3,698 Comments Posted by Motts

I would imagine it is a loaf of bread, to symbolize the charity this person has given to children in need.

In Christian tradition the tabernacle is where the Eucharist is stored, and is typically locked to prevent unauthorized use of the consecrated items within.

I just returned from an old botany museum, and saw a very similar device on display - it was used for measuring small quantities of plant material for use in pharmaceuticals. Since the piece photographed above was owned by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, I presume it was used for the same purpose; perhaps creating the right amount of materials for making pills.

There were two skylights high up above the stage; I imagine they provided a natural overhead light for live performances, and were common in older playhouses. I've noticed that these often let water in once the theater has been closed, making the stage a rather dangerous place to traverse.

I vaguely recall an SUV that patrolled the grounds, but that was way back in 2007; I haven't been back since.

Obviously! The impression there does look handle-shaped for some odd reason... perhaps for the daily face-dunking?

There were pieces of heads in the basement, but no complete ones that seemed to team up with these statues.

Thanks for the memories; I've seen photos of the theater, and it was indeed a gorgeous place.

The overhead tram sounds very unique, I've never heard of one being used at a hospital before. I now see a "tramway" mentioned in the National Register Report, but there aren't any details there... was it like a gondola for skiers? Very curious...

Yes, the doorway is on the mezzanine (next to the stage), looking out towards the back.

Not sure if it was salvaged, but it's most definitely not still on the wall back there...
https://www.flickr.com...32621@N08/4224613984

I would imagine many people were transitioned out to community-based programs, where former residents would be living in assisted group homes. This was the plan when the country "deinstitutionalized" the state hospital system; much of this happened in the 1980s through the 1990s. It has been argued that a majority of these people eventually wound up homeless and/or in prison, and not getting the level care they require.

Residents who required higher levels of care were probably transferred to one of the remaining state hospitals in Caro, Ann Arbor, Westland, or Kalamazoo.

Yup; it's impossible to tell at this angle, but there was a rope or chain still dangling from the hole in the center.

I remember leafing through, but I don't believe there was a date in there. I suppose a general decade could be guessed at by the artwork and layout on the cover, but that's a bit out of my league.

An interesting thought. There surely was graffiti in ancient Rome; much has been found in the preserved ruins of Pompeii. I think some of the remarks parallel with the writings found scrawled on walls in modern times: http://www.pompeiana.o...ces/Ancient/Graffiti from Pompeii.htm

It does seem like these marks were located in public spaces such as bathrooms and stairwells. One could argue that most graffiti is meant to be seen and read - perhaps older civilizations felt putting it in an abandoned place seen by few didn't make much sense.

I think another factor is the effort - the materials and process of painting or etching would make graffiti a somewhat laborious process before the advent of the aerosol can in 1949.

I didn't see the lid for the piano laying around anywhere, but who knows!

The paperwork was primarily many copies of the programming for a play (in next photo).