Posts Tagged ‘abandoned buildings’
Monday, October 20th, 2008
2900 Slaughter House
This 3 story, 60,000 square foot structure was built in 1920 and originally served as an industrial distribution warehouse. A now defunct tannery operated across the street. The Thorn Apple Valley Inc. meatpacking company ran an operation from this facility till 1998.
The exterior is composed of unadorned red brick typical of industrial warehouse construction during the 1920’s. Large graffiti pieces adorned the outer walls above several loading dock bays. It rained the the night before so water was dripping through the leaky roof. Pipes and boilers were The only remaining artifacts of interest.
Koenig Coal Silos (Detroit, MI)
Koenig Coal Coal Yard silos were built in the 1920’s. Koenig Coal was established in 1870 and were dealers that sold coal and wood. They had two office locations in Detroit (circa 1878). The 362 Atwater Street location contained a dock and the 368 Gratoit Ave location contained a coal and wood yard.
An artificial valley was used by trains running through the Milwaukee Junction. Train tracks have been removed and the area is a well known area for graffiti murals. There are always a few outstanding pieces to see and they get replaced regularly.
Reference
A61 Archive
Tags: 2900 Slaughter House, 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned factories, abandoned silos, American Industrial ruins, analog photography, B&W photos, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Dequindre Cut, Dequindre Cut graff, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit industrial archeology, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit manual photography, fine art prints, industrial ruins, infiltration, Koenig Coal Yards, meatpacking company, Michigan, modern ruins, photography, silentbuildings, steam train coal silos in Detroit, Thorn Apple Valley Inc. Detroit, UE, urban exploration, vintage, W Roland Hamilton 2008
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Sunday, September 28th, 2008
The CPA building has a Flatiron design and is located in Detroit’s Corktown area. Entrances are surrounded by ornate relief’s depicting various railroad related scenes. A large clock has stopped working , It’s hands frozen permanently at 10;45. A drive through window contained panels where window attendants or ATM machines may have been.
It turns out that the CPA is an acronym for Conductors Protective Association, a union organization. I learned the following information about the company (*1) “Mr. William Boss conceived the idea of forming an insurance company for railroad conductors, engineers and officials, insuring them against the loss of their positions on account of discharge, disability or old age, and in June, 1907, organized the Conductors Protective Assurance Company”
References
www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM56X2_CPA_Building_Detroit_M…
books.google.com/books?id=OZYUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA266&l…
(*1) The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922 by Clarence Monroe Burton, William Stocking, Gordon K. Miller. Published by The S. J. Clarke publishing company, 1922. Item notes: v. 4. Original from Harvard University
A46-4 archive
The CPA building is a Flatiron building in the Corktown area at the corner of Michigan and 14th Street. Surrounded by relief’s depicting various railroad related scenes was a dead clock. It’s hands frozen in time and left open to the elements unprotected by glass. A drive through window and panels where ATM machines may have been, hinted that the site may have been related to banking.
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, B&W photos, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Conductors Protective Association Detroit, CPA building Detroit, Detroit, Detroit architecture, fine art prints, historic architecture in downtown Detroit, industrial and institutional ruins, manual photography, Michigan, ornate buildings in downtown Detroit, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Friday, September 26th, 2008
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon at the Don Valley Brick Works. A few people walked their dogs as some wetland birds earnestly called out to each other. An earlier expedition contains information on the history of this site.
Inside the Brick Works subdued shafts of light illuminated the interior like a cathedral of industry. Amongst a row of old kilns, a Parkhill Martin brick machine lay silent as it’s rusted metal surface gleamed in the evening light. It was manufactured by G. Baird, Son & Co. and built in Parkhill Toronto. This soft mud brick machine was placed in the Brickworks after 1956.
Evergreen started renovations at the Brick Works in 2009. Several of Toronto’s landmarks were built from bricks made at this factory. Restoration of this site will leave a piece of Toronto’s history intact.
References
(*1)
Rick McGinnis, Don Valley’s Abandoned Brick Works Finally Coming Back To Life, October 8, 2009
www.blogto.com/city/2009/10/
Evergreen Brick Works
ebw.evergreen.ca/
Reference
A60-1 Archive
Tags: 35m film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned factories Toronto ON, abandoned places, analog photography, brick making kilns, brick manufacturing in Toronto, Canon t70 camera, Don Valley Brickworks Toronto, Don Valley nature preserve, Don Valley watershed reclaimed land, fine art prints, heritage bricks Toronto, historic preservation, industrial and institutional ruins, Industrial ruins Toronto, infiltration, Kodak 35mm color film, Kodak Ultracolor 100 ISO, manual photography, Milkman's Trail, modern ruins, Parkhill-Martin soft mud brick making machine, photography, silentbuildings, Toronto abandoned buildings, Toronto architecture, Toronto Industrial buildings, Toronto industrial history, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, vintage industrial fixtures, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Monday, August 11th, 2008
Brush Park is a 24 block neighborhood east of Woodward Avenue. Mansions and houses are built in the Late Victorian, Empire and Mansard Roof styles. This area is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, however many buildings have been demolished due to advanced neglect, decay and structural damage. Brush Park was an area which housed Detroit’s wealthy elites until the area’s decline during the Great Depression. Restoration efforts after the 1990′s eventually led to successful renovations of several Brush Park mansions. New townhouses and apartments were also built in the surrounding area.
This area is generally quiet unless there’s a Tigers baseball game or large scale event downtown. A strange gathering of large Victorian mansions are unevenly scattered amongst empty lots. Plots of land between houses had more in common with prairie fields as giant fluffy clouds hovered over the landscape like impossible castles in the sky.
Reference
A59-2 Archive
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Brush Park Detroit, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Detroit abandoned buildings, fine art prints, historic buildings in Detroit, historic preservation in Detroit, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, urban infiltration, urban ruins, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Monday, August 11th, 2008
Somewhere on the west side is this school and it has seen better times. The steady hum of traffic permeates the open windows devoid of glass. Inside is still and timeless as the entire site gradually falls into ruin.
The Bright Center For Continuing Education was formerly known as the Willard School to honor Frances Willard (educator, temperance reformer and women’s suffragist). A dedication plaque inside the building confirms this. This facility closed in the early 2000’s.
Reference
A59-2 Archive
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned factories, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Bright Center For Continuing Education, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit abandonded factories, Detroit abandoned buildings, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, fine art prints, Frances Willard, industrial ruins, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, urban infiltration, urban ruins, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton, Willard School
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Monday, August 11th, 2008
1)The N.B.C building is a seven story fortress like warehouse. This Chicago School style building consists of a concrete structure with a brick facade, and accented by applied masonry. At first the only information available was that it was a bakery before WWII.
After some research a source clarified more details about the building. Apparently the National Biscuit Co. eventually became known as Nabisco during World War I. Quotes from an article by Lu Donnelly for the Young Preservationists Association address the history, function and design of the N.B.C buildings:
(2) “The success of Nabisco’s branding and advertising caused demand to exceed supply and the company launched a building campaign to provide enough bakeries for their popular crackers. The buildings commissioned by now company president Adolphus Green were different from the common manufacturing buildings of the World War I era. Green hired an architect full-time to design factories that would have enough style and dignity to inspire loyalty from the workers and act as shining models of modernity to the communities in which they stood (Cahn, 125). He hired Chicagoan Albert G. Zimmermann (1866-1947) to design the buildings using a soft colored brownish-orange brick with cream-colored brick trim and ranging from three to eleven stories. Zimmermann’s earlier practice had consisted mostly of residences and apartment buildings until his work for Nabisco. His Nabisco designs were featured in the American Architect magazine in both 1912 and 1916.”
Another excerpt from the article indicates when the Detroit N.B.C building was built.
(3) “After the war, between 1918 and 1925 new bakeries were built in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. The new factories had a consistent look, similar reddish brick, multiple stories and stair towers increased the company’s ability to transport products to the grocer and people’s homes. (Cahn, 196)”
N.B.C is located in Detroit’s New Center area and seems to have been abandoned for some time. N.B.C’s close proximity to the railways may have given the company a competitive edge in product distribution to major areas of the American Market.
References
(1) www.emporis.com
(2)(3) Historic Review Commission of Pittsburgh. National Biscuit Company Bakery Historic Nomination, Lu Donnelly for the Young Preservationists Association, Page 3,4
74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:OOPTiGRFGC4J:www.youngpreser…
Sources
The American Architect, “The Buildings of the National Biscuit Company,” by W. F. Wilmoth, Volume 101, June 19, 1912, part 2 number 1904, pp. 270-272.
The American Architect, “Building for the National Biscuit Company,” Volume 109, March 22, 1916, part 1, number 2100.
The Builders’ Bulletin, Volume 1, #37 (Supplement) , May 12, 1917: Building Permit issued “National
Biscuit Co., Owners; Turner Construction Co., Contractors; Foundation, Penn & Lambert St., 12 Ward.”
Other relevant issues 1917-1919.
Cahn, William, Out of the Cracker Barrel: The Nabisco Story From Animal Crackers to Zu Zu’s. New
York: Simon and Schuster, 1969.
A59-2 Archive
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned factories, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit abandonded factories, Detroit abandoned buildings, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, fine art prints, industrial ruins, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, N.B.C Detroit, Nabisco Nabisco Building Detroit, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, urban infiltration, urban ruins, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Monday, August 11th, 2008
Forest Arms apartments was built in 1905, a corner stone beside the front entrance verifies this date. This stately Victorian era building is similar to other residences near the Wayne State University campus. (*1) On February 6, a major fire destroyed the entire site. Forest Arms has no roof or top floor.
This building has a striking design and stands out. Unfortunately its windows are gaping portals to the sky instead of apartments.
References
(*1)
Benefit raises over $6,000 for Forest Arms Disaster Relief Effort
media.wayne.edu/2008/02/14/benefit-raises-over-6000-for-f…
Up from the Ashes: Tracking the Forest Arms Restoration in Midtown
Jon Zemke, May 05, 2009
http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/forestarms19009.aspx
Update: Forest Arms Apartments hosted an interesting experiment.
womanaboutdetroit.wordpress.com
hanging-gardens.org
A59-2 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, fine art prints, Forest Arms apartments, historic architecture in downtown Detroit, historic preservation Detroit, industrial and institutional ruins, infiltration, manual photography, Michigan, ornate buildings in downtown Detroit, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Thursday, January 3rd, 2008
The Arnold Home was a senior nursing care facility founded in 1899 and built in 1931. A corner stone located on the oldest section of the facility verified these dates. Documents and calendars remaining at the site confirmed that the building was closed some time after 2004
At first sight the Arnold home looks like a large institutional housing complex surrounded by an unusually large and barren field. A vertical array of walkways, joining both old and new facilities, was striking, even from a distance. Metal gates framed a long pathway from the street, while leading towards the front entrance. The broken snow covered fountain hinted at former elegance, with it’s blue paint and mosaic faded but visible. Shadows flanking wings on either side of the entrance enhanced its symmetrical construction. Tall trees flanking the front of the property added to a gloomy and dismal appearance. Skeletal walkways between buildings were strewn with vintage pianos and related accessories.
There were two separate sections, an old wing dating back to the 1930′s and a modern addition surrounding the courtyard. Remnants of old documents and supplies lay in piles on the floor. The amount and variety of vintage pianos was quite amazing. Cast iron banisters graced the stairs in the old wing accompanied by peeling paint. Soon the cold made exploring less fun so the camera was packed and I went on my way.
Update February 2010
After a few inquiries about the vintage player piano found in this archive , some research yielded the following information:
The unusual piano shown in this archive is a Grinnell/Playtona with the Aeolian Action Player system. The middle section of the piano has a gear driven device attached to a metal spool. It was an automated “player piano” that played rolls of sheet music with holes punched into the paper to corospnond to notes of a score. Player pianos were used in theaters from the early 1900′s till the late 1930′s. Their use was eclipsed by the popularity of the 78 Phonograph record.
The Aeolian Corporation went out of business in the 1980′s and was located in Rochester NY. The Grinnell Bros Ltd. was established in 1882. They started out making organs and started making pianos in 1902. Their store was designed by Albert Kahn abd stil stands today at 1515 Woodward Avenue. They closed the Detroit offices in 1981 after filing for bankrupcy.
References
Grinnell Building
http://www.buildingsofdetroit.com/places/grinnell
Aeolian Company
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_Company
The Pianola Institute
http://www.pianola.org/history/history_inventors.cfm#votey
Player piano
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pianola
Detroiturbex.com also has recent photos of the Arnold Home
A51, A52-2 Archives
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, Arnold Home 1898, Arnold Home Detroit, Asylums and hospitals in Detroit, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, fine art prints, hospice institutions in Detroit, industrial and institutional ruins, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
Highland Park’s Municipal buildings Police and Fire Department buildings were built in 1917 predating the cities incorporation the following year.
Municipal buildings
Carved reliefs decorate the façade surrounding a city seal above the main entrance. The first floor reception area is graced with a winding staircase, accented by a large window. Most of the second floor consists of peeling paint, old documents and furniture. The courtroom is a clean quiet elegant place, no papers or random objects strewn about. Cast iron chairs are firmly fastened into the floor. Peeling paint on the walls, missing microphone stand, a thick layer of dust and doors flung wide open give the space a sense of timeless abandonment.
Fire Department Headquarters
This buildings design is similar to it’s neighbor. Its facade has reliefs above bay doors proclaiming its function. Metal lion heads designed in an Art Nouveau style form a border along the roof. Inside is an empty shell.
Police Department
A 1917 corner stone confirms the date of this buildings construction. The interior contains a jail, files, reports, evidence, photos, vintage parking meters and other miscellaneous police related items.
References
A46-3-AA3, A49-Roll DD2 Archives
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, B&W photos, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, cast iron chairs, Detroit architecture, Detroit F.D, Detroit P.D, Highland Park Municipal, industrial and institutional ruins, manual photography, municipal courthouse circa 1910 AD, silent buildings.com, silentbuildings, silentbuildings in Detroit, silentbuildings.com, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage plastic witness and accused benches, vintage podium and stenographers machine, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
Friday, November 2nd, 2007
Fred and Charles Fisher started the Fisher 21Body Plant in 1908. The company became a corporation in 1916 and built bodies for an expanded client list of companies such as Abbot, Buick, Cadillac, Chalmers, Chandler, Chevrolet, Churchfield, Elmore, EMF, Ford, Herreshoff, Hudson, Krit, Oldsmobile, Packard, Regal, and Studebaker. Fisher bodies soon became the industry standard.
In 1919 the Fisher 21 Plant was built in the heart of the Milwaukee Junction. The six story plant was built with reinforced concrete after Albert Kahn’s designs similar to Packard Motors and Ford’s Highland Park Plant. Fisher 21 built car bodies for Buick and Cadillac from1919-1925.
After Buick moved to Flint Fisher 21 continued to produce bodies for Cadillac. In 1956 the plant started producing Cadillac limousine bodies until 1974. Fisher was dissolved when it merged with other General Motors operations in 1984. The last tenant was Carter Color till the mid 1990’s.
Harsh late evening light made for some interesting exposure and contrast studies. This type of illumination presented interesting combinations of patterns, shapes and shadows.
References
www.fishercoachworks.com
A49_Roll-DD1 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned Fisher 21, abandoned places, American Industrial ruins, analog photography, black and white photography, Cadillac car body manufacturing, Canon t70 camera, Carter Paints, Detroit, Detroit abandoned buildings, Detroit abandoned factories, Detroit architecture, Detroit auto manufacturing plants, Detroit automotive history, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit industrial history, fine art prints, Fisher 21 Body Plant Detroit, Fisher 21 Detroit, historic preservation Detroit, industrial and institutional ruins, infiltration, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
Posted in SILENTBUILDINGS | Comments Off
