Pentax K7, DA15mm Ltd, Detroit, Michigan

[Peter Zack]

I hear there's a lot of that in Detroit these days. Too bad. This shot doesn't work for me that well though. It does depict the neglect of the building but the shooting angle makes the building look crooked even though the roof line is straight. It should have been taken (or adjusted so the door frame verticals were straight. Otherwise well taken.

[justDIY]

who are "they" and why don't they want me seeing this building?

I saw the subject and figured you had snuck into river rouge or into the warren test track and had some shots of a new machine from Detroit.

[JeffJS]

who are "they" and why don't they want me seeing this building?

I saw the subject and figured you had snuck into river rouge or into the warren test track and had some shots of a new machine from Detroit.

Without going political in the photo section, the They are the politicians pouring 100s of millions into Downtown Detroit while the rest of the city and it's residents disintegrate from total neglect.

No, at 290 pounds, I have a hard time sneaking in anywhere. There was a time I could freely go into River Rouge but if I got caught with a camera that would have been the end of my job. In hind sight, maybe I should have done it. But if it makes you happy to See River Rouge, Here it is from the DA35



and from the Sigma 50-500 Bigma @500mm on a not so clear day with some special processing in Paint Shop Pro (before I realized it didn't properly read K7 PEF files)..



one more on a clear day from the Vivitar 85mm f1.4

[fractal]

Well I heard Detroit was quite violent, but I expected a bit more than common graffiti. Any city has that.

[jct us101]

I'm curious, have you heard about the one hundred houses project? I think there's a website for it, there's a ton of photos on there and I really like the way that they set it up.

It's basically about all of the houses that have been abandoned and how entire neighborhoods of Detroit are now totally empty since people have left there.

[fractal]

I heard about that a few weeks ago. Sounds like a place i'd like to visit.

Do you know the link for the site?

[JeffJS]

Well I heard Detroit was quite violent, but I expected a bit more than common graffiti. Any city has that.

Yes, they do. That photo is the beginning of a small series I'm putting together. Stay tuned but you won't see any photos of violence from me.. I'm a little crazy brave but not stupid.

I'm curious, have you heard about the one hundred houses project? I think there's a website for it, there's a ton of photos on there and I really like the way that they set it up.

It's basically about all of the houses that have been abandoned and how entire neighborhoods of Detroit are now totally empty since people have left there.

What has happened in a nutshell is this. The W.W.II generation worked in the factories for 30-40 years. Bought and proudly maintained their homes. Had Paid them off and had burned the mortgages. One thing that has always been true with these people is they don't like being in debt. If they couldn't afford it, they did without it. Then they started dying off leaving the homes to the boomers. For the most part, the boomers also worked in the factories until they retired or got laid off but still, for the most part, kept up their homes and stayed out of debt. The boomers are leaving or have left for greener pastures (or have died off) leaving the GenX'ers with the houses. The later boomers and the GenX'ers have mortgaged these once paid off homes to the hilt. Some to pay legitimate expenses, others to drive the Lincoln and Cadillac SUVs with the 40 inch rims and $20k stereo systems. With some, it was more important to have the Cadillac DeVille in the driveway than to put a much needed roof on the house.

Meanwhile, for the last 30 or so years, the local government has promised to buy some of these people out of their homes for expansion projects (think Detroit City Airport) that never happened. As a result, people stopped maintaining the homes and by the time anyone realized that the saviors with the bank accounts weren't coming, it was too late. The homes had turned to shit and it was too expensive to repair them. Easier and cheaper for them to walk away.

So what you have now is a lot of half to nearly completely empty neighborhoods. These become the crack and other drug neighborhoods. The houses, after they've been stripped of anything of value, become the havens for the dealers. Once in awhile, the boomers who are still there, will burn these thugs out but it doesn't matter because they just set up shop in the house next door.

Entire neighborhoods have been completely wiped out and demolished to make room for 'low income housing' (I-96 Projects) that Did get built. Only to be abandoned and torn down a few years later.

There are some parts of Detroit that are run down and half abandoned. There are other parts that are not. The difference is the people. People who are proud to live in the city because they think it is, or can be, a great city, take care of theirs and are smart about the finances. The others are more concerned about the bling and being Da Thug Fro' Da 313 than the roof over their heads and are the first to bitch when they get put out. The difference between the neighborhoods really is like night and day.

Some may ask, why not sell these homes to low income families. Good idea except that in order to buy a house in detroit, it has to be brought up to code and a Cash escrow account for the expense has to be in place at closing. In many cases, this can be in excess of $60k. Add to that, that Tax-wise, Detroit is one of the most expensive places to live in Michigan. The services the people get for their money are non existent. It really Is a shame because these Were once beautiful homes. Craftsmanship that you just don't see anymore.

Read into all that whatever reasons you think there are.

[Tuner571]

Very nice photo and I agree with Jeff on the whole mess in Detroit. If you look at pictures of Detroit in 1920 the city was booming with all sorts of life. Businesses were being started and the American economy was on the rise, fast forward to today and this is what you have. Businesses are now gone, and the percentage of students graduating just from high school is just 68%.

Basically, the whole city has gotten quite lazy as have many other cities and they are slowly falling apart. When I went to Detroit with my friend last year I was shocked to see the amount of empty homes and businesses. It really was sad to see this once great city in such disrepair and knowing that nothing was going to be done to fix it. I hope that someday something will be done that will get Detroit back to where it once was.

I actually remember a photographer that went up there and was taking a number of photos showing the state of many deteriorating buildings. His photos were really amazing and did a great job on getting the word across on the sad state of the city. I can’t remember his name but I would highly recommend that you search for him as his photos really tell a sad and amazing story of the history of Detroit. Anyway I’ll say again that I really like this photo, and you did a great job on capturing the sad state of Detroit.

Thanks for sharing,
Cory