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Fraid not - the whole building is coming down and space will be an empty lot. The reason it is coming down so slow is that fact that the building is right on main street and the demolition is being performed by a salvage company which is taking the most valuable parts of the building away for...

Nope, it's coming down... http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/topstory/ci_20370863/brick-by-brick-fitchburgs-johnsonia-is-coming-down

Latest news http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/topstory/ci_20221348/more-problems-at-johnsonia Depends on the engineering results. If the winter had been bad I think it would have been game over. As it is, a part of the ceiling has come down (unsurprising really). From the outside at least...

Well things aren't going too well in the Burg. There was a big fire in the Johnsonia (arguably the best building in town) and it now looks like the building will come down. The actual damage - aside from the two top floors - wasn't too bad. However there was too much dithering, and it...

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100317/NEWS/3170418/1116 Hanover buys into CitySquare project WORCESTER ? The long dormant $563 million CitySquare redevelopment project has new life. City Manager Michael V. O'Brien informed the City Council last night that a subsidiary of the Hanover...

So, the latest news is that the Diocese of Worcester has decided to close half of the Catholic Churches in Fitchburg; including the two largest churches which are St Bernards and The Church of the Immaculate Conception. You can see both buildings on this WBZ report here...

I think part of the reason is politics. The city and the school have had a bit of a strained relationship in the past. Now the city is trying to encourage the school to move it's 'centre of gravity' more towards downtown and help revitalise it. Part of that involves building a corridor down...

The scale of these buildings is pretty impressive. Some of them even contain ballrooms on the upper stories (all gutted now with only the lowest story in use). I did a tour of the building containing 'Tucker Tours' which isn't even the biggest on main street but still has these vast rooms on the...

I have a picture from the 'Images of America' Fitchburg book which shows the streetscape from Willow street up to the church shown in the picture. It's from the early twentieth/ late 19th century. There was a long three storey building which began at Willow street and contained businesses. It...

Normally I would agree; but the building in question looks like this. Note how it perfectly compliments the 19th Century church opposite it. Same view in 1868

Oh well. I have got kinda fond of the deplorable 'Antiques Row' building over the years but I think it's time it was put out of it's misery. I suppose the only downside is that it's replacement might be even worse than the original.

Great thread on my home country!. As i'm British though, it is my duty to inject a note of pessimism, so I have to point out that the villages depicted are some of the best examples in the country which the majority of people have been priced out of. The average UK home looks more like this...

I might be imagining it, but there look to have been some improvements since I was last there (believe it or not). First is the bank building which looked like absolute shite has been re-skinned and had the ugly round building in front demolished (if you want to see how bad it used it look, it's...

Check this photo out on Marcfoto's photostream :rolleyes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc72/3913206597/in/set-72157602230943878/ He has some excellent before and after shots. 1920 Vs 2007 http://www.flickr.com/photos/marc72/1478039455/in/set-72157602230943878/ Kaboom...

Funny you should say that. Looks like I am moving to Massachusetts in 2011. The Mrs finally got fed up of London and wants to move back home. I'm looking forward to those giant liquor stores you guys have! :-D

The pub closing times was a bit issue in the UK for a long time. Essentially in 1914 with the beginning of the First World War, the defence of the realm act was passed which meant that pub opening hours were restricted to 12noon?2.30pm and 6.30pm?9.30pm. Afterwards they were relaxed but the...

Good to hear about the upswing and that Lisa Wong is starting to have an effect. I will be over in Fitchburg (from London uk) in about a weeks time so i'll check out the used bookstore. Hope Destare is still going strong. The pound is very weak against the dollar at the moment but I still fancy...

I live in London UK but my wife comes from this city so we go there once/twice a year to visit, its always a blast. I expect it's regarded as a dump by New England standards but I was actually impressed once I got past the inhabitant's negative attitude towards their city. If I had a stack of...

Thanks, its is awful to see threads like this and the destruction that was caused. http://www.cyburbia.org/forums/showthread.php?t=10814 However its worth remembering every city seems to have a story like this to tell. There are massive chunks of London missing and there is not a lot left of...

Whilst I completely sympathise with your urban principles the comparison you are making is a bit unfair. Boston was a heavily industrialised city, and these types of urban areas were subject to urban renewal during the post war years due to the high number of dilapidated buildings and the free...