April 4, 2007 I knew it was bad because I could see clouds through the roof....
I've been to the Pike House many times through the years...Rain, cold, summer and winter, it was always there to welcome me. There was no ghosts and no fearsome spirits...just strange stillness and overwhelming quiet that drew you in... Pike was one of the first places I've entered as I started doing UE and soon it became a popular stop for traveling Urabn Explorers who wanted to see something interesting...Pike never failed to surprise and please it's visitors, because the house and surrounding area welcomed them with open arms...Yes, Pike was a good friend... That's why it hurt so much when I drove up to the massive front yard and looked towards the house... It was true. A brief TV report was not a bad dream, but all too ugly reality. Slowly I made my way across the lawn. I kept closing my eyes as if hoping that scene before me would disappear and be replaced with a different view...from the past. From the looks of the damage, the fire started on the top floor. Almost as if it was set on purpose. Roof was completely gone and all three floors collapsed one on top of another. At this point only walls stood, encasing charred emptiness. It looked like a quick, calculated kill. Quick, but not a painless one. I could see that Pike fought for every brick, for every inch of the floor. In the end fire was too much for the old building and flames won out. House was surrounded by a heavy duty wire fence with a security guard sitting in his truck with the motor running....Why was he there I couldn't tell and didn't care...It would have been nice to get closer to the house, but chainlink stopped me in my tracks. I looked and took photos...In total silence, which somehow got spared by the fire. What do you say when your friend dies? Not much. Just share the memories, that's all. Entire site was a total loss. It was no longer a house, but a blackened ruin awaiting demolition... I'm sure the destruction would follow soon and Pike House will vanish, replaced by a condo or a duplex. It was inevitable outcome... "Hope and fear cannot alter the seasons." Chogyam Trungpa
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