Here it is! This is 820 Stevens Avenue. I've written about it many times but never shown it. It's where I hung out, aggravated girls and attempted to figure out if I might in any way play for the Red Sox someday. The frontage remains the same, sans the large wrap around front porch. It's a shame really; it added so much class and dignity to the home. We moved in between my second and third grade years and lived there till I was a junior in high school. The window on the top right was my bedroom, my domain. If there was something amiss at the convergence of Stevens and Forest a the the Corner, no matter what time, I was on it. This room and this house are just overflowing with memories and adventures. They flood my head. Unbeknownst to Mom and Dad, once at twelve I pushed open the attic trap door, scrambled across the roof peak and sat dangling my feet over the edge for about an hour watching the sights. Wild times for this sneaker clad kid. Ever get the opportunity to get back to the old hangout? Would you ever want the chance?
encore une tres belle maison toute en bois, j'aime beaucoup,cela me rappelle quand je me promenais sur Staten Island, on trouve beaucoup de ce style de maison
ReplyDeletethe house in which our daughters were sneaker-clad and adventurous youths was washed away by irene a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteVery nice Birdman.
ReplyDeleteOh yes that is a great looking home to grow up in, as you say Birdman, shame about the front porch that would have been perfect to hang out on and watch the world go by. You must be pleased that the people who live there now are looking after it so well. Lovely to have such brilliant memories of your childhood home.
ReplyDeleteIf this house could talk, right? Love how connected you are to old haunts. Yes, I've been back to childhood home - really really really wanted to go inside, but no one was home. Here's title for your book = The House on Stevens Avenue. Mm?
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad about the porch. A porch makes any home homier. :)
ReplyDeleteI also like to drive by my childhood home when I'm back in town. Maybe next time I'll take a picture.
Fantastic post, Birdman. Do you have an older photo of your home, one with the porch, that you could share with us? Just wondering. About returning to my childhood home, the only way I can do that with two of them is look at the brochures for the Spartan and the Pacemaker trailers. As far as the actual house we ended up in, the other day I looked at it through Google Maps, street view. Pretty interesting.
ReplyDeletemy childhood home was a big old farmhouse on a dairy in Wis. we rented it and moved to 'town' after the landlord said he wanted to tear it down and build a new place for one of his kids. it sat empty for years thereafter until they finally tore it down - never built in its place. years after i moved to texas, i visited, asked them if i could go thru the place so walked thru rooms that suddenly seemed much smaller than i remember. an adult's perspective is so different than a 13 yr old's...
ReplyDeleteI am sure the house looked proper and finished when the porch was on it. A porch is almost a thing of the past here in most cities as "ranch style" buildings replaced the older turn of the century home construction. You can find them in most inner cities or closer to downtown sections. I like them and especially those with turrets. We visited the Biltmore House in Ashville, North Carolina, several times, and that French style castle/home made me fall in love with turrets. I just think it would be great to climb up in one, stop on a landing, sit in a rocking chair, reading the paper.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice that the house is still there. Too bad about the porch. The house I grew up in is still there too, but I don't go by it anymore. Too many sad memories.
ReplyDeleteI have memories of my childhood but they are lacking the house. My dad was in SAC (Strategic Air Command) so we moved all over the country and only stayed a max of about 4 yrs. anywhere. There are some memories of the homes, like the one in Caribou, ME or Rapid City, SD but none like yours. I am a tad envious. Keep sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and a nice house too. I would not want to go back to where I grew up. That side of Phoenix turned into the "Hood" years after we moved away.
ReplyDeleteThe home were I was born was demolished years ago, so the problem easy to solve... Sometimes I really would like to see it again...
ReplyDeleteAh, great memories. I'm sure someone else in the comments above is asking to see an old picture of the house.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in many many homes, in many states. I've only been back to one, and will never do that again.
A few months ago I went back to my hometown because of a health problem in my family, and I saw the house I lived in from zero to four. It looked essentially unchanged. The real house of my childhood was a wonderful Victorian where I lived from 4 - 18. Regrettably, my mother had to sell it after my father died, and it was torn down to build garden apartments. She was right to monetize it, but if it existed today, it would be a showpiece.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a nice place for a kid to grow up...and do lots of rascally things!
ReplyDeleteBacon Turkey Bravo? Eat 'em all the time! You must be a really smart guy 'cause you and I think alike!
The place I spent most of my childhood has been demolished. I wasn't particularly happy there but was saddened that it had gone. I have visited other places via google earth. Nostalgia? I suppose it is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in many homes during my childhood. I do drive by different ones whenever I am in those cities.
ReplyDeleteNow we know. I went back to the house in Price, Utah where we lived when I was in 2nd grade to 6th grade. It looked just like I remembered it but somehow it had shrunk to about a third of the size I remembered. How do they do that?
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky you didn't fall off that roof, but I wish it still had the porch. They just say home, don't they.
ReplyDeleteI do get to hit my old stomping about once a year when I go to see my parents. The still live in the home that I grew up in. It will be a sad day when they finally decide to sell it.
Nice looking house.
ReplyDeleteStrong, sweet memories. I've been back to Sunnyside a number of times. The same apartment buildings are there. The ethnic mix has changed. It's still a very pleasant New York residential neighborhood. Our colleague Ming the Merciless lived on my old block during his NYC years.
ReplyDeleteMy brothers and I went back to our childhood farm about 10 years ago. I prefer the memories. In reality, every thing was just so much smaller.
ReplyDeleteWhen ARE you going to start your book? Your memories are worth recording, if not for a wide-reading audience, you need to write these down for your family.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in a small post-war tract house built on a former potato farm. I don't go back to visit but it and the whole neighborhood are frequently in my dreams.
ReplyDelete