Date: Thu, 18 Jul 2002 22:59:08 -0500
From: Jeff Wilson 
Subject: (urth) Winchester House Absolute

> From: Michael Andre-Driussi 

> Update: I saw in the progress report for Con Jose that they are organizing
> a tour of the fabled Winchester Mystery House. I had not realized that
> access was so restrictive, I thought people could just drop in any time,
> pay the money, go inside, which shows how little planning I had done.
> 
> Anyway, I decided to let the cat out of the bag and ask Gene Wolfe if he'd
> ever been, if he would like to go while at Worldcon, and if he would, would
> he rather go on the organized tour or on a separate one.
> 
> He has been there before (D'oh!) and he recommends it.  He is interested in
> going while at Worldcon, but as his wife would not likely be able to go
> (wheelchair access issues), he would probably have to go without her and
> cannot commit as yet.

	As I recall from a documentary some time back, Sara Winchester was
disabled herself and much of the house is accessible with only 2-3 inch
risers; a stout but gentle help ought to be able to naviagte a
wheelchair without much trouble, though some of the corners might be
tight.

	Those who have occsasion to visit the campus of Texas A&M in College
Station should visit the Sterling C. Evans library. The sprawling
structure has gradually acreted around the blocky, utilitarian 3-4 story
building present when GW matriculated there 50 years ago and now
completely concealed by the present expanded facility. When I was there
ca 1988, there were numerous intertwined sections separated by a single
wall or locked door that required very circuitous routes to otherwise
travel between, including a shadowy gallery from which exultant brats
could lash the poor slobs underneath on their way to Periodicals.
(Fortunately, they were more interested in making out.) The original
building is mostly(?) intact, though its had new floors inserted between
the originals IIRC, in order to fit more archival shelving. There's no
rodents living among the stacks, though there are some interesting
architechtural decisions, including a stairway styled like a stopped
escalator that gives it a declined-age feel. There's more than a little
House Absolute and "Date Due" to be found there. 

-- 
Jeff Wilson
How Am I Posting? 1-800-555-6789
"If your SecOp can see you, so can the enemy." -Cpt Law


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