Second floor offices

We had so much fun looking at the old Beaver News building recently that I thought it might be fun to look upstairs over the old J&L Antiques and Things building. You get there via one of the many downtown doorways that lead up. When you have climbed the steep staircase, you arrive at the elbow of two hallways.

One hallway continues straight ahead and another goes to the right when you reach the top of the stairs. The photo below is at the end of the straight-ahead hallway, looking back toward the stairs, which you can see on the left.

Peeking through the window at the end of the hallway, you see an empty office. For many years this was the photography studio of Wayne Erickson. Its most recent occupant was Attitude Studio, which is now on Vine and McKinley.

This is the view from the end of the other hallway. Behind me is the only bathroom on the second floor. To the right is a very large room that was used for storage when this building was Murray's Department Store. It has been mostly empty for many years, and though a number of people have thought of using it, the only one that did was some martial arts group, and they were there only briefly. To the left most of the offices have frosted glass and you cannot see into them. One or two of these offices was used for many years by Frank Fischer, the architect who designed the Halleck Center at SJC and a number of other local buildings.

Here is the view through the one door that does not have frosted glass.

Near the junction of the hallways are the only rooms that are currently occupied. Birthright of Rensselaer occupies rooms 6, 7, 8 and 9. Birthright has had office space on the second floor for over twenty years.

The door of room 6 has the little plaque shown below. I wonder when and where the Adams Detective Bureau was, and what was in this office when the plaque was put on the door. At one time there was a dentist up in this office--maybe it was done back then.

Entering room 6 you are in the office room of Birthright.

From the desk looking the other way, you can see more office furnishings, and a doorway to another room.

We are not going to go through that doorway today. Maybe tomorrow. We better do it soon, because next week this space will all be as empty as the rest of the second floor.