Michigan

Remembering the Belle Isle Zoo

The Belle Isle Zoo in Detroit, which closed over 20 years ago, still exists today, although it has been heavily covered in graffiti and subjected to vandalism.

Fading Legacy: Witnessing the Demolition of Detroit’s Packard Factory

A decade has passed since my last venture into the abandoned Packard factory in Detroit.

Golden Hour at Zug Island

As I photographed the construction of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge over the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario, the silent blast furnaces on Zug Island nearby caught my attention.

Traverse City State Hospital Revisited with PreservationWorks

During my recent visit to the Traverse City State Hospital campus in Traverse City, Michigan, I had the privilege of participating in PreservationWork’s final full tripod photographic tour.

A Unique Rural Architectural Gem: Michigan’s Hodge School

While driving back from Traverse City on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I initially passed by an architectural relic. I quickly turned the car around and returned for a few snapshots in the rain.

The Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District, well regarded for its ornate and varied examples of active and abandoned apartment buildings, is located in the Palmer Park neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.

Ford Motor Company to Acquire Michigan Central Station

Reports indicate that in March 2018, the Ford Motor Company initiated negotiations to acquire the long-abandoned Michigan Central Station from Morouns’ Crown Enterprises.

Visiting Detroit Harbor Terminals

Before the completion of the Detroit Harbor Terminals complex along the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan, most of the commodities and raw materials used in Detroit were shipped first by water to Cleveland, Chicago, or Toledo and sent to Detroit via the railroad.

Fisher Body Company Plant No. 21

The Fisher Body Company Plant No. 21, located in Detroit, Michigan, produced automobile bodies for General Motors (GM). The Albert…

Exploring the Detroit House of Correction

The Detroit House of Correction, also known as DeHoCo, is a former prison complex near Detroit, Michigan.

Our Savior

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its amazing architecture, the Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit needs to be saved.

Preserving a Faded Jewel: The Plight of Detroit’s Lee Plaza

Among the iconic abandoned structures that dot the landscape of Detroit, Michigan, Lee Plaza poignantly embodies the city’s descent from prosperity to urban blight in the latter half of the 20th century.

Bidding Farewell to a Faded Jewel: The Demise of Detroit’s Lafayette Building

In a distant chapter of my life, I was granted the privilege of exploring the Lafayette Building, a towering edifice that once graced the heart of downtown Detroit, Michigan.

King Solomon Baptist Church

Located in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, King Solomon Baptist Church’s facility at Marquette and 14th Street was best known as the first African American church to be located on a major thoroughfare.

Eastern Catholic High School

Detroit’s Eastern Catholic High School, despite its blown out windows and scrapped interior, was still breathtaking and beautiful.

The Fading Majesty: The Packard Automotive Plant’s Descent

For those entranced by the enigmatic allure of urban decay, the Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan, has long reigned as a preeminent destination. This colossal complex, spanning a staggering 3.5 million square feet and dominating the vistas from all directions, has borne witness to the inexorable ravages of time, underutilization, and the incursions of scrappers.

Biggest Population Losses

After a recent drive through Cairo, Illinois (article forthcoming), and seeing the effects of decades of racial segregation and violence, and then economic decline and population loss, I wondered what other major and minor cities in the United States has experienced such steep and dramatic losses? Besides Cairo, Detroit and Wheeling, I asked my Facebook readers of other examples.

Unearthing Michigan’s Forgotten Rail Corridors

During an expedition to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I serendipitously encountered two abandoned railroads, vestiges of a bygone era when the region’s rich natural resources fueled an extensive transportation network.

Deerton, Michigan

Deerton, Michigan is an unincorporated community in Alger County that was founded in 1882 when the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad constructed a station for a lumbering camp. A post office opened in 1922, and in 1926, a small school was constructed at the junction of Deerton-Onota Road. Today, not much is left in the community – most of the residences are abandoned, although the school still operates.

Packard Motors

The Packard Motor Company on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan was constructed in 1903 and closed in 1958. With just the exception of a brief reuse in several locations, the entire complex – 3.5 million square feet over 35 acres, produced 1.5 million vehicles. Designed by Albert Kahn, the industrial complex used reinforced concrete for its construction, a first for Detroit.

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