Tthe City of Owensboro finalized the purchase of the former Executive Inn and is now engaging in a liquidation sale to eliminate everything on the grounds that is not nailed to the ground and well…if you can pry it up easily you can probably buy it also! Over the years, the E has provided a brief respite from long summer nights, walking and talking by the river, and also a getaway after countless hours at the Royce before I could drive.
My friend Erin made a surprise from trip Cleveland so we both decided to tour the E one last time. I loved her quote, “Creating art from destruction.” It was fun, every single door was open…Nothing was off limits. Well, except for the area blocked off by the fire marshall a couple of years ago. While one might be against calling our voyage urban exploration in its truest sense I believe we upheld its intent by traversing each and every room searching for the lost history behind it.
The main lobby and large majority of the public areas were relatively clean. It lacked the reflection of such an abrupt shutdown that I so wanted to capture. Although, seeing the dead trees and fallen leaves over the tables and waiter stations was close. It was the backoffice areas that I loved exploring the most. A fryer filled with oil left in a dark corner right beside bottles of ketchup, creamer, syrup etc. Have you ever smelled year old grease and oil? Getting that shot required a couple of deep breaths…
What surprised me the most was the green room right behind the main stage seemed to be the only thing completely untouched. The mini fridge was there (with food) the coffee pot, creamer, couch…even some clothes hanging from the rack.
