June 1, 2017 marked the day that my beloved Arts District loft was EMPTY … after over 20 years in this 100-year-old former railroad building, I ended my lease, sold what I could (photography, household items, furnishings), packed up my remaining belongings, and shipped over 30 boxes to Texas. Since August 2016, I had been maintaining two residences: my loft in Los Angeles and my teeny-tiny 1940s-era garage apartment in Houston. Just about every month, I hopped on plane and traversed the country, from one state to the other. It was challenging … having to pay for both places, and hoping to occasionally get someone to rent the space on a short-term basis, working around my schedule so I could stay in my loft when they were not there.
I was so grateful to my mom who traveled with me to help pack and close down my loft. Summer Bernal, Christy Addis-Gutierrez, Curtis Gutierrez, and Edgar Varela helped me so much, too.
© Photo by Melissa Richardson Banks taken on June 1, 2017.