Eight thousand six hundred souls. Named after Angola, NY, where the settlers came from. That name, as Wikipedia says, “was apparently chosen because, at that time, local residents (primarily Quakers) were supporting missionary efforts in the Portuguese colony of Angola in Africa. “

As I’ve said, I clipped these long ago. Probably a year or so ago. I haven’t looked at them since.

A brief visit today; only ten pictures. I wonder why I was here in the first place, and called it quits so early. Usually if I don’t see much I move down the road. So why here?

Once I saw a famous former attorney general in the building, heading up to talk to the editorial board. I was surprised to see how small his head looked, compared to his shoulders.

“Well, wait until Missus Barker gives up the ghost, then nail up the last ones. She’s a fresh air fiend. Last holdout."

You know those pictures of old men in the days of suits, wearing their pants hiked up around their sternum?

It’s as if they hired a 16-foot tall bricklayer who thought he could get all the way to the top with a ladder, but turns out, no.

“I don’t know. There’s a certain quality I want you to design when it comes to the upper floor. Something . . . mischievous.”

Note how the building next door got some expert window erasing. It almost looks as if there weren’t any windows, which is wrong, because of course there were, and everyone knows it.

Nice to see they went with the planters-and-brick-sidewalks downtown renewal package. Works every time.

“It looks very nice, sir, but if I could make a suggestion - the awnings do distract from the well-preserved -“

“No! There has to be a shield from the sun! It’ll burn people alive if we don’t put those up! And make them metal, so they’ll fry any bird who lands on them. I hate birds.”

Which came first?

The brickwork suggests the owner / developer wanted them to knit together, even though the floors don’t align.

I wonder if it was a meeting hall, or had some other public / not government function. It just looks odd for an office building.

The thin months between full-blown classical styles and the Moderne version:

Lest you think they avoided the horrors of the bad years entirely:

The rare small-scale Buckaroo shingle.

Finally:

It’s literally the thing downtown everyone has to work around.