Posts Tagged ‘historic preservation’
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
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
The Film Exchange Building was designed by architect, Charles Howard Crane. This seven story structure was built in 1926 to safely store volatile and flammable nitrate films. The interior houses several vaults for film storage. A relief above the front door gives a hint to the buildings previous function. Orange panels placed vertically between windows, serve as the only distraction in its monotonous exterior. This building closed the 1970’s.
There have been renovations at the site for the last five years but no occupants taking up permanent residence.
Reference
A59-1 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned American Industrial sites, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit Industrial places, abandoned industrial institutional places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit movie and cinema history, Detroit photography, Film Exchange Building Detroit MI, fine art prints, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vaudville and film history in Detroit, vintage, vintage nitrate film storage vaults, W.Roland Hamilton
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
David Whitney Building
The David Whitney Building was built in 1916, designed by Daniel Burnhan and located in the Grand Circus Park area. It is designed in the Chicago style with classical elements. David Whitney was a businessman who supplied lumber to builders and industrial suppliers. His son David Charles Whitney commissioned Daniel Burnhan to build the 19 story office building to replace an earlier 5 story commercial structure. The building has remained abandoned since the 1980’s.
David Broderick Building, Eaton Tower (Detroit, MI)
Eaton Tower had its name was changed to the David Broderick Tower in the 1945. Louis Kamper designed the 34 story office tower and it was built in 1927. The buildings design is a mixture of Beaux Art and Chicago School styles. The building closed in 1985 leaving a bar on the first floor as the only tenant. The building is currently owned by (*1) Motown Construction Partners LP.
References
(*1) brodericktower.com
http://detroit1701.org/
Reference
A59-1 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned Broderick building Detroit, abandoned Detroit office towers, abandoned Eaton Tower Detroit, abandoned industrial institutional places, abandoned Whitney building Detroit, analog photography, B&W photos, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit photography, downtown Detroit overcast sky photo, fine art prints, historic preservation, iconic Detroit buildings, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Detroit Free Press was designed by Albert Kahn and built by the Spencer White and Prentice firm, in 1925. Detroit Free Press is located on W Lafayette in downtown Detroit. Elaborate ornamentation on the exterior of the building has more in common with church design than commercial establishments.
This limestone covered building has a 14 story center tower which is flanked by 6 story wings. Carvings, statues and and building materials used can be found in structures influenced by Art Deco and Beaux Arts design. Classical elements give the building a stately appearane as two goddesses of commerce and communication gaurd the main enrtance . Ulysses Ricci carved several reliefs: Benjamin Franklin, Govenor Lewis Cass, Govenor Austin Blair, General George Custer, James Angel and journaists Horace Greely, CHarles Dana and George Goodale adorn the front of the building. His designs graced other buildings such as the General Motors Building and the Fisher Tower located in Detroit’s New Center Area.
Detroit Free Press abandoned the building in 1996 and the site remains unoccupied in 2009
References
Detroit1701.org
A58-1, A59-1 Archives
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit newspaper building, abandoned industrial institutional places, Albert Kahn Detroit architect, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Free Press building, Detroit photography, fine art prints, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a service association with members comprising of former Union Civil War veterans. The triangular castle-like structure stands out due to it’s unique Flat Iron design. The GAR was constructed in the Richardson Romanesque style in 1890 and designed by Julian Hess and Richard Raseman. The site has remained vacant since 1973.
Tightly boarded up windows and cemented doors have ensured the sites preservation. The GAR is always hosting new murals or poster campaigns while other abandoned structures in the immediate vicinity are left spotless. On the far left is the legendary former Underground Resistance/Submerge building. It was demolished in March of 2009.
References
detroit1701.org/G.A.R.Building.htm
A59-1 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, analog photography, B&W photos, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit photography, fine art prints, GAR building Detroit MI, historic preservation, historical structures in Detroit, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, photography, silentbuildings, Union Civil War veterans association Detroit MI, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
This parking structure at 145 Elizabeth St. was used as a vintage car and boat storage facility., This buildings shares common design characteristics with a type of construction used between 1920-1930. Ghost signs and lighting fixtures could be from the 1950’s-1960’s era.
References
A59-1, A58-1 Archives
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned Antique Car and Boat storage Detroit MI, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit factories, abandoned Detroit Industrial places, abandoned industrial institutional places, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, demolished antique car and boat storage parking structure Detroit MI, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit photography, fine art prints, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Ford’s Highland Park Plant was designed by Albert Kahn and opened in 1909 to build the Model T car. This plant set a precedent for industrial factory design.
The moving assembly line was introduced in 1913 and this innovation significantly reduced the time required to assemble a car. Techniques developed by Ford eventually became the standard for mass production in the automobile industry. Ford soon outgrew the Highland Park Plant and moved production to the River Rouge plant located east in Dearborn.
Tractors were assembled at the Highland Park plant till the 1970′s when the plant was closed. The site was designated as a National Historic landmark in 1978.
References
http://corporate.ford.com/about-ford/heritage/places
http://www.tplex.org/
A58-3 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned American Industrial sites, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit factories, abandoned Detroit Industrial places, abandoned industrial institutional places, Albert Kahn's Ford Motor Plant Factory, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit automotive history, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit photography, early use of reinforced concrete for industrial factory design, fine art prints, Ford Motors 1909 automobile plant, Ford's 1909 Model T production plant, Ford's mass production car facilities, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, modern industrial history in Detroit, modern ruins, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Highland Park’s Municipal Police and Fire Department buildings were built in 1917. This 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.
Reference
A58-3 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned industrial institutional places, abandoned municipal buildings Detroit, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit architecture circa 1917, Detroit municipal buildings abandoned, Detroit photography, fine art prints, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Earlier in the day, gathering clouds threatened rain, however the evening yielded clear and sunny skies. Buffalo Vanexial heating/cooling vents gleamed in the evening sun, as gravel on the roof crunched while setting up equipment. A view of the New Center area made for a nice backdrop to Fisher 21′s BINK’s machine.
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.
References
www.fishercoachworks.com
A52-3, A58-2, A58-3 Archives
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned American Industrial sites, abandoned architecture, abandoned Detroit factories, abandoned Detroit Industrial places, abandoned industrial institutional places, analog photography, black and white photography, Buffalo Vanexial heating and cooling systems, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit automotive history, Detroit Fisher 21 Cadillac bodies, Detroit Industrial buildings, Detroit industrial history, Detroit photography, fine art prints, Fisher 21, Fisher 21 Body Plant circa 1920, Fisher Coachworks Detroit, historic preservation, industrial buildings Detroit, manual photography, Michigan, modern ruins, photography, reinforced concrete factory construction, silentbuildings, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Hotel Granwood is a 4 story, 80 unit residential hotel. A Metrotimes article mentioned that (*1) the building was destroyed by a fire in 2000. It remains abandoned in 2009
Exterior
A ghost sign on the east side still proclaimed “Hotel Granwood, Air Conditioned/Color TV”. The front of the building is separated into 2 parts. The bottom is a beige yellow color and the section above is brown brick with granite surrounding the windows. A jumble of charred remains and debris left by the fire can be seen clearly in the front entrance.
References
(*1) Domenique Osborne, Hotel landfill, Metrotimes News 8/14/2002,
A58-3 Archive
Tags: 35mm film camera, abandoned architecture, abandoned Granwood hotel, analog photography, black and white photography, Canon t70 camera, Detroit, Detroit architecture, Detroit photography, fine art prints, historic Granwood Hotel, historic preservation, manual photography, Michigan, old hotels in the Detroit area, photography, silentbuildings, urban exploration, Urbex, vintage, W.Roland Hamilton
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