19 The Old Houses

There are old houses on my street that send messages from the past. I can not decode all of them but I observe the architectural style of these houses and imagine very much about the world of the people who built them. Look at this house for example, its forthright functionalism, simple style (straight lines and no ornamentation what so ever) and think of the imagination run wild as seen in many buildings built today. How they are situated far from the street and have many annexes, corners, columns, gates, porches and storage facilities as well as parking lots. When they are surrounded by foliage and fences our new houses become indistinct when viewed from the street. It seems as if they want to disappear, fade away into empty space, cease to be part of the street and become something independent that can be detached from one street and transferred to any other street or even any other community.

The house in this photo, and others like it, are built right at the sidewalk. They are not bashful and do not hide, nor do they deck themselves in superfluous finery. They are part of the street which they create and the street's character is the sum total of their presence. It is a shame that these houses are neglected now, to say nothing of the sidewalks that look like remnants of naïve optimism. It seems that Pardes Hana did not developed as quickly as the people who built these houses long ago hoped it would.