436. Old Warehouses

North of E Main Street, from Garrison to Peabody

On the north side of East Main Street, running from South Garrison Street to South Peabody Avenue, are two blocks of old warehouses. Constructed in the early 19th century, these wooden buildings have stood next to the river for a century. Keen observers may notice watermarks (5 feet / 1.5m high) on some of the river facing structures left from the great flood of 1888.
Most of the warehouses are unused, and some are literally falling apart, but there are enough in moderately good condition to be rented by local businesses for long-term or temporary storage. A small handful, converted into tenements, still provide housing for a few destitute and poor folk.
The structures, built up over time with little organization, create in the middle of these blocks a maze of twisting alleys and walkways running between the buildings. Some warehouses have become the secret dens of criminals, whether organized or not. Indeed, Danny O'Bannion's Lucky Clover Cartage Co. {412} has recently leased one of the larger warehouses between Parsonage and Peabody.
At night, the area is something of a “red light district,” with both male and female sex workers plying their trade; most are under the control of O’Bannion’s Gang, with money taken by pimps for their so-called “protection.” Once in a while, public outcry and/or the mayor’s office demands the police sweep the area, collecting up the street workers for a night in jail before they are released the following morning. It’s more a publicity exercise than any real attempt to curb the town’s sex trade.

Type

Warehouse, Commercial