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Circa 1906. "The Olbiston, Genesee Street, Utica, N.Y." Offering a mix of "bachelor and family apartments," the fireproof Olbiston, completed around 1900, still stands. View full size.
Still standing and still fireproof. Yes also creepy. If Stephen King wrote a novel about an apartment building with bad vibes that only allowed evil people to live there, this would be where the movie would need to be made.
Gothic Revival architecture liked to incorporate the use of gargoyles although these are kind of bas-relief examples.
But very distinctive and individual. No way one might have to apologize to the neighbor late at night for having (mis)taken the wrong driveway.
Those façade faces are pretty creepy. I found an article which offered an explanation for their presence:
"On the side of the building facing Genesee Street, several faces are carved into the brick, and while there is no real answer as to their origin, there are some theories ... one theory is that four of the faces may commemorate the four people who died in the Genesee Flats fire in 1896."
https://www.uticaod.com/news/20190622/history-speaks-volumes-about-olbis...
But that doesn't explain the other faces; I see at least twelve, not counting the one on the closest turreted section, which looks like it's supposed to be Satan.
I'm too lazy to research it but if they haven't already, somebody should make a horror film there. According to this recent article, it's already a horror to live there.
https://www.uticaod.com/news/20190622/uncertainty-surrounds-olbiston
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