The community home is an ever-elusive building. I have visited this space several times, and have yet to fully explore its heights. The first time I set foot in this building it was midday and the sun was spilling in through its large, unboarded windows. The first floor of the building is a sea of pastels and off-white colors, and with the sun shining at the perfect angle, it makes for one hell of a sight to see. There isn't much lying around the first floor except for building debris and the occasional pile of filthy clothes.
The community home is located in the heart of downtown East St. Louis, and is easily accessible. The front door is unlocked, unboarded, and begging to be walked through. The funny thing about East St. Louis is that you can walk through the front door of an abandoned building (even one that sits off a high-traffic road), and no one will care. Entrance into the building from around back is also easy, save for the mini-jungle one has to fight before getting there.
The first time I visited this building, my friend and I decided that it would be an easy and relatively safe place to explore. We walked in through the front door and were immediately impressed with its interior beauty. After spending some time hanging around the first floor, we decided it was time to head upstairs. This is where things started to get sketchy. The staircase leading to the second floor is split-level, and when standing on the foyer, you get a pretty good view of the second floor. It was at this point that I started to sense something was off. Standing at the top of the stairs, I was afforded two different views. To the left about 10 feet was a couch that blocked off the rest of the hallway, and to the right were a series of drawers, desks, and other pieces of furniture that blocked various doors on the second floor. It was obvious that people frequented this building and that they didn't appreciate company. After poking around in a few of the rooms, I decided that I didn't want to run into anyone who might be living at the home. My friend and I called it a day.
The next couple of visits to the home didn't turn up much more than the first visit. What's great about the community home is that it's a good place to run through quickly. It's located on the way back to St. Louis, and after a day of driving around East St. Louis, it makes for a nice consolation prize. The next semi-full exploration of the building came when a different friend of mine was in town. After a day of exploring the Gateway Community Hospital, we decided to stop in the community home on the way back to St. Louis.
We headed for the basement entrance around back and slipped in through an old rusty door. The basement was new ground for me. I hadn't been there before, and I learned I hadn't missed much. There were a few spacious and interesting rooms, but nothing great. We headed upstairs and spent some time on the first floor before ascending to the second. It was at that point that I was again confronted with a sense that something was off. Something just isn't right about the upper levels of this building. But I was convinced to hang around for a little while longer, and I proceeded to cautiously poke through some of the rooms. Not three minutes passed before my friend Michael ran into someone sleeping in one of the rooms. Not to be the kind of people who intrude, we decided it was high-time to get the fuck out of there. And so ends yet another day of not reaching the top floor of the ever-elusive community home.
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