In my life I’ve lived at over 50 address. With so many places to have called home it would not be surprising that one or two of those houses and/or buildings would no longer be standing today. In looking back through and updating my “list of all my addresses” I happened to find 3 in Jamestown, NY within about 1000 feet of each other that are razed for their own reasons.
202 Falconer Street
[gps] One of my first apartments that I shared with my younger brother and sometimes with his girlfriend Jackie Anderson. I “found” this by walking into 209 Spring St (Pollino Apartments, now known as “Noe Place Apartments”) and asking for a place to rent.
This was a very small basement apartment with an entrance on the left side after a set of stairs that would kill anyone walking down them during the winter. Upon entering you would be in the kitchen seeing he bathroom door to the immediate right, the the sink/stove straight ahead against the right wall and the refrigerator along the left wall. Walking 5 steps through the kitchen you’d enter the “main” room where my computer and bed would be, along with one of the two windows in the entire apartment at ground level. Turning to the left you’d see a door that led into my brothers room where he spent countless days sleeping.
A list of relevant memories I have of this time include:
- Using WinMX to download ISOs and a nocd crack for No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way. I’ve relived this game many times and recently fell in love with the fan-made revival.
- I had contracted Viral Meningitis and, after close to a week was dragged out of bed by Grant Everson, driven to the local WCA hospital, got my first lumbar puncture and was treated, hydrated, and released back out into this world.
- At the head of my bed I had my own DVD/VHS with a TV on top of it playing Zoolander on repeat for days.
- I remember a large missing piece of drywall that was human-extracted in the bathroom needing repair. Circumstances surrounding this seem to be selectively lost.
- Being a heavy smoker I recall one winter morning walking to Wilson Farms at the corner of Buffalo and E 2nd to fish out Cigarette Butts from the entrance ash tray.
- Because I was to be a new father I helped finance rent and child-related items with payroll checks cashed at local bars, signed with svgs from notable people on wikipedia.
In 2019 the property was bid for demolition[src]. Afterwards it was actually demolished to the ground leaving an expensive plot of land.
105 Weeks Street
[gps] The first apartment I had towards the end of my first marriage and into my second one. I was employed at TitanX Engine Cooling as a Network Administrator, helping to write insurance quoting software, and also writing and maintaining an online virtual goods store called UVDeviant. I had found it by driving around after Halloween in 2008 and finding the “for rent” sign in the front lawn, moving in the following day. The landlord, Jonathan Blanchard, was the owner of Chautauqua Pools at the time and not only gave me a great deal but gave me the best impression of what a great Landlord could be.
This house had 4 units, two upstairs and two downstairs. Walking in the front door and up the stairs you were greeted in the Kitchen, bathroom to the right, and “first room” to the left. Through the “first room” you’d see a bedroom. This apartment was unique in that the only room that had a door was the bathroom.
I had lived in this apartment both with Jacob Milliman and Cari Rossi (Tomlinson), both together and separate. Jacob moved in shortly and dated Cari, he then moved out, then I went to Hong Kong on holiday and then Cari moved in around November 2009. July 2010 was my last month in this slice of heaven.
Notable memories of this place:
- “The Zappening”, when my “soon-to-be ex-wife” showed up drunk, banging on the door the police came and non-violently handled her in the street with a tazer.
- “The Litterboxing” (December 5, 2009), when my “soon-to-be ex-wife” showed up drunk, made her way in, and completely upended everything including my cats litterbox onto my bed.
- Falling in love with Brendon Small’s Metalocalypse
- Mornings at Phil-N-Cindy’s Lunch
- For the coldest of winters there was this small space heater intending to heat up an entire apartment.
- Leaving the coffee pot on when I departed for Hong Kong, and then the smell after coming back 2 weeks later.
- Seeing Jake play World of Warcraft for the first time, and Cari played it all the time to the point where she’d go to sleep and the title screen music would play through the night on her speakers.
On February 8, 2019 the house was intentionally burned down. The fire was started downstairs and the upstairs neighbor barely made it out. If I had stayed in that place it could’ve been me barely escaping with my life.
130 Weeks Street
[gps] A place to call home between me leaving 105 Weeks and making the big step at living overseas. This house was owned by Patrick Moser (grumpkins.com) and for a couple weeks he gave me his “Green Room”, a bedroom colored bright green with pineapple-sliced designs on the wall. This house was my “home” for a couple years as I could chill with one of my best friends at any time but for the transitional period where I really had no place to go it served as the place I rested my head.
On July 27, 2010 I had taken a bus to Buffalo to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On August 7, 2010, 11 days later Patrick passed away.
On returning I took it upon myself to document his digital footprint. 3 desktops in the computer room sat idly, with Lucky in the middle feeling sad that his friend is no longer going to be around to keep him going. Doofer on the right was configured to begin pulling files from everywhere on to 2 recently purchased 2TB hard drives. 3 days later we had a final morning drink at The Coffee Cup with family, and since that day the world has never been the same…
The house was razed shortly thereafter as Patrick tried for years to repair the exterior and get it up to code but it was too much.