Monday, July 23, 2007

haunted townhomes

The 'ol Jefferson Davis Mental Hospital has been rehabbed into townhouse-style two story apartments for artists and low income housing, artist Derek Shumate just got a sweet place up there. The great view of downtown sure made up for the squirrelly backwater streets on downtown's north corridor, there are rumors of a creepy junkyard on Elder Street full of toughs living under the tangle of freeway overpasses and Houston's old trainyards- that I'm glad I didn't run into. After all the rumors of poltergeists, satanic seances and souls tortured by the state's mental health professionals I didn't want to set foot in the place, but I stopped by the most famous haunted building in the city last Saturday for an opening. It was packed but it wasn't worth taking pics... I went and hung out with Derek and Betsy Askew instead.

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great view from the parking lot, eh?
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A mental hospital named after the president of the Confederacy?
Seems oddly appropriate...
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Picture of a guy taking pictures of the skyline...
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Sunset over Derek's balcony
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poster by B*Kay
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They stripped the place down to the supporting beams and made it all new and hip with exposed pipes and high ceilings and shit...
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Creepy blood (?) stains on the stairs...
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poster by OBEY (MLK!)
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Betsy Askew
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Print by YAR
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Sterile, creepy hallways- a little of The Shining, a little Francisco Studios (with less urine odor)
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Nice roof for a party! Derek and Betsy being cute...
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Too many skyline pics...
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Who's that ugly bastard?
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"The fire department next door was constructed in 1968 on another section of City Cemetery. During a maintenance project in the mid-1980s, human remains were unearthed by the fire department and City Cemetery was re-discovered. There is indication that maintenance crews may have desecrated and looted some graves" from Lone Star Spirits
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Then we went to a karaoke party for Becca and James' birthdays!
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Can you tell what song they're singin'?

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