Ok, so here's the quick version of the story:

 

Joe Wilcher was a Korean War combat veteran living in the one room apartment in the attic of a building in Over-The-Rhine. One day in June 2001, Joe just up and left leaving behind all of his personal belongings including his war metals, social security information, identification and a massive collection of books and literature. A friend of mine is working on renovating the building and invited me to photograph the room before all it's contents are removed.

 

That's the short story, for the full story go to www.queencitydisco.com if  you're interested in more pictures and the full deal.

 

 

 

 

-Shower modified as a bookshelf.

 

 

 

 

VIew from the apartment:

 

Thanks for checking these out. Since most of the stuff has to be removed, if anyone has information to the whereabouts of the guy or his family we'd like to get them his belongings.

 

Check out www.queencitydisco.com for more photographs and the full story!

 

Thanks for viewing!

the bookcase/shelf system in the shower is too much for me!

 

I haven't looked at your website, because my skin is crawling just looking at the photos you posted here.

 

How do people live in such a mess??  iicckkkkkk!!

 

So the apartment has been vacant for 8 years??  It seems like there are hundreds of thousands health code violations in this one room unit.

What a fantastic write up Ronny. I too wonder what happens to a lot of our war veterans. Many come back suffering from PTSD or other traumatic disorders that can permanently modify a person's personality, decorum and habits. It's great to know he served our country during the Korean War, but I wonder what happened to him -- if he is on the streets...

Wow. I wonder if he counted those cheerios in the jar each day lol. Dude seems like a wack job.

The Cheerio storage suggests an effort to combat roaches. No worry for the roaches; there appears to have been enough bookbinder's glue lying around to sustain the little fellas for a million generations. Cool pictures. The detritus of one's existence is fascinating stuff.

Wow. I wonder if he counted those cheerios in the jar each day lol. Dude seems like a wack job.

 

Well I wouldn't call him a "wack job".  He's most likely mentally handicapped, which is a step higher than you - ya "crack pot" !  :P  ;)

 

A lot of people's lives have been changed for the worse by combat experiences, and it's a national disgrace that they go unacknowledged and untreated. It looks like Joe was an extraordinarily intelligent guy who got derailed, and it's possible no one even tried to help him get back on track.

Wow, what an absolutely fascinating blog post.  Thank you for this. 

^ Agreed. Joe sounds like an interesting guy who got a raw deal in life. Given his likely age if he served in Korea, I wonder if he's even still alive today. Maybe he's in a better place by now.

^ Agreed. Joe sounds like an interesting guy who got a raw deal in life. Given his likely age if he served in Korea, I wonder if he's even still alive today. Maybe he's in a better place by now.

 

Someone in the comments on the blog posted a death listing.  Gordan, do you think that's him?

Fantastic!

very interesting, and a great view to boot. 

That is an incredible story...good luck with locating friends/family.

  What happened to all the books? Or better yet, what is going to happen to all the books?

 

 

What kind of books did he read?

the bookcase/shelf system in the shower is too much for me!

 

I haven't looked at your website, because my skin is crawling just looking at the photos you posted here.

 

How do people live in such a mess??   iicckkkkkk!!

 

If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were g.a.y. ;)

Woah, sorry it has taken me so long to reply to this thread. Thanks everyone for reading and checking it out, work has just been a bitch lately.

 

quote: "Someone in the comments on the blog posted a death listing.  Gordan, do you think that's him?"

- I wrote down Joe's ssn from one of the cards I found and compared it to the listing provided, it looks like that yes it was him. Seems Joe passed away on Oct. 31, 2008 of this year. Last place of residence was across the river in Covington, KY.

 

quote: "What happened to all the books? Or better yet, what is going to happen to all the books"

- My friends who were working on the renovations were working their way up, so for the time being they stayed put. The plan was to eventually renovate the entire building even the one room apartment in the attic, but it seems the renovation has fallen through. I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen to most of the stuff.

 

quote: "What kind of books did he read?"

- All kinds. From books on war to children's books to fantasy stories. He had a massive range of genres in there.

 

Thanks again for checking this out everyone, this is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to write about/photograph.

 

quote: "What happened to all the books? Or better yet, what is going to happen to all the books"

- My friends who were working on the renovations were working their way up, so for the time being they stayed put. The plan was to eventually renovate the entire building even the one room apartment in the attic, but it seems the renovation has fallen through. I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen to most of the stuff.

 

 

That's an absolute shame.  This apartment is fascinating enough that it could potentially make some money to help with the renovation.  You friends could document it and sell some photographs, maybe auction off the historic books, try to find a curator that could turn the collection into an art exhibit...  there are many potential money-makers here. 

 

I hate to tear places like this apart, but OTR needs to keep getting rehabbed.  That's why we have people like Gordon and Sherman to document them before they go yuppie.

All those books would probably fetch a good penny on the secondhand book market. If that happens, I think it would be appropriate to donate the proceeds to an organization that helps disabled veterans.

Most of the ones in good condition were boxed up and saved I believe. My buddy is still holding out hoping a family member will be found, if not I believe he's keeping a few just for himself to remind him of this place and some books that are just ancient looking. The rest he will be donating...no intention of selling them and keeping the money for himself.

Perhaps a VA hospital or something would be interested in having the books for their patients to read?

I'll tell Chap to look into it. Not sure what's going with the renovation project at the moment. I'll give him a call later today and try to get an update for you guys.