A series of entries designed to capture the ongoing adventures of NINA! See how we came to be where we are today, and follow along as we enter the new century of social media!
Page: 52Some shots of the interior at 1 Imlay, showing more progress on the restoration.
Working with the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association and the Friends of Sigourney Square Park, we staged a modern version of "Illumination Night," a late 19th century tradition in Sigourney Square Park that involved paper lanterns strung about the park and on surrounding houses. Back then, they got to use candles in their lanterns, while we made do with florescent flashlights and tin foil.
With the help of some very speedy volunteers, we got our lanterns assembled today. We'll have more volunteers tomorrow who will help us string them up in the park.
For future reference as well as for a look behind the scenes -- based on our test run and our rehearsal, we decided that we first needed a bigger and brighter light and second that the addition of some aluminum foil inside the lantern would brighten the interior of the lantern and prevent the light from dispersing out of it. It's a long shot, but this show will go on!
Today we got to go inside the Cathedral of Saint Joseph -- we had a tour led by Mark Saur, an Asylum Hill resident and parishioner at St. Joe's for over 30 years.
Framing for the third floor -- or "second and a half" floor, or the attic -- is underway, and with it the gables are plainly visible. These were designed to follow the gables at 181 Collins Street (which we still say was designed by George Keller, but that's for another day), and we think we've succeeded. Photos here include shots of the exterior, shots from the top floor, and shots from the interior, where the rooms are framed and the floor plan can now be followed.
The kitchen has started to go in at 1 Imlay Street, and along with it we are working on some of the other finishing touches, primarily flooring. The tile has been installed in the bathrooms, the hardword floors are being sanded, and the new main staircase is ready for its new stain.
