Beveridge Block Interior: Part 1

After my article went out in the local newspaper, I was happy to hear back from a realtor who had keys to the Beveridge Block and was willing to get me inside.  This was a location I'd wanted to get into for months, especially since photographing the exterior at the end of last year.  I remember the building being the Salvation Army thrift store when I was a kid, but the location originally housed Beveridge Furniture for decades after it was constructed in 1911. 

Walking into the building still makes a grand impression (get a load of what it looked like back when it opened in the archival picture above).  The space is amazing, and unlike a number of abandoned historic sites I've seen around Medicine Hat, much of the original details were still front and centre here.

The location today is in a rough state, but seems prepped for restoration.  The original tin ceilings are stunning, and are still in remarkably good shape.  Much of the woodwork has also been stripped of the layers of old paint, and the interior looks better for it.  All around the main floor vintage movie posters were strung up, and while I'm not sure if this was for the city art walk or if it was something the owner did himself, it gave the location even more of a nostalgic vibe. 

The back half of the second floor was stripped back to the bones.  The third floor was equally sparse, but had the plaster ceiling intact.  In the back of the building there were also stacks of some of the original floor boards.  It's nice that someone had the foresight to recognize that someone might want to restore the place down the road.  I also found the old Noodle House neon sign in the back, which somehow ended up there after being removed from the business a few doors down.   

All in all, the Beveridge Block didn't disappoint.  I shot enough images to share them in two posts, and I think many of you will agree that this is a pretty amazing space worthy of saving.  Capturing it in its current state was something pretty special all the same.  

Original Signs in Medicine Hat

With the exception of the photo sets I did of the old neon motel signs along the Trans Canada, or more recently the Assiniboia Inn neon sign, there has been a lot of cool signage around Medicine Hat that I've photographed but haven't shared until now. Pulling some of these pictures together gives a glimpse of some of the few remaining vintage (and arguably most original) signs left in the city.  I know there's probably more, but these were the ones that jumped out at me and that (for the most part) never made it into any of my previous sets from Around the Hat.