Hello All,
In 1911, a small 'Tyre' factory was purchased (for $3,500) along the South Platte River near downtown Denver, and began to grow. Tires, V-belts, hoses, wipers and more, the facility eventually growing to 50 acres here, plants in Canada, Mexico and Europe as well as other US locations. World-wide distribution, tens of thousands of employees and during that era, one of the largest single employers in Colorado.
But, times change and the entire operation was sold in the early 2000's. The original facility, over 1.2 million square feet, was scheduled for demolition. Environmental and historical issues stalled the work until now. The old buildings stood unused, crumbling and graffiti-marked, for over a decade.
Now, it's finally coming down and plans are to make a 'multi-use' housing and retail center there. Apartments and condos are already built near the old site.
There's a high security fence around the worksite, so the photos were taken by holding the camera above the fence and focusing/composing in LV.
First, a wide view of the North corner of the site. This is about 1/8 of the entire area, near I-25 and Broadway. Smc A 28mm.
# 2, a telephoto closeup of the buildings in # 1. Smc M 85mm.
# 3 and 4, B + W shots using my new street pano format.
# 5, my favorite, a partly-torn down building, showing the effects of the destructive removal of the front. It's tilted slightly from the demolition, but still struggling to stay vertical, a bit of a (seemingly) optical trick. I especially like the sun-lit rubble and crooked verticals.
Hope you enjoy this bit of history. There's also plans to have a special museum area dedicated to the memory of the company and their many contributions to Denver and Colorado, on the new site.
C + C welcome!
Ron

[monochrome]

These are really nice views Ron. On my monitor the exposures are quite dramatic.

Interesting that at least some of the demolition equipment is Hitachi.

[AussieTrev]

Nicely shot. They are stunning photos and thanks for the history.

[Sailor]

Arresting shots, Ron - the last one really knocks me out.

Jer

[rbefly]

Thanks to Monochrome, Trev and Jer, I appreciate the kind comments!
The demolition is a bittersweet finish to the Gates story, the building had been an eyesore for many years and needed to come down. But it's also history, an important part of the Denver past and a link to a bygone era.
I hope they do the museum properly, I'll be going as soon as it opens!
Ron

[Westoz]

All the shot were interesting but the last one was a killer nice shots.

[rbefly]

Thanks for the comments, Ed. Yes, the last one really caught my eye when I saw it, too. Sometimes I feel like the shot is already there, it's just up to me to find it!
Ron

[NKK]

Great Pictures - the B&W Works really well on the last ones!