 48 were the last 2 houses remaining on Carrollton Ave. The one on the very end of the cul-de-sac just before the apartment complex was taken yesterday, December 3rd. I had no idea it was even ready to go… it just disappeared. I didn’t even notice it was gone until driving out of the subdivision today, I happened to glance down Carrollton Ave. and saw the crew’s work truck parked on the street.
I did a double-take and saw orange fencing, and then the wrecker within. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and I saw the wrecker still moving around the collapsed site- the house must have just went down an hour ago. I pulled up to the street and got out to talk two of the nicest guys I will ever meet. They have put up with my filming, taking pictures of them and my questions. In fact, their picture remains at the top of this blog, destroying my own house. We chatted about future plans for the area, as well as the conditions of the few houses left. They were also surprised at the faster pace they have been given work orders as of late (especially since there was no demo work from May 07-October 07.). Even though they are the ones physically taking the neighborhood apart, they have heart for the area, and for the people they inadvertently displaced. It is odd to think this about the people who destroy your home, but their workplace has been our homeland for decades now. (more…)
J. Desy Schoenewies
56 Houses Left 