It is quite possible the postcard of
the City Hall was colorized and probably incorrectly. A lot of this was done in Germany by many photo companies
as color became an attraction, and the Germans were the first to do so and
maintain the technique.
I collect a fair amount of postcards,
particularly of Cliff Drive in Kansas City. Many are colorized and some not
correctly. Several also have cars inserted to the colorized version that were
not present on the street when the scene was taken. Some are very noticeable as
the cars are on the wrong side of the road for America.
From Bette Phipps '59 Thomas:
I've really enjoyed reading TLC &
the Historic Lexington website. I haven't checked the latter in 2-3 wks,
but when I last did, was disappointed that the Real Estate site didn't have
anything on it.
I forwarded the pix of the beautiful
old homes to several of my SF Bay Area friends & they were very impressed
with the beauty of the homes. That's when I decided to find out which homes
& at what prices were available. (I told them that my family didn't
live in a home like that: we lived in a van down by the river! That's a
Sat. Night Live homage to the late Chris Farley, for any of you SNL fans out
there.)
And yes, I'm an incorrigible juvenile
& live in front of the boob tube Sat. nights for SNL. Who could forget Al
Gore's visit? Rev. Al Sharpton's hosting? Sorry, I know I'm wandering off the
more genteel subject of antebellum homes!
As you may know, housing prices here are astronomical. I love to
regale friends with my true story of looking at the home then owned by Mrs.
Phillips (although she may have married Kay Howard's dad by then & become
Mrs. Howard). It was in '84 or '85 & was for sale with all the antiques
for $1M; without them, it was selling for about $115K (turrets, Italian marble
fireplaces, 3(?) stories, etc. We had just paid the same price for our
starter home of 1,000 sq. ft., inc. garage, 2 bd, 1 bath, on one level.
Bob & I joked about buying the home & commuting daily to our jobs
in San Francisco!
Needless to say, we realized (hah, hah!), that we
couldn't afford to buy our own jet for cross-country job commuting &
reluctantly gave up the notion of living in the beautiful old home.
So, when I saw the pix, I was curious to
find out what homes & at what prices were on the market. No, no, don't
anyone start planning a welcome back party! Although, maybe someday, who
knows. . . . . . .?
One final question: will my LHS class of 1959
be having another reunion this year? I'd like to see the new things you
mention; if my classmates decide to hold our reunion this yr, I'll be there to
check it out.
Gotta go now--Sorority Boys is on the boob tube! Just
kidding, I have a lunch date with my cuz, Diane O'Malley Jimenez, Jim & Pat
Diibon's sister, at the Atrium in SF. Hopefully, I'll luck into a parking space.
Otherwise, it's back to the Embarcadero pkg Garage where I'll pay enough
in pkg. fees to buy 4 people a 4 course menu in Lex. MO. Ah, the joys
& pleasures of cosmopolitan living & dining! I won't even talk about the
driving; that's a whole other email.
Thanks again, Susan, for all your
hard work & thanks also to the great people who contribute such wonderful,
fun, enjoyable memories.
I am reminded once again why I love living in
Lexington.
Here's an interesting note from Tom
Mullen: