The obligatory close-up of the ground floor - nothing special. An Air-Cooled Business college on the second floor. (They were always on the second floor.)

Wait a minute - that fellow by the fire hydrant. Is he a unicyclist?

There was always something unnervingly quiet about this building. A lot of people got some bad news here over the years. Buildings have characters of their own, and this one seemed silent and private, even in the old photos. On the other hand, lots of people got their hair cut here, too; my wife’s late aunt was a stylist in a ground-floor beauty parlor in the 50s and 60s. She loved working there; she loved downtown; she loved looking out the window at the flow of cars and people. Each day was different, she said. It was a wonderful place to be.

She was in a home when they tore it down. She spoke of it as if it was still standing, and I never corrected her.