OT: incredible photos of once great Detroit

[eddief]

in no way meant to be controversial, just mind blowing fine photos of some left over pieces of a once great city:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/02/07/captured-the-ruins-of-detroit/2672/

[fiamme red]

Very sad photos. I've seen ghost towns before, but never a ghost city.

There are many great vintage photos here of old Detroit at the peak of its greatness:

http://www.shorpy.com/image/tid/246

[skijoring]

Where is John Galt to resurrect that city/region/country and lead the brave, brave entrepreneurs? :)

[sc53]

Fantastic photos of decrepitude! Did they use a large-format camera, a la Ansel Adams, to get the detail and the panoramic view? Also, why weren't biology textbooks and supplies, and library books, and those Art Deco chandeliers, salvaged? What a waste. Is that a toy car parked in that old theater? If not, what an enormous space that was. That place at least salvaged its old theater seats.

[SamIAm]

Where is John Galt to resurrect that city/region/country and lead the brave, brave entrepreneurs? :)

We prefer to set up shop in business friendly states.

[goonster]

Economies and civilizations are subject to cyclical ebb and flow.

There is no convenient scapegoat for the decline of Detroit. Not crappy cars, shortsighted executives, unproductive workers, powerful unions, corrupt politicians, etc.

The Roman, Persian and Babylonian empires are no more. All our endeavours are impermanent.

[Kevan]

commonly referred to as HDR. Very dramatic results can be achieved, folding together multiple exposures of different exposure values (EV). Taking the attributes of each (commonly 3 or more (6-8)) exposures, both highlights and shadows can be brought under increased control, revealing a good deal more information, thus expanding the visual range. These are nicely done, though for me, they still appear just a little overcooked.

Sad scene.

[bike22]

even the mightiest of guns go silent.

[SpeedyChix]

Fantastic photos of decrepitude! Did they use a large-format camera, a la Ansel Adams, to get the detail and the panoramic view? Also, why weren't biology textbooks and supplies, and library books, and those Art Deco chandeliers, salvaged? What a waste. Is that a toy car parked in that old theater? If not, what an enormous space that was. That place at least salvaged its old theater seats.

That is a real car. It's a big space.
There are some venues that are being rehabbed but many not. Some large companies are committed to bringing jobs into the city again. Dan Gilbert is doing a lot to help.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/section/topic?taxid=19005675

Meanwhile, racing CX at the historic Ft. Wayne very close to some of those bldgs photographed is a bit surreal.

[sc53]

Someone just a few days ago posted a link to an old decrepit cycling velodrome in Detroit. It was in bad shape, and overgrown, but people were trying to clean it up and use it.

[torquer]

Detroit's mayor, Dave Bing, has been promoting a downsizing of the city. Don't know if they are using it as a model, but similar planning was applied to old industrial cities in the former DDR (East Germany) when, after reunification, obsolete and polluting industries were shuttered and populations declined.
There are several more cities in upstate New York that could also benefit from this kind of downsizing; probably many more across the rustbelt, too.

[bike22]

http://detriot.org/files/2010/05/IMGP00351.jpg

[Germany_chris]

It just makes me sad...we ought to spend a little time taking care of our history...

[JonB]

The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit. I had discovered their website a number of years ago. Its a good way to spend hours looking at how good it was and and how bad its gotten.

http://www.detroityes.com/home.htm

Is there any other city in the United States that has allowed its decrepitude to remain on this scale? At this point, it truly is overwhelming and I doubt I'll ever see the city recover to prior levels of prosperity.

[zmudshark]

Dorais Velodrome has been cleaned up, sort of. A good friend won a race there earlier this year, and the next event is 9-11-2011.

He won the bike event, BTW, not a motor event. They run both.

There are recent and older videos on YouTube.

[johnnymossville]

They should rent it out to Hollywood so they could blow up what's left for movies.

[IJWS]

Amazing--a little part of me would consider living there if all these "ruins" were accessible.

[zmudshark]

They should rent it out to Hollywood so they could blow up what's left for movies.Actually, a lot of movies were being filmed here. The new governor wants to take away film credits, so there goes that idea.

[MattTuck]

Is that a toy car parked in that old theater? If not, what an enormous space that was. That place at least salvaged its old theater seats.

That is the Michigan Theatre, converted into a parking garage. :cool:

[William]

Fantastic photos of decrepitude! Did they use a large-format camera, a la Ansel Adams, to get the detail and the panoramic view? Also, why weren't biology textbooks and supplies, and library books, and those Art Deco chandeliers, salvaged? What a waste. Is that a toy car parked in that old theater? If not, what an enormous space that was. That place at least salvaged its old theater seats.

Crossed my mind as well as I looked at those interesting photos. I can see lots of interesting architectural/recyclable building materials that I would salvage to be put to good use again.



William

[palincss]

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1882089,00.html

[stephenmarklay]

Really a true loss. I grew up in a nice suburb between Flint and Detroit. Both cities had already take the big hits long before and I am 42 now.

We used to go to a few spots in Detroit and my family was involved in the polish immigrant community in Hamtramck.

My mother lives on the border of Detroit in Grosse Pointe. The dividing line is a sight. One side is green and lush and over your shoulder looks like Reagan era Beirut.

My dad worked at Fisher body #21 in the pictures.

I moved away in 1990 and never looked back. It is really sad though. What a waste. There is a lot of history in Detroit.

Thanks for the post.

[illuminaught]

That photographer is amazing!

[Louis]

We prefer to set up shop in business friendly states.

In that case, China is even more "business friendly."

[SamIAm]

In that case, China is even more "business friendly."

Ireland too.

[mtb_frk]

I dont typically go to downtown detroit too often. This past weekend we had a wedding at one of the beautiful old churches. It was a bit of a odd experience being in the parking lot of the church with armed guards.

[mgd]

Ireland too.

and next time won't be so generous with the incompetent and thieving self-described galtian overlords. it would be lovely to see the celtic tiger get some real teeth and do the chewing where it belongs.

[Chance]

Economies and civilizations are subject to cyclical ebb and flow.

There is no convenient scapegoat for the decline of Detroit. Not crappy cars, shortsighted executives, unproductive workers, powerful unions, corrupt politicians, etc.

The Roman, Persian and Babylonian empires are no more. All our endeavours are impermanent.
Very true. In this case how do we explain why Detroit declined while other US cities prospered? Do they represent what is to be for the rest of us?

[1centaur]

The importance of geography, both before and after. What was close is replaced by what is far in a long cycle that does not reverse in a lifetime or ten, while people cling to what they knew rather than what they need to know.

[CNY rider]

Is there any other city in the United States that has allowed its decrepitude to remain on this scale? .

Buffalo NY.

[Lifelover]

It just makes me sad...we ought to spend a little time taking care of our history...


The problem is not time, it's money. I don't think you could comprehend the cost of maintaining structures like these.

[johnnymossville]

Pittsburgh, while not perfect, has done some good things to keep itself alive and relatively well after Steel.

[retrogrouchy]

Ireland too.

Of course, they are also insolvent.

[sg8357]

Where is John Galt to resurrect that city/region/country and lead the brave, brave entrepreneurs? :)

Ron/Rand Paul or the Preachin' Guvnor of the Texican Republic ? :)

[SpeedyChix]

"36% of Michigan kids live in families in which neither parent has a full-time, year-round job." From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110817/METRO/108170383/Report--36--of-Michigan-kids-live-in-jobless-households#ixzz1VIHXT9kW

It's likely worse as you get into Detroit proper. The population of the city has also shrunk. There are parts that look like ghost towns, other areas that are doing okay. Suburban flight? It isn't the only large city that's had issues but they are quite visible.

Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center is one building that a group is working to rebuild. Amazing theater on the third floor. The upkeep on the buildings and churches is so expensive it's not a surprise some have been abandoned. It is hard to go by and see the structures deteriorate or be demolished.

The non-profit WARM Training Center is teaching deconstruction classes to residents of Detroit who are unemployed. Great listen / read here on that:
http://www.michiganradio.org/post/deconstructing-detroit

So there are a few encouraging spots.
From the biz side as posted earlier, Dan Gilbert is working to get more businesses to move downtown.

It'll take a long time and may never make it. Though we can all hope.

[Kontact]

Reminds me of Twelve Monkeys and Le Jetee.

[skijoring]

Of course, they are also insolvent.

Yep, business friendly zones tend to have hangovers long after the money leaves, hollowing out the gourd (so to speak).

Detroit, Rock City!

[SamIAm]

Of course, they are also insolvent.

I didn't say their economy was good, few countries fall into that category these days. I said it was a good place for an american company to do business and it is. If you want American companies to invest here, you have to compete for their business. There seems to be some fiction or wishful thinking that a business will happily pay 35% to the tax man when they could pay 12.5% elsewhere. Or that they would employ fellow americans with the increasing entitlements that our government requres them to provide to such employees when they could simply move that job elsewhere.

If Detroit gets cleaned up, it will be as a direct result of incentives that make businesses want to do business there. That is all. You are not coming out of the current economy without the help of corporations.

[goonster]

I said it was a good place for an american company to do business and it is.
Ireland is a great example, and I would urge you to research this topic beyond the corporate tax rate.

When Ireland lowered the corporate tax rates to encourage foreign investments, they committed to a strategy that required tradeoffs to fund their (then) generous social services. Their current debt crisis is not directly related to this in the short term, but serious questions are being raised today whether the strategy is sustainable, and whether the foreign investments have achieved the stated long-term economic goals for Ireland. Are global multinationals continuing to invest heavily in Ireland, the way they have in the past 10 - 15 years? What does the employment picture look like in Ireland for educated professionals in industries not directly related to the real estate bust?

It doesn't address the Irish situation directly, but there was an excellent episode on "Job Creation" at This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/435/how-to-create-a-job) recently.

[Seramount]

great photos.

looks like that tv show 'Life After People.'

[sc53]

I just ordered a copy of the book in question on Amazon. There are several photo books on the ruins of Detroit, but this one looks to be a cut above.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3869300426/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=07YNYTEM94TH5S414QJR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

[retrogrouchy]

Ireland is a great example, and I would urge you to research this topic beyond the corporate tax rate.

When Ireland lowered the corporate tax rates to encourage foreign investments, they committed to a strategy that required tradeoffs to fund their (then) generous social services. Their current debt crisis is not directly related to this in the short term, but serious questions are being raised today whether the strategy is sustainable, and whether the foreign investments have achieved the stated long-term economic goals for Ireland. Are global multinationals continuing to invest heavily in Ireland, the way they have in the past 10 - 15 years? What does the employment picture look like in Ireland for educated professionals in industries not directly related to the real estate bust?

It doesn't address the Irish situation directly, but there was an excellent episode on "Job Creation" at This American Life (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/435/how-to-create-a-job) recently.

Precisely. :beer:

[retrogrouchy]

Yep, business friendly zones tend to have hangovers long after the money leaves, hollowing out the gourd (so to speak).

Detroit, Rock City!

+1 with bells on.