Posts Tagged ‘abandoned places’
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
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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
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Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
Detroit’s Packard Motors Plant is a massive factory complex designed by Albert Kahn and built by Henry Joy in 1907. Work areas around the main buildings were completed in 1911. Kahn’s industrial designs stood out for meeting modern requirements for mass manufacturing processes. Reinforced concrete structures were essential for fire resistance and load bearing capacity for heavy machinery required for making cars. Ford’s Highland Park Plant, and the Fisher 21 Body Plant share similar design and functional elements.
From the early 1920’s influential car companies such as Ford, Studebaker, EMF, Hudson, Hupp, Pierce Arrow, General Motors and Continental Motors had operating plants in Detroit. Many plants were located near the railways which would transport finished cars throughout the US domestic market. The Great Depression of the 1930’s destroyed many of these companies as they were forced to merge with other companies or go bankrupt.
Packard also made fighter engines for the allies in World War II. In spite lucrative military contracts, Packard and many other companies could not recover from the previous decade, and faded away into history. Packard Motors famous promotional tagline was “Packard ask a man who owns one”. To this day Packard cars have a rabid following, however the factory that made them has not been protected by heritage status.
This trip turned out to be the final expedition at the Packard Plant. Numerous fires and recycling of building materials severely damaged the structural integrity of the site. Restoration of this historic industrial facility seems unlikely.
References
A57-1, A57-2 Archives
Tags: 35mm film camera, ababdoned Packard Plant Detroit MI, abandoned American Industrial sites, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit factories, abandoned Detroit Industrial places, abandoned industrial institutional places, abandoned places, Albert Kahn, American auto history, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, fine art prints, historic Packard Plant, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, Packard Motor Car Company, Packard Plant, Packard Plant condition in 2008, Packard Plant Detroit MI, Packard Plant kitchen, Packard Plant Photos, Packard Plant roof panorama, Packard Plant tour, photography, silentbuildings, Studebaker-Packard Corporation, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton, Westinghouse industrial AC power source
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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
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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
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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
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Monday, October 15th, 2007
The Metropolitan Building
The Metropolitan Building is a 15 story office building in downtown Detroit. Architects Weston and Ellington designed it in a Neo-Gothic style and it was finished in 1924-1925. Offices, stores and jewellers made up most of the buildings tenants. The site was closed in 1977 and has remained abandoned ever since.
Exterior
The Metropolitan sits adjacent to the Wurlitzer building. Brick and granite compose most of the lower levels, and the top 5 floors are coated with terra cotta tiles shaped into decorative motifs. The 15th floor center tower contains the building’s water tank and vertigo inducing fire escapes that adorn each side of the structure. Decades of neglect have rusted the metal fixtures at the front entrance. A garish awning protects a vintage metal banner above the entrance, rendered in Art Noveau lettering.
The Wurlitzer Building
Wurlitzer Building was designed by Robert Finn and built by Otto Misch Co in 1926. This 14 story building is designed in the Renaissance Revival style. The Wurlitzer is a steel framed structure made of reinforced concrete, a terra cotta face and granite columns. Wurlitzer’s name on the south side of the building looks like a ghost sign. Closer inspection revealed that the company’s name in black letters and white background were composed of terra cotta blocks.
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Co. was founded in 1856 and sold instruments before making pianos. Silent films of the early 1920’s created a demand for an organ that could produce special effects and traditional sounds during movies. After Rudolph Wurlitzer died in 1914 his sons continued the business building jukeboxes. Wurlitzer was well known for their pianos, organs, jukeboxes and instruments. In 1940 the building was modernized for more display space. It was abandoned in the late 1970’s and it’s future remains uncertain.
Reference
A47 Archive
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, fine art prints, historic architecture in Detroit, historic preservation Detroit, manual photography, Metropolitan and Wurlitzer Buildings Detroit, Michigan, modern ruins, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton, Wurlitzer jukeboxes
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Monday, October 15th, 2007
The Italian Renaissance style Lafayette Building was built in 1923 and designed by C. Howard Crane. He also designed the Fox, United Artists and State/Palms and Fillmore theaters. (*1) Lafayette’s’ primary tenants were the Bohn Corp, Michigan Supreme Court, the state Tax Tribunal and railroad companies. After 1997 the only remaining tenants were the Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island restaurants on the ground floor. Standing at 13 stories, this flatiron building has a unique triangular shape that is unlike any other office building in the Detroit city area. A v shaped construction allows all offices to receive light and a view from all sides.
Demolition of the Lafayette started in early Nov 2009.
References
(*1)
buildingsofdetroit.com
A47, Archives
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned buildings, abandoned Lafayette Building, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, fine art prints, historic preservation Detroit, industrial and institutional ruins, Lafayette Building, Lafayette Building Detroit, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Monday, October 15th, 2007
Tiger Stadium was built by Osborn Engineering and opened in 1912. “The Corner” is located in Corktown at 2121 Trumbull Avenue. After the Detroit Tigers moved to their new stadium the old site was abandoned on March 15, 2008. An entire city block was home to the legendary baseball site. Bids to preserve the stadium as a heritage property failed. In 2008 a partial demolition was under way after various pieces of nostalgia and memorabilia was auctioned. One of the last of the original baseball fields will soon be a distant memory.
Decided to visit the site to see how the demolition was progressing. Soon after these pictures were taken, a truck pulled up and a crane was used to remove the Tiger Stadium letters.
Reference
A47 archive
Tags: 35mm film, abandoned architecture, abandoned places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit`s baseball history, fine art prints, historic preservation Detroit, manual photography, Michigan, Old Tiger Stadium Detroit, photography, silentbuildings, The Corner Detroit, Tiger Stadium Detroit, UE, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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