Sunday, October 14, 2012

Bad Photography Sunday: Aftermath

I was saddened when it happened last month, and even more sad when I saw the damage in person Tuesday morning.

Historic Bellfonte was hit by another fire in September.  The Hotel Do De, adjacent to the courthouse,  burned and it will have to come down.  The Garman Theater building next door has a lot of damage.  Some believe it can be saved, but not without a lot of work and a lot of money.  The Centre Daily Times reports the Garman's owner and the bank are currently in foreclosure proceedings.

The Do De is more than one hundred years old.  Bellefonte has a lot of character, so if something new does go up in that space, I assume there will be an attempt to make it fit in with the neighborhood.  I've seen it happen before, and there are some excellent examples, but it's never the same.

The Hotel Do De was a rooming house, in its final years, before someone set fire to the building.  Everyone got out safely, and that's the most important thing.