Then & Now: Do you know where this is?
Long before this entryway was bricked over, tanners, clickers and others with forgotten job titles walked through the arched entryway of the Goddard, Fay & Stone shoe factory.
The company, formed in the 1880s, was a major employer in Worcester. Shoemaking factories dotted the region in the 1800s and early 1900s, with Athol, Spencer and Marlborough also turning out footwear.
The doorway and factory in this week's Then photo remain. But the bricks are gone, removed to create an emergency exit for the residents who live in a 160-unit apartment complex built nearly a half-century ago. The abandoned, rundown factory, its shoemaking machines long quieted, was part of neighborhood revitalization.
We acknowledge that this week's Then photo could be a bit tricky to pinpoint, even for the best Worcester history sleuth. The brickwork that remains in the entryway, with five granite pieces in the arch, including the keystone, is a good clue.
Admittedly, the doorway to the right, marked Pioneer Tackle Co., has us stumped.
See Monday's Telegram & Gazette, and telegram.com, for the answer.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Then & Now: Do you know where this is?
