Most interesting office fact.

[el Guapo]

Tell us something interesting about your office building, office or city hall, county courthouse, where ever it is you work.

I'll go first: My office has a 4 foot wide heavy oak paneled door. This was so they could get the cadavers on tables in to the room. My office is in an old funeral home. It was a corpse prep room. You can still see where the plumbing was. It’s spooky, but it does have nice woodwork.

An office at a previous job was a room where “soiled doves” or as they are referred to now, Ho’s used to ply their art. It was an old hotel in the downtown. We used to joke that when they moved the hookers out and brought in the politicians nothing really changed except the amount you paid, and neither would give you a kiss first.

[kms]

Our Conservation District was once located in the county bomb shelter. I guess they weren't wanted at the cout house.

[Chet]

'70s vernacular low-slung masonry building. Blech.

[Tranplanner]

My office building is an internationally-renowned architectural "masterpiece". It even appeared (briefly) in a Star Trek TNG episode. Unfortunately, The Simpsons chose not to stop by when they came to Toronto in their last episode. However, we do get the odd American tourist asking how much it costs to stay in the flying saucer-shaped "hotel" located between the two towers. Ummm...that would be the Council Chambers...

Have a look for yourself...

[Dan]

My Town Hall was formerly a bank, built in the late 1800s. The old vault is still here! Town Hall is the last remnant of this small town's Main Street -- the rest of it burned down around the same time, and was never rebuilt -- residences and orange groves popped up instead. There's two rooms -- the front, occupied by the town clerk and water clerk, and the back -- the Planning Department. (The town manager and finance director, and Town Commission chambers are in the "annex" -- a rented double wide construction trailer behind Town Hall.)

My office is a shortcut between the annex and the clerk's office, so there's quite a bit of pass-through traffic, even when I go "closed door." I shouldn't complain, though, because it's not a cubicle. :|

Town Hall has lots of roaches, and a tree growing out of the parapet. The building is fairly decripit, but it's slated to be gutted and rebhabbed in a couple of years, when a new municipal campus is built on the site.



My office at the first place I worked was formerly a recovery room, when the building was a hospital -- the Planning Department wing used to be the maternity ward.

During grad school, my office was in this building -- Hayes Hall ay SUNY Buffalo. Hayes used to be the Erie County Poorhouse. The building became famous for a couple of years, when it was featured in segue shots for "Jesse," a TV show starring Christina Applegate.

[Cardinal]

The White Memorial Building was built in 1903 as a library. Inside, I have 16' ceilings, lots of oak shelves and paneling, and a fireplace in my office. In the main room there are cast replicas of the frieze panels from a greek temple (I'm not sure which). There is also a memorial plaque from the Spanish-American War, cast from metal salvaged from the battleship Maine.

In the 1800's and early 1900's Whitewater was home to the Pratt Institute, a school for the study of the paranormal. Witch and occult stories abound about the community and places within it, such as the cemeteries and yes, this building. There are said to be secret panels and tunnels. Of course, we always deny this.

Interestingly, there are tunnels next door. The Hamilton House (now a bed & breakfast, www.bandbhamiltonhouse.com) was a stop on the underground railroad. By the 1970's it had become a fraternity house - it's most famous member - John Belushi. The tunnels may even have extended to other homes in the city.

[el Guapo]

The Office.

[nerudite]

I work in an incredibly unique building... It is called "St. Albert Place", and was designed by world-renowned First Nations Architect Douglas Cardinal. He well known, not only for his designs but his huge ego.

The building was constructed in 1983, and sits alongside the Sturgeon River.

This is a view of the building, from across the the river:



The building is masonry with one glass face that becomes a water cascade in the Summer (and leaks like a sieve). But it's pretty!

Here is a photo from the front (the glass cascade is in the back of the fountain):



The City has also done a great job at creating a public promenade along the river, adjacent to St. Albert Place:



The most unique thing about the building, I think, is the Council Chambers. There are three tiers to the room: the Gallery is on the second level and overlooks the Council dias via a balcony, and the staff table is at a level lower than the dias (beneath the gallery balcony). It is rumored that Cardinal did not think highly of politicians and purposely wanted the general public to look down on them.

[Zoning Goddess]

I'm in 1/2 of a large office in a hideously ugly '80's building. The School Board rents the floor over us for a last-ditch school for 150 kids who were previously expelled.
Last stop was the 3rd floor of a converted hospital, overlooking a lake, came with private restroom: nice!
Worst: sharing a small windowless room with 3 other people in the basement of an old auto dealer (altho' the old showroom made an interesting commission meeting room).

[JNL]

Our offices are converted army storage sheds, built by Americans during WWII. Not the greatest conversion either. It's like a rabbit warren. The offices are located in an industrial area so we've got a paint factory on one side and a car wreckers on the other!

[donk]

I am in an old NB Power building, built around 1970. The style is what I affectionaly refer to as Centennial Style. (ie 1967) These are government buildings built at the time of the cnetennial that are somewhat modern, and could be anywhere in the province.

The funny thing is that we have been here for 7 years and still get people coming in to pay their power bills.

[Chet]

Boring 1970's vernacular, low slung and suburban. However, it was recently remodeled and is quite nice on the inside.

[Downtown]

We're in a pretty new building out by the airport, really, nothing very interesting, except for the random park bench that we have on our front lawn that is a memorial to the guy who originally owned the property and made a stipulation of sale that he had to be memorialized somehow after the building was built.

[jestes]

My office was formerly a Sears & Roebuck store, then Barron Motor Company. Although the building has been completely refurbished some evidences are still here such as the old freight elevator.

[Habanero]

It used to be the police station, the basement is where they used to "hold" people.

[SW MI Planner]

Wow - everyone has some pretty nice buildings!! We just had our first City Hall built - we've never had our own before. Total cost of 7 something million for thirty-ish people. Had a benefactor pay more than half. Very beautiful building (plus my office is awesome!)

Here's the architects rendering since I can't find any other pictures.....

[cyowa]

When the police functions were moved out of this 1908 City Hall years ago, the jail was left intact. At the back of our office are two big metal doors leading to what's left of the jail which we now use for storage of files not yet moved to the basement, old equipment, and furniture that no one wants.

One of the doors leads to a cell block with about 4 cells on each side of a corridor. Bars still in place. Many still with toilets. Most of the cells are filled with junk that has no other place. Amusing to see dead computers and monitors lying next to the toilets behind bars.

The other door leads to a two-story tall space about 40' x 40'. No bars here, but you can still see how the cells were laid out. Legend has it that in this room, the guards were placed above the prisoners and could look down into the cells to keep watch.

All funny stuff and a yearly stop on the schools' City Hall tours.

[OhioPlanner]

I work for a university. The building we were in was first slated for demolition in 1957 I believe. We were supposed to get a new building in the early 70's. However, the Kent State riots happened and the state legislature pulled all funding for new buildings.

We got put back at the bottom of the list. We are now at the top again and our new building is under construction.

Visit our construction cam that shows the construction live


You can visit this website for the planshttp://knowlton.osu.edu/v3/knowlton/...tour_sp02.html Knowlton Construction Camera

[Jeff]

Nothing interesting about my current job but my old one...

Where to begin..let's see, in the basement was the oven they used to cremate bodies, the county used to hang people on the front lawn, and there were numerous reports of supernatural activity in the building.

My office was the county Almshouse (poorhouse) in the 1800s.

[Repo Man]

The building I am in sits on a landfill and settles a little bit each year, resulting in doors that do not close or doors that close automatically, then lock, with your keys in the office...after everyone has left for the day..... It has happened to me on two seperate occasions. Usually I put a little door stop in there, but there sometimes I forget.

There is so much settling that the wallpaper has peeled and ripped in some corners. You can look into other peoples offices through the gaps.

This building is only like 15 years old too.

[Jeff]

They ended up tearing down blocks and blocks of houses in Philly built on a landfill, they fell backwards a little bit year after year until they weren't safe anymore.

[lowlyplanner]

Our offices are in the top floor of an old "Movie Palace" which now mainly does live shows - it's very interesting trying to write reports when you can feel Ted Nugent doing his sound check through the floors.

I wish I could find a photo to send - it's a very attractive building, built with a Moorish theme in the 20s. One thing our city definately did right.

[el Guapo]

Ted Nugent is like a God to my people. Stranglehold would be a good planning department theme song

[giff57]

Originally posted by El Guapo

Ted Nugent is like a God to my people. Stranglehold would be a good planning department theme song

Even though I'm left of center, I agree with many of Ted's ideas. I respect him for not falling into the celebrity "have to watch what I say or no one will buy my records" syndrome. Ted just lets fly with what he thinks. Loved him on Howard Stern, talking about eating a monkey he arrowed.