April 4, 2009: McGovern
My friend Bob Guskind passed away unexpectedly last month. A couple of weeks later I went to his funeral at the chapel at Greenwood Cemetery. It was a small, moving service-- his friends spoke about his work, his enormous talents, and his personal struggles. Afterwards I walked up to the top of the tallest hill at Greenwood, near the Olympia statue, and spent a few minutes thinking about Bob and looking down over Brooklyn, towards the bay. On the way out, I snapped this shot of the slightly run-down greenhouse across the street from the cemetery gates-- just the sort of place Bob would have loved, and would have wanted to see protected from the creeping development on the surrounding streets of Sunset Park.
Related: a shot from the hill above the chapel.
Comments
I'm sorry to hear about the loss, he sounds like he was a great guy.
I've always wanted that shop (the McGovern building) to be a full garden center, but it's barely a florist. I feel like it's a little bit of a let-down inside for how great and grandiose the exterior is. Great capture -- I've felt it's hard to achieve the interesting qualities of it in a single shot.
I'm sorry for your loss. I think this photo is a lovely tribute to your friend.
AUM! LIFE has a way of prevailing...over TIME.
A photograph...preserves a thousand(th) moment of memory...TRAGEDY,TRIUMPH,...TRUTH throughout the life of a PRINT (and its PRINTER)...and beyond!
McGOVERN will now HOLD a FAMILIAR PLACE in my mind
for all time...as a place where one goes to remember the LIFE of a FRIEND.
May we ALL be so fortunate!
You're absolutely correct; he did love it.
http://tinyurl.com/c7mauw
Glad to have found this site.
The McGovern Florist has been a full service flower
shop for 4 generations. Vandals and break-ins have damaged it's once graceful grandeur to a once run-down neighborhood. The owners, still the McGovern Family have had to scale back it's wonderful garden center and flower shop due to crime. They have been held up at gun-point injuring one of the owners and their dog, they have had tens of thousands of equipment, computers, delivery vehicles and merchandise stolen. If I were you I would shop there. Help that family continue to serve the community. Maybe then they could hire full time security to improve their selections. As it is right now, I don't blame them for scaling back. They are wonderful people. One of the last long-time Brooklyn families in the Floral Industry.
Found your site after looking for pics of Eastern State Pen. for a blogpost. Great pictures indeed. Kudos.
... and condolences on the loss of your friend.
the memory remains with this tribute
Leave a comment