We are pleased to present photographs from the collection of Kevin Arrow of Miami, who maintained a friendship with Van Olkon in the mid to late nineties. Kevin became familiar with the ADC facilities, did some figure repair work and acquired some items made by the company.      Along with the photos which afford a rare glimpse inside the 71st Street location around 1995, we include some of Kevin's remarks and impressions of that time and place.

All photos in this section ©2004 Kevin Arrow

"I first met Van as a result of my adventurous and curious nature...I was attracted to the facade, sign and general disheveled nature of the building...the place looked cool and a bit out of place for the neighborhood. The warehouse was in a run-down section of Miami, a neighborhood filled with crack houses, auto paint and body shops. He had been in the space for a least twenty years when I met him."

"I knocked on the door and was greeted by an older guy in his 70s. He was a bit apprehensive but friendly. He invited me in and I was awestruck (an understatement). He gave me a tour and we spoke for at least three hours. In the first room was a dusty mechanical monkey band that he offered to turn on. He pressed a switch on a power strip that was connected to a tangle of extension cords and the band came to life."

Original art boards for catalog