 |
|
|
UER Store
|
|
sweet UER decals:
|
|
|
|
Activity
|
|
544 online
Server Time:
2024-04-18 09:54:39
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Location DB >
United States >
New Jersey >
Old Tappan >
That /other/ 70's House
|
|
Log in to activate viewing options
|
|
|
 |
Publically Viewable |
|
This location has been labeled as Demolished, and therefore can be viewed by anyone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
An early 20th century home, filled with items which seemingly stopped being touched in the early 80s or late 70s.
|
|
|
Type: Building
Status: Demolished
Accessibility: N/A
Recommendation: forget it
|
|
|
Address
No longer pertinent
Old Tappan, New Jersey
United States
Owner: Neighbors that live down the street; a 6-8 home development will replace this location eventually.
See a map of this location
|
|
|
asbestos
unsafe flooring
air quality
airborne and surface-bound microbes are certainly all around
|
|
|
The entire place is it's own interesting feature. Check the gallery.
|
|
|
my girlfriend's parents and other neighbors are the watchful protectors of this location. i can confirm at least two arrests so far for criminal trespass, although my favorite was the guy claiming he was my girlfriend's 'babysitter'. he then tried to run away, but the cop chased and caught him.
|
|
|
|
flashlight
breathing mask
gloves
long pants / sleeves
|
|
|
you should have a brain. if you have one, you won't check this place out and you'll ask me to check it out for you. you're not allowed without permission, period.
|
|
|
Basically, after a long and boring day at work, I got a unique opportunity to explore an abandoned building very close to my girlfriend's house. Out of respect for the property, I'm not going to elaborate any further than that as far as location, but needless to say I'm sure the house in question had quite a reputation amongst her neighbors. Anyway, this is the story of an abandoned building, and the human drama that unfolded through it's history.
In my experience exploring abandoned buildings, often one will find signs of the lives that had passed through its walls. Photos, trophies, books, graffiti -- real human lives that had left their mark. We all try to leave our mark on this world somehow, but eventually our time passes. What we do today can impact lives thousands of years from now. Sometimes abandoned buildings are vacuous caverns that leave not even the slightest nod as to their history. But others, like this house, tell a story; a story of love, life, and madness.
The gentleman that owned the house was an old man. Many older folks in Old Tappan had owned their homes for decades, and this man was no exception. He was a communications technician for ABC during his younger years, and married and raised a single son. Tragically, his son died in 2003 of cancer, leaving a distant daugher-in-law and equally distant grandson as the sole survivors (who, incidentally, have lived for years in California). He was a packrat, retaining all sorts of electronic devices; and to compound the problem he had no garbage collection service for over ten years. An inventor, a father, a human being -- left alone since the early 1980s when his wife died. After this time, his mental state appears to have degraded into borderline insanity and ultimately senility. Shortly after the death of his wife, he attempted suicide via self induced poisoning; raiding the various "under the sink" items he could find. He was not, in fact, successful in this attempt, as one would surmise.
Left in the house with no one but himself, he became a recluse. The irony that a man whose life as a mass media technician whose work delivered information to millions could devolve into complete isolation overwhelmed me. On one hand, he was an avid electronics buff -- and on the other, he raised horses and strived for a farm-like life.
Without garbage pickup, without company, and with a church group delivering him food, the man lived an obscure life. Litter is scattered about the exterior of his home in a seemingly ordered fashion. At one point, seltzer bottles covering an entire porch were piled waist deep. Within the house, magazines from the seventies were stacked equally as high. The peculiar part about this house was the contents -- very few items from after the early 80s. Even food in the pantry was spoiled and old. The freezer contained rotted, rusted cans -- deteriorated for well over the few months since he had died. To put it simply, the man lived on a couch, never showered, and had only dogs and a horse to keep him company.
I challenege readers to look and see what people really live like -- even in a highly affluent community like Old Tappan. What you will see will disturb you -- you will probably be in disbelief, and you will think that no one had lived in this house for decades. I assure you, however -- that a man, a human being, lived here hardly a month ago.
This location is dedicated to the memory of Fred F Saloman. He died alone and without his family. With virtually no one else to remember him, perhaps the UER community will.
|
|
|
A very terse obituary was crafted in a rather formulaic manner by the Bergen County Record, however I have not obtained a physical copy yet.
|
|
|
After serious environmental remediation, my girlfriend's parents will buy the property and demolish the house, so please /don't fuck it up/. NOTE Oct 08 2004: scheduled for demolition in Spring '05.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The moderator rating is a neutral rating of the content quality, photography, and coolness of this location.
| Category |
Rating |
| Photography |
5 / 10 |
| Coolness |
7 / 10 |
| Content Quality |
10 / 10 |
|
|
This location's validation is current. It was last validated by
Emperor Wang on 12/1/2008 3:35 AM.
|
|
|
on Dec 1 08 at 3:35, Emperor Wang validated this location
on Nov 30 08 at 21:49, INeedAttention.com changed the following: Status, Recommendation
on Nov 30 08 at 21:48, INeedAttention.com changed the following: Notes for Mods, Street Address, Publically Viewable, Status, Accessibility, Recommendation
on Oct 12 04 at 19:52, INeedAttention.com updated a story
on Oct 12 04 at 19:52, INeedAttention.com updated a story
on Oct 12 04 at 19:52, INeedAttention.com updated a story
on Oct 12 04 at 19:52, INeedAttention.com updated a story
on Oct 12 04 at 19:52, INeedAttention.com updated a story
on Oct 8 04 at 17:26, INeedAttention.com changed the main information
on Oct 3 04 at 8:50, INeedAttention.com updated a gallery picture
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Is this location inappropriate / broken / missing key info?
If it's something you can fix, please scroll up and click the EDIT button.
If this location was only posted a few days ago, give the creator time to work on it.
Please try sending a message directly to the creator of the location. You'll find that info at the top of this page.
Otherwise, ONLY if you've already tried to contact the original creator,: Click here to notify an administrator.
|
|
|
|
All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site:
UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service |
View Privacy Policy |
Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 109 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 738393095 pages have been generated.
|
|
Name
Viewing Options
Database Info
Viewability
Overview
Description
Basic Information
Physical Information
Hazards
Interesting Features
Security Measures
Historical Dates
Required Equipment
Recommended Equipment
History
Media Coverage
Future Plans
Stories
Web Links
Contribute
Moderator Rating
Validation
Latest Changes
Who's been looking?
Report Problems