Shafted

Jackie Lewis on the sport climbing route in "The Shaft" by Manchester Oblique.

Manchester's sole rock climbing gym, Vertical Dreams, has become somewhat of a staple novelty for the city and a haven for rock climbers looking for a respite during the doldrums of the cold season. While keeping a clean gym, regularly refreshed routes and a friendly and knowledgable staff have all been pivotal to the gym's continued success, a certain fraction of that success can contributed to Vertical Dreams' most unique feature, a 70 foot elevator-like shaft that has been remodeled into one of the tallest indoor climbing walls on the east coast.

A view of "The Shaft" directly from above by Manchester Oblique.

Jackie Lewis in the "The Shaft" by Manchester Oblique.

Housed in the recently renovated Waumbec Mill on at 250 Commercial Street, Vertical Dreams' sits atop the fourth floor with the shaft extending down to the second floor. Access to the shaft is gained second floor, or if you're willing to suit up and repel, the forth floor, as well. It's kind of an interesting dynamic owning a business with such a unique form of vertical space, professionals and passersby wandering the mills hallways may hear a sudden "CLUNK" through building's brick walls as some climber takes a 10 foot whipper at the crux of a route.

When Vertical Dreams owner, Corey Hebert, was prospecting places for his business, he found the shaft by accident:

When I was first looking at the space to start the gym, I did not know about the "shaft" but after drawing a floor plan, I realized that there was some more space behind a wall. I got permission to do some exploring and to my surprise I found that there was more than a little space. This sealed the deal for me. We had to demo a lot of stuff to make it safe and climbable but it was worth it.

 Despite the common moniker of "elevator shaft", the original purpose of the shaft is not well known and I have only come across skimpy anecdotal evidence suggesting that it was ever an elevator shaft. Another story I came across was that the shaft housed a large vat for dye production during the mill's textile days and that when the mill was being renovated, a gentleman removed that vat for nothing more than the scrap metal value, which was considerable. This story seems to make a little more sense to me as large amounts of dye may have been noxious to work around and required a more direct route of ventilation, in this case, a shaft straight to the roof of the building.

Members of the Vertical Dreams Tuesday/Thursday Night Crew climbing "The Shaft" by Manchester Oblique.

Jackie Lewis on the sport climbing route in "The Shaft" by Manchester Oblique.

Now climbers ascend the shaft daily on walls of pocked with synthetic climbing holds and boyscouts regularly descend the shaft by repelling from the top in search of a merit badge. What was once a very utilitarian space is now a place where memories are made as fears are conquered, clinging to plastic rocks with almost four stories of open space below you.

NOTE: Thanks to the Vertical Dreams "Tuesday/Thursday night crew" for allowing me to snap a few photos of them.

Another member of the Vertical Dreams Tuesday/Thursday Night Crew climbing "The Shaft" by Manchester Oblique.

INNER SPACE: Dark to light, bright and airy

On the west side of Manchester, a local photographer with a keen eye for interior design has been fixing up her apartment over the past 2 years. She has graciously shared the fruits of her labor with Manchester Oblique. For privacy purposes, she has asked for her name to be omitted.

What kind of building is the apartment in?

It's a 1917 New Englander. It was converted from a 1 family to a 2 family and has a lovely, big back yard.

Do you know any history about the building?

I have a picture from 1922 (which I can't find at the moment.) It was one of the first houses on the street and it was owned by the same family for 60 years. It was last renovated in the sixties or seventies I believe. The father was a woodworker so he built all of the wainscoting and molding throughout the living room, office and bedroom. My bedroom today would have been the living room and my kitchen is disproportionately big because it's the original size, I believe.

How would you describe the place before the renovations?

Good bones, but too dark and very outdated. It had been a rental property for ten years so it needed lots of attention and love.

Did you find anything weird about the apartment when you started working on it?

Of course! The basement bathroom vent emptied into the heat vent in what is now the laundry room, which is obviously DIY gone wild.

There was newspaper for insulation in the kitchen. There is a secret, flat cabinet on the floor of one of the kitchen cabinets too which is really odd. The bedroom closet didn't have walls. It was simply a series of wood paneling layered together.


What kind of aesthetic and feeling were you looking to get from the place and what did it take to obtain it?

I wanted light, bright and airy. I loved all of the detailing of the built-in cabinets, wainscoting and molding, but wanted to freshen everything up making it a mix of traditional and modern. It took several tons of paint (and sanding), removing a sliding glass door that separated the kitchen from the living room, adding new floors that reflect light, new windows, relocating the exterior side door, replacing all of the lighting and adding more, and cleaning everything.

It's still not finished as you may be able to see from the photos. I am still in the process of decorating and adding furniture. I need a bed frame for example and a few pieces for the room with the orange wall. And I need to finish the kitchen- counter top, back splash, new oven, stove top, sink, and faucet. All in time though. It's very liveable in it's present state, just not perfect.

What's your favorite room in the apartment now?

I would have to say the kitchen because it spacious and I adore the color green of the cabinets. I also really love my bedroom because of the gorgeous muted pinky/ purple color which is only heightened by softest, glowiest, abundant natural light. It's also the first grown-up bedroom I've had and that feels good.

What's your favorite little detail?

There so many unique details in this house that it's really a series of unique details. If I had to choose one that came with the house it would be the wall oven. If I had to choose one detail that I'm responsible for it would be the door knobs. They were mismatched and brass mostly and didn't match the house.

More photos after the jump.

Have an innovative, creative, modernized, retrofitted, renovated, experimental, inventive or unusual living space? Share it with Manchester Oblique. Email your information to daniel dot brian at gmail dot com.

INNER SPACE: a call for innovative and interesting living spaces

Architecture and space have just as much to do with the inside of a structure as the outside. Manchester Oblique is looking for innovative, creative, modernized, retrofitted, renovated, experimental, inventive and unusual living spaces in the city of Manchester.

Have a swanky living space you'd like to share? Send an email to daniel dot brian at gmail dot com with a picture and brief description of your living space.