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Detroit Photo of the Day


Allan

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  • 2 weeks later...

It is a cool little library. When I was in Arch. School @ Michigan, we had a project that was on an empty lot just to the east of the library. The library is an 'automobile manual archieve' for the most part. The majority of the collection are repair/mechanical manuals for virtually any car. The librarian told us the majority of the users of the branch are auto restorers that come in to find specific diagrams to help them re-wire the car to original specs...

The building itself is a very nice building and I think it received a renovation 6-8 years ago?

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  • 2 weeks later...

That's always been one of my favorite rowhouse buildings. It's hard to believe that it was abandoned just 5 years ago. One of my friends once lived there. The units were pretty nice inside, although the building was a total gut job, so there is nothing in the way of original details...just a modern open plan.

I was looking at my photos from 2003 & 2004 the other day. It's amazing how far we've come in just 5 years, although we have a LONG way to go yet.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I can't believe how bad the depot is getting. The depot is a special place to me. In fact, I have a mini shrine of sorts devoted to the building, including brass knobs, railing pieces, and part of the clock, all of which were taken out of the building in the mid-90s.

I have not been to the depot in over two years now. I drive by it everyday on my way to work. It's so tempting, but I'd almost rather remember it the way that it was when I was last there. There is one photo I want to take on one of the upper floors, but to me it's not worth the 18 flights of stairs to the top. I took it once with 35mm film, but I accidentally scratched the negative, so it would be nice to have another shot at it.

The last time I was in the depot, it was like a giant tourist trap. You'd swear that it was still open for business judging by the number of people I saw! There was a homeless man sitting on the mezzanine overlooking the waiting room and listening to some headphones, a group of 3 idiots dropping crap down the elevator shafts, a guy and his girlfriend wandering around (she was in sandals; he was barefoot), a photographer & a fashion model, several taggers, and a couple on the roof who were making out. The most amazing thing I saw, though, was when two cars with out of state plates stopped in front. All these people piled out of the cars, and then the next thing I know, these parents were helping their three 5-8 year old kids climb over the razor wire fence! The kids ran inside and were shocked to see us in the lobby taking photos. They said to me, "how did you guys get in here?" to which I replied, "not the same way you did." After about 5 minutes, their parents whistled for them to come out, and the kids climbed back over the fence. They all piled in the car and drove off...insane!!!

My only reason for that visit was because I'd promised a friend I'd take him there. He remarked to me after we'd left that "when you said that we'd probably run into other people, I thought you meant one or two, not 25!" It was after that visit that I decided never to go again. To this day, I have not been back. Sometimes I wonder if I'll regret not going more often when they decide to demolish it, but I regret not photographing a lot of buildings....

There was once a large church I was photographing. There were ornate stained glass windows. I ran out of time, vowing to return to take detailed photos of each and every window in the sanctuary. Long story short, I didn't make it back for a couple months, and when I did, every window had been removed! It's always best to photograph things when you get the chance, because you might never see them again!

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