The Bell Building, up close

Lines and reflections
London, ON
October 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Everyone in this town knows it as The Bell Building, and everyone seems to have a story connected to it. Either they worked there, or know someone who did. #LdnONT is like that: We're all connected somehow.

In a now-vanished era when Ma Bell typified the kind of benevolent employer you'd work for for life, this represented the ideal for generations of Londoners. Those days are gone, of course, but the physical relics of their existence remain.

Bell no longer owns the place, and its massive floors are increasingly being filled by smaller, techier businesses. But its place in the psyche of this strangely old-world-thinking town is as rooted today as it's ever been. It anchors the downtown core, a gateway-like beacon for everyone coming into this troubled part of town.

Perhaps the future here will be as storied as its past. Perhaps buildings like this will collectively serve as the backdrop of a much-needed turnaround for a neighborhood that continues to struggle.

Whatever happens next, there's nothing wrong with a reflective moment on the street outside to ponder what once was and what might be.

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