Category Archives: 40 Bolivia Street

Meeting Our Building’s Original Family

Today I had the opportunity to meet Ana Nelson’s grand-daughter and great-grandson. Delores and her son Miguel traveled from Ohio to visit with family, and after missing each other a year ago when they last visited, we finally got together at 40 Bolivia Street, where she spent so much time as a child. Ana and her husband built the house in 1920, twenty years after Ana had acquired the land.

As we toured the first floor, she told me where everything had been up until 1943, which was the last time she was in the house. We looked at her grandmother Ana’s photo album, and I was able to see the young bride from Sweden and her husband, the old garage that I had to tear down in 2003, and how the back porch and steps had been built. Some parts of the apartment are unchanged, such as the front room where Delores slept as a child, and where I now have my office. Other places are very different.

We looked across the street at number 39, which is where Delores, her parents and siblings moved in 1937. Perhaps she will be able to see that house another time.

This was such a thrill for me. I love the house, and now I feel a bit more connected to its story. I hope to have some photos sent my way soon, and when that happens, I’ll post them.