Weekend exploring

We had a special time yesterday and today.  It was an excursion to a place that I haven't visited, except for passing through.  The old Navy Yard was closed in 1996, but there are so many interesting places still there on the 500 acres.  I suppose that you would say it exemplifies the military industrial complex in which millions of dollars were spent from the early 1900's until closure of the base.

The officers houses were especially beautiful.  Sadly, many have fallen into disrepair since the base closed.  Most are listed as historic houses and renovations are underway on some. The area where these houses are located is like a park with beautiful lawns and huge oak trees.  These were from a time when money apparently was no object, and the Navy took full advantage of that.

It's sad that the chapel has fallen into disrepair.  Hopefully, there will be renovations done on it before it is beyond saving. 

And then there are some of the spooky industrial buildings on the base.  Here is the Power House that I found particularly interesting.  These buildings were constructed of the best available materials at the time.  I get the feeling that no expense was spared. 

Improvements have been made in certain areas, including a Riverfront Park which winds along the waterfront and is buffered by acres of green space.  Not many years ago, this base was off limits to the public.  Now, it's nice to see a park and trails that people can enjoy.  After all, tax dollars paid for the facility. 

We walked around the park and then had dinner at a Caribbean/Jamaican restaurant which had a nice ambience: Jazz was playing, lots of art on the walls and a great view of the river and the fountain. 

It was a nice weekend spent exploring a part of the city that we knew little about.  The bars, strip clubs and joints outside the base largely closed down once the military left. The area still has a bad reputation for drugs and prostitution.  If the concept of revitalizing this area into a "green" city can be realized, a lot of historic buildings would be preserved.  It seems the ideal place for a research park, too.  

Anyway,  I wanted to share some photos of what we saw.  This place is fertile for taking hundreds of photos. I like photographing old houses.  I'm sure that I'll be back to go on another photo safari in the near future.