More of the Columbus School for the Blind
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Most of the building is hallways and high-ceilinged rooms with nothing in them but windows and water leaks. Some have closets and a few have bathrooms, most of which have been stripped down. The walls are peeling gray.
In the uppermost room in the center we found a stall bathroom and the motor for the elevator. Along with the elevator were diagrams and inspection charts. Over a wooden railing there was a view straight down the shaft.
In this area we were really astonished to find graffiti from various points throughout the last century: 1987, 1970, 1940, 1937, 1914, 1906, even 1898. There was a lot from 1906, and it seemed to have been drawn by kids, which brings up an interesting question: who were the kids? They obviously weren't blind. I do remember my mom telling me once that the building had been used as an orphanage, so maybe that's it. I need to get my ass to the library.
Everybody knows the "olden days" were a halcyon time, when men were men and women knew their place. Children were seen and not heard, and they definitely didn't have the filthy minds and mouths this generation's monsters have! There's no doubt about it, these kids today are terrible in a way more innocent, respectful children of earlier eras never dreamt of being.
In case you can't make it out, the pencil graffiti pictured here dates from 1898 and 1914, while the striking red paint was applied in 1940, if the artist is to be believed. I especially like how the innocent children of the Gilded Age joined forces with the respectful young men and women of the Great Depression to first draw a woman with an exaggerated, gaping vagina--and then add a gigantic red penis and testicles to her anatomy.
Of course we added our initials and the date to the wall. So had the construction crew. I find the century of graffiti kind of amazing. This alone was worth the trip.
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