Keeping the Old Barrio Alive

This is the Instituto Homeopatico y Hospital de San José, in my barrio in Madrid. I wish I had taken a picture of it a year ago before they restored it, because it looked like the set from a horror movie. The statue of Jesus had turned green from age, and the wooden facade was all brown and splintering. It's currently being used as an old age home, but it used to be a hospital. Before the restoration, one wall had the names and office hours of the doctors who used to work there.

Doctor Mariano Garcia Herrero is my wife's great uncle. When the restoration started I knew they would get rid of this wall so I took a photo. Then to my surprise, this week they started repainting it.
While Doctor Herrero hasn't been available for surgical or gynecological consultation on Wednesdays and Fridays from 5 to 6 for a good three decades now, the hospital decided to keep the old sign.

I think that's great. Now when my son is old enough to read I can take him here and he can see for himself that his great great uncle worked here. These little details are what keep the fabric of a neighborhood alive. The old familiar landmarks are important, they give people a sense of place, something that most "developers" forget in their rush for profit.