Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Uptown In The 1970s: Abandoned Buildings



Here is a fascinating and sad look at the state of Uptown in the 1970s. Back when the neighborhood was littered with burnt-out and vacant buildings left unsecured to the elements. The video starts with static. Read more here.

Update: We found another Uptown video on Media Burn from 1983 featuring the Jesus People. There are lots of views of the 4600 and 4700 blocks of Malden.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting those UU it's a good reminder of what Uptown used to be. I didn't live around here in the 70's, but I did spend some time around here and it was a mess. In many ways it was a multiracial version of Englewood where for too many people life is nasty, brutish and short.

    I did find the second video with Jon Trott particularly amusing.

    Jon speaking from his heart about praying over the dead or dying gunshot victim moved me. I'm sure Jon was shocked that the victim didn't get up and thank him, Messiah Trott, for raising him from the dead.

    Another thing I found interesting was Jon's description of what he was doing immediately prior to the shooting.

    "I was upstairs playing "games" with other guys from the ministry." *snicker*

    Did these games include some of JPUSA's famous spankings? I kid the Savior of Uptown.

    Another thang, that video really needs SMELLO-VISION to go along with the appearance of the 1983 version of JT.

    Trott's appearance just smells of Aqua Velva, Drakkar Noir, body odor, and just a pinch of Tang Orange drink.


    I mean I'm no fashion plate but where the hell did Trott get that haircut? Perhaps the manager at the local junk yard was going to barber school?

    In any case I kid the passive aggressive Messiah on Wilson and leave him with a video from Monty Python.




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  2. Oh the Uptown I knew; Quite the sketchy area back when I left in 1973....

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  3. Eye-opening views of Uptown in the 70's and 80's!

    Re: the JPUSA footage - interesting that the buildings they used to own - the former Friendly Towers - aka Miriam - on Malden and the "Magnolia Towers" on the 4600 block of Magnolia, both have less than stellar reputations now, although the Miriam is due to change hands soon. Also, kind of ironic with all the blight in the area during the 80's, the current JPUSA building at the corner of Leland and Malden still looks the same - pretty sad and in need of some TLC - while the rest of the block has done a 180.

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