Just The Docks

Sometimes it's not necessary to endeavor to make sense of and find meaning in a loading dock. Sometimes we can be content to marvel at and enjoy a dock purely for its aesthetic qualities. Sometimes we can be satisfied with just plain liking something, no questions asked. In my humble opinion, those times are all too infrequent. So here are some docks, sans intrusive commentary:

University Docks

Boise State University is arguably Idaho's premier sports entertainment complex and events center, as well as an unrivaled brand merchandise retailer. They say you can take classes there too. On top of all this, BSU features a cadre of not-half-bad loading docks scattered throughout the campus:

 Science Building

Morrison Center for the Performing Arts

Facilities Operations and Maintenance  

Note: In my exploration and contemplation of loading docks at Boise State University, my thoughts naturally turned to a topic near and dear to the institution: marketing. While this is a concept I roundly reject as a cynical and deceitful attempt to reduce great and multifaceted enterprises into mere commodities, I accept that a strong and recognizable brand can garner both notice and interest. That said, I have come to accept that loading docks deserve more than a plain, minimalistic blog template. My initial thoughts on the matter were that by stripping away distracting ornamentation and frills, my blog would focus on loading docks as entirely as possible. I know now, however, that a sleeker look and catchier title will draw more traffic and give my beloved docks the attention they deserve. I find this a cause worth compromising my anti-marketing values for. Thus, this blog shall henceforth carry the title The Loading Area and feature a design and color palette easier on the eyes. I have taken the liberty to "retcon" any posts that refer to this blog by its erstwhile handle of Loading Docks. 

Downtown Docks

Today we draw our attention to a motley assortment of loading docks in and around the southern extremity of Boise's 8th Street Cultural District. This is a gritty pocket of the city's central core that has in recent memory teetered on the edge of the redevelopment ravine. Will this area and the diverse docks who call it home plunge irrevocably into the cookie-cutter chasm of loft housing and brunch spots? Sadly, the shared sensory experiences and spatial interactions of the many are at the mercy of a select few. Until such time as these landed elites cavalierly alter our collective landscape, let us celebrate and find meaning in our existing surroundings:

600 Block, S. 8th Street: An improvised-looking dock graces a corrugated ziggurat of a warehouse. A truly singular specimen.

River Street at 9th: The old Associated Distributing warehouse boasts both a large open dock (left) and a more conventional flush dock (right center). Variety is the spice of life.

500 Block, S. 10th Street: This massive structure was previously fed by railroad tracks, prior to their unceremonious removal from downtown. The creative addition of a platform, dock leveler and bumpers, however, give the former rail car loading door above a new life as a worthy truck-to-warehouse interface.

Riverside Docks

I regret that I cannot deliver gladder tidings with today's post, but, then again, I have always associated this season more with coldness, withering and death. Today we look at what once was: a pair of freight transshipment terminals operated by Estes Express Lines and Saia Motor Freight Line, respectively. These now erstwhile freight yards where located near the Boise River and Ann Morrison Park on the opposite side of Capitol Blvd. from Boise State University. Undoubtedly, this was an ideal location to move freight and dispatch trucks in the mid 1950s. Since that time, however, freeway construction and institutional creep have changed the character of this neighborhood, compelling Estes and Saia to relocate to more appropriate facilities near the Boise Airport. Sometime during the past nine months, these no-longer-relevant structures were leveled to the ground, likely to make room for student-oriented housing or low-rise commercial office buildings. Certainly, times change and this dense riverfront neighborhood is perhaps better off without the congestion associated with freight liner traffic. What is tragic, however, is how brusquely and unceremoniously we wipe loading docks off the face of the planet without so much as an acknowledgement of their years of dutiful service. May the memory of these and other docks be preserved in at least some modest way in the following video:

 

Southeast Docks

Note: It's been over a month without a new post, and for that I apologize. But this lack of content hasn't been out of negligence. Sure, I could have just thrown up an image of any old dock and tacked on some uninspired, glib caption, but that wouldn't have been sincere, now would it? I care deeply about loading docks, and I'm not about to casually turn them into some gimmick. If a post takes a month or even a year, I wait until the spirit moves me, until my imagination is captured, until my eyes are wide and my mouth agape in awe. But enough about me. This blog is about the docks. 

The industrial park just off South Federal Way near Interstate-84 and the Simplot Sports Complex is a melting pot. A diversity of loading dock breeds coexist here in harmony, reminding us that in even the most utilitarian contexts, uniformity need not stifle personality. Glimpse:

Although this one's completely detached from its parent warehouse, no dock is an island!

Another detached dock, but this one opts for the high road.

A row of standard loading doors in the distance, complete with dock seals. There is always room for the classic.

Bench Docks

Who can say they are bored when so many undiscovered sensory stimuli are out there just waiting to be found? There is always something to unearth, even in those places we consider most familiar. I experienced this earlier today, while walking along Emerald Street near the old railroad spur. An all-together peculiar loading dock revealed itself to me, and although hitherto unknown in my limited envelope of consciousness, I'm sure it's had and will continue to enjoy a long and storied life. Behold:

Note the unconventional truck-height-bumper/at-grade hydraulic-lift/recessed-bay-door combo. A dock is a dock is a dock!

West Docks

Loading docks are all around us, whether or not we directly encounter them in our workaday lives. Take for instance any retail node of notable scale, such as the one at the southeast corner of Cole Road and Fairview Avenue in West Boise. Patrons of either the Albertsons grocery store or Burlington Coat Factory may only utilize the front entrances, but the less-frequented dorsal sides of the complex comprise a universe all their own:

Albertsons' lone dock, south side of building. Note the graceful decline to the below-grade dock.

Burlington Coat Factory's twin docks, east side of building. Note the north dock encumbered by a garbage dumpster. Why keep this lamp under a basket?