The second to last tower at Chicago's famous is days away from coming down. At its peak, Cabrini–Green was home to 15,000 people, living in mid- and high-rise apartment buildings. Over the years, gang violence and neglect created terrible conditions for the residents, and the name "Cabrini–Green" became synonymous with the problems associated with public housing in the United States. As of 2008, around 4,700 residents remained in Cabrini–Green.] Most of the buildings have been razed and the entire neighborhood is being redeveloped into a combination of high-rise buildings and row houses, with the stated goal of creating a mixed-income neighborhood, with some units reserved for public housing tenants. Controversy regarding the implementation of these plans has arisen. Large View On Black ( http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=5049662113&size=large )
Chicago based architect Daniel Burnham was commissioned in 1898 to design this historic station in downtown Pittsburgh. It connected the Pennsylvania railroad to several subsidiary lines and was named Union Station. I've been waiting to shoot this for several years. I love the detailed stone work throughout and the arches and dome are spectacular. You can imagine my disappointment when I arrived and found that they were in the middle of a repaving project. I felt a little like the Griswold's arriving at Wally World, but now I have another reason to return to Pittsburgh. This is a 180 degree x 100 degree panorama stitched together from 135 individual images. The full size is 36000 px x 18000px and the print would be 10 feet long and 5 feet high without any enlargement. Click here to see a larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8595184450/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
Chicago, 2014 The name Agora refers to the urban meeting places of the Ancient Greek city-states. The artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, who grew up during World War II, has said that her art draws on her fear of crowds, which she once described as "brainless organisms acting on command, worshiping on command and hating on command". This image is assembled from several images that were originally shot with a 50mm lens at f/1.8. By stitching these separate images together the final picture has a depth of field and a field of view that is equivalent to a 14mm lens at f/ 0.4. If the shot had been taken with something like a 14mm f/2.8 lens almost all of the statues would have been in focus.
The Kluczynski Federal Building twists around Alexander Calder's Flamingo in this warped view of Mies van der Rohe's Federal Plaza in Chicago. Take a peek at the large size by clicking here. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8184378448/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
From riversofsteel.org: "Towering 92 feet over the Monongahela River, constructed of 2.5" thick steel plate and lined with refractory brick, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 are extremely rare examples of pre World War II iron-making technology. Since the collapse of the region's steel industry in the 1970s and 1980s, these are the only non-operative blast furnaces in the Pittsburgh District to remain standing. Built in 1907, the furnaces produced iron for the Homestead Works from 1907 to 1978. During the 1920s, 1930s,and 1940s, Carrie 6 and 7 consumed approximately four tons of raw materials comprised of iron ore, coke, and limestone for every ton of iron produced. The cooling system for the blast furnace required over five million gallons of water a day. These furnaces reached their peak production in the 1950s and 1960s when they were producing 1000 -1250 tons of iron a day." Large view on black. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8675489104/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
South of Chicago, more than 230,400 vehicles pass by this location every day on the highways, on ramps, exits, and overpasses. Unless they are cursing their fellow drivers, most people will never stop to think about what a monumental achievement the interstate highway system truly is. Sometimes it seems easier to appreciate if you get lucky enough to find the road is empty that day. Here is a link to a larger version. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7451769430/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
Here is an unusal view of a Chicago classic. From wikipedia: "Smurfit-Stone Building is a 41 story, 582 foot (177 m) skyscraper located at 150 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Illinois.[1] It was also known as the Stone Container Building and was formerly called the Associates Center. Construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1984. The building, noted for its unusually slanted facade, was designed by Sheldon Schlegman of A. Epstein and Sons. The building has 41 floors of tenant space and the two spires at the top cover the main roof and HVAC equipment."
This cellblock is the largest free standing cell block in the USA. It is 6 tiers high and the cells back up to another bank of cells. With approximately 40 cells per tier this room was home to almost 1000 prisoners at a time. The Ohio State Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until a 1990 federal court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of movies, TV shows and music videos it is perhaps most famous for as being a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Reformatory remained in full operation until December 1990 when it closed via federal court order. Since the closing most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed in 1995 and currently works to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. The East Cell Block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high. Take a look at the larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7542645812/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois This is a pretty epic front porch. The house sits on a floodplain but is protected by its raised floor plan. Despite being designed to withstand 100-year floods this structure has been repeatedly threatened by floodwaters in recent years. It's a bit of a drive to get here but if you are a fan of architecture it is well worth a visit. www.farnsworthhouse.org/ ( http://www.farnsworthhouse.org/ )
One of the final towers at Chicago's infamous cabrini Green housing project sits and waits for the demolition to wrap up.
Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
The former Prentice Women's Hospital in Chicago is currently being demolished to make way for a new research building. The original structure was designed by famous architect Bertrand Goldberg and was the subject of an intense preservation battle. The building is getting consumed from within and will soon be gone. Most of the destruction is hidden away behind an array of mesh and scaffolding. To most onlookers it will simply appear to slowly melt away. Featured on Chicagoist. ( http://chicagoist.com/2014/02/10/around_town_caged.php#photo-1 )
Winter 2014 will never end.
From Wikipedia: Carrie Furnace is a derelict former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh area industrial town of Rankin, Pennsylvania. It had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1000 to 1250 tons of iron per day. All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 - 1978, along with the hot metal bridge. The site on which it stands may be developed into a historic park called the Homestead Works National Park, with Carrie Furnace forming an attraction. Click here to see the larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8629668773/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
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Here we see a typical jail cell in the Ohio State Reformatory. It housed two inmates and consisted of two bunk beds, a toilet, sink, and a shelf. It was about 6 feet wide by 8 feet long and is tiny by any standards for one man let alone two. The Ohio State Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until a 1990 federal court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of movies, TV shows and music videos it is perhaps most famous for as being a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Reformatory remained in full operation until December 1990 when it closed via federal court order. Since the closing most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed in 1995 and currently works to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. The parts that remain are still immense. The East Cell Block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high.
This is the color version of a shot I posted last month. I think I like this better. Is this Chicago's most famous sign?
I love waking up early in big cities. When you see these massive and bustling metropolitan areas so quiet and still it's hard not to stand back and admire them just a little more than usual. This is a series of 30 second exposures stitched together to produce a much larger composite.
There must be a law that says if you film a television show or movie in Chicago you must show this sign. This iconic sign is a national land city landmark for good reason. This composite image was assembled from 30 individual photographs.
My love for Chicago's architecture can be traced back to a single event. In the spring of 1985 the 4th grade classes from West School took a field trip to complete our study of architecture. The field trip basically consisted of walking around the loop for 3 hours before boarding an architectural cruise down the river. Of course I had been to the city before that day, but taking it all in while floating down the Chicago river somehow made the buildings seem even taller, bolder, and more magnificent. Over the years, the size and shape of many of the buildings have changed the look of the skyline but I am still in awe just as I was 27 years ago. This is a slightly different crop of the image from yesterday. Click here for the large view. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7412001816/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
Here is a cool detail from Goldberg's Prentice Hospital. I love the intersecting pattern at the base of the cylinder sections but I wish they were far more prominent. You cannot see them unless you are elevated in an adjacent building. From the ground they are obscured by the roof line. Press "L" to view the larger size.
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Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
View Larger On Black ( http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=12587605745&size=large ) The Chicago Cultural Center's interior has an incredible array of beautiful architectural details including mosaics, coffered ceilings, decorative ironwork, and massive windows. Preston Bradley Hall once served as the former library's reading room and houses the world's largest Tiffany Dome. Valued at over $35 million, this dome contains more than 30,000 individual pieces of glass. Prominent among the marks are four medallions on the walls beneath the dome. One (CPL) is a Chicago Public Library logo and it contains a “Y” representing the Chicago River and its two branches. The other three are marks of 16th century French printers: One includes intertwined serpents and the initials of Jean Louis of Paris; a second shows a pair of mermaids and the initials “RG” for Raulin Gautier of Rouen; and the third depicts a chandelier for Pierre de Chandelier of Caen. This also includes a Latin inscription roughly translated as “ I faithfully serve the cause of enlightenment.”
This guy was sitting behind the Cubs dugout. I have no idea if he alway looks like that or not but I loved it anyway. Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
A series of buildings slated for demolition. This is part of an ongoing process to document these buildings before they are lost. #100227088 Date received: 3/10/08 Address: 1418 W. Addison Ward: 44th Applicant: Precision Excavation Owner: O'Flaherty Builders Permit Description: Wreck and remove a existing structure at 1418 W. Addison. 1 stone house and garage. Status: 90-day hold set to expire on 6/9/08; hold extended to 7/11/08. Demolition application withdrawn on 6/12/08. Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
Flamingo in Snow, Chicago, 2014
From wikipedia: The Rookery Building is a historic landmark located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Completed by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiece buildings, and was once the location of their office. The building measures 181 feet (55 m), is twelve stories tall and is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. It has a unique style with exterior load-bearing walls and an interior steel frame, which provided a transition between accepted and new building techniques. Click here for a closer look. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7438425908/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
If you want to know where the best light is in the city of Chicago, head over to La Salle & Adams. The way the light scatters and bounces off the buildings always seems to prodcue something magical. It's like walking through the biggest soft box in the world. From wikipedia: The Rookery Building is a historic landmark located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Completed by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiece buildings, and was once the location of their office. The building measures 181 feet (55 m), is twelve stories tall and is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. It has a unique style with exterior load-bearing walls and an interior steel frame, which provided a transition between accepted and new building techniques. Most images of the entry are taken from across the street but that has a tendency to hide some of the beautiful carvings on the arch. For this shot I decided I wanted to show off the detailed craftsmanship so this was shot from about 8 feet away from the door which allows us to peek up into the underside of the arch. Showing the whole entrance required a large angle of view so I had to stitch many images together to make it all work. As a result the carvings on the underside of the arch are revealed in more detail, we see a tremendous amount of detail on the stone throughout, and in the full size file you can actually read the landmark plaque located on the right side of the image. Here is a slightly larger version. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7438453350/sizes/h/in/photostream/ ) Featured on Gaper's Block (6/27/12) ( http://gapersblock.com/rearview/archives/2012/06/27/ )
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Taken in Millennium Park in Chicago. View original size here: static.flickr.com/27/41046618_19f34641a1_o.jpg ( http://static.flickr.com/27/41046618_19f34641a1_o.jpg ) Enjoy this one deleteme... GeoTagged ( http://www.geobloggers.com ) Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
Per Grimshaw: "Situated in the heart of Lower Manhattan, the Fulton Center is a dynamic transport environment streamlining connections between eleven subway lines for up to 300,000 daily passengers. Organized around a large-scale atrium contained within an elegant, transparent facade, the center draws inspiration from the neighborhood's cast iron buildings and incorporates the restored 1888 Corbin Building. The atrium ascends to 110 feet, topped by a conical dome centered on the concourse below. A canted glass oculus intersects the dome, flooding the atrium with natural light whose effect is magnified by an integrated artwork, Sky Reflector-Net. The Fulton Center fulfills a significant civic role, offering a memorable urban experience that nods to history while supporting the region's growth."
This Healy & Millet piece is one of two stained glass domes in Chicago's Cultural Center. It is dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic. Click here for a larger view. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/6679734585/in/photostream/lightbox/ ) Featured on Chicagoist. ( http://chicagoist.com/2012/01/12/around_town_1032.php#photo-12 )
Somewhere over Michigan, 2014 77 images stitched, f/1.8, 10s, ISO3200
This appears to be a former wrestling room or small theater. The demolition work is right outside the door. Large ( http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2210813694_50a3c1b8f9_b.jpg ) Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
“Chicago happened slowly, like a migraine. First they were driving through countryside, then, imperceptibly, the occasional town became a low suburban sprawl, and the sprawl became the city.” ― Neil Gaiman, American Gods
Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
The best place to eat in Chicago is Hot Doug's. Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
The Ohio State Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until a 1990 federal court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of movies, TV shows and music videos it is perhaps most famous for as being a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Reformatory remained in full operation until December 1990 when it closed via federal court order. Since the closing most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed in 1995 and currently works to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. The East Cell Block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high.
Mies' Federal Buildings welcome Calder's Flamingo back after the sculpture and plaza were off limits for the past couple years due to renovation work throughout the plaza. The large size can be viewed here. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8182010518/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
What I love about this image is that I shot it from inside the tube structure. In 2010 the Lincoln Park Zoo rebuilt their south lagoon and in the process hired Studio Gang to design an open air classroom. What they created was this beautiful bent wood and fiberglass enclosure that quickly became one of my favorite quiet spots in the city of Chicago. This series of photographs explores a variety of ways to translate this highly geometric 3d structure into a two dimension photograph. Each projection is designed to preserve certain information (keeping horizontal or vertical lines straight, maintaining proper relationships between object sizes, etc.) at the expense of other information. The basic image is a 360 degree panorama with a vertical field of view of about 150 degrees. Each of the images in this series were created from the same 60 images stitched together. View Large Size On Black ( http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=6812747017&size=large ) This is an extreme use of the fisheye projection. I was standing right in the middle of this (see the prior images) but this projection can wrap all 360 degrees around into this view. What you are seeing in the upper corners is the boardwalk getting warped around.
Intesecting train lines make for a very busy crossing in Blue Isalnd.
Small hands can still reach. Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
This beautiful bamboo grove sits on the western side of Kyoto in Arashiyama. At dawn the sunlight just grazes the outside edge of the forest while the interior remains shrouded in shadows. View on black ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8446226364/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
From wikipedia: The Rookery Building is a historic landmark located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Completed by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Burnham of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpiece buildings, and was once the location of their office. The building measures 181 feet (55 m), is twelve stories tall and is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. It has a unique style with exterior load-bearing walls and an interior steel frame, which provided a transition between accepted and new building techniques. This is perhaps my favorite building in Chicago for several reasons. The most important one to me is the innovation required to build it. The idea of a steel framed building was in it's infancy when this was built and it ushered in modern construction techniques as we know them today. It is a phenomenal building. Click here for a larger version. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7438440152/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
Millennium Park, Chicago. Click here to view on black. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8713109215/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
I set out this morning to capture an entirely different scene than the one shown here. However my efforts were derailed by 20,000 runners participating in the oddly timed Shamrock Shuffle. Traffic was a mess and I simply couldn't get to where I wanted to go due to the routing and rerouting from one one-way street to the next. I finally gave up and wandered up to Millennium Park and took the shot you see here out of frustration more than anything else. This image is composed of 62 separate shots merged together using PTGUI. Large View On Black ( http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=5608784084&size=large )
My first visit to East Lansing didn't disappoint. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum is a fascinating structure. This vantage point provides a dramatic entry onto campus as facade and curtain walls soar effortlessly. Yet as you walk around the structure there are portions that feel surprisingly heavy and clunky. In the end the bold design acts as to counter to the rest of the traditional buildings on campus which is perfectly suitable for the modern art displays housed inside.
Chicago's bridge lift season is in full effect. Each Saturday in the fall the crews of bridge tenders, streets and san workers, TSA, and iron-workers race from bridge house to bridge house to raise 2 spans at a time. Starting at Lake Shore Drive, they work their way west before turning south at Wolf Point and keep on going until they hit the last crossing at Ashland Ave on the South Branch. Click here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8123767675/lightbox/ ) to see the large version (or just press 'L' on your keyboard).
Goldberg, Chicago, 2014
This was the single most terryifying shot I have ever taken. I was standing in a spot between 2 intersecting train lines in Rochelle. I was close to the tracks but obviously in a position where I wouldn't get hit by the train. But when you are watching a train come pretty much straight at you and then start laying on his horn repeatedly and quite loudly, the adrenaline kicks in, your pulse quickens, and your brain just tells you to get out of there. But you kow what? This is the shot that I wanted to get so I didn't move and I am quite happy about it. Although next time I may just use a remote trigger.
Mosaic flowers at the Garfiled Park Conservatory in Chicago. See the large version. ( http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/3343548037_537f7c9525_b.jpg ) Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
Here is a shot looking up at Lower Wacker as it passes below Lake Shore Drive near Chicago's lakefront. It is the eastern edge of the city below the city that many people never notice. For reasons only semi related to photography I have been feeling pretty burned out on taking pictures lately. Okay, it has actually been a while. But this week I found myself taking my camera with me hoping to find something that would catch my eye and I just happened to find myself near one of my favorite spots in Chicago. Hopefully I can put all the BS from the last couple months behind me and spend more time on taking pics. View a Larger Size Here ( http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=3063290822&size=large ) Featured on Chicagoist. ( http://chicagoist.com/2008/11/28/around_town_16.php ) Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
This view of the Rookery presents the north side of the building as well as a glimpse looking south towards Chicago's Board of Trade building. A careful examination of this image and the view of the same building from a couple posts ago reveals that both images were stitched togeter from the same set of pictures. One of aspects of stiching images digitally that isn't mentioned very often is the level of control you have in managing the virtual viewpoint. You essentially have a digital tilt-shift lens that allows for rearranging the different planes to achieve different focal points. In this case I have virtually twisted the building by about 65 degrees to emphasize the Adams elevation of the building instead of the La Salle side. Click here for a larger image. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7445228182/sizes/h/in/photostream/ )
This 3rd floor corridor leads out to a courtyard. The plywood barricades have been removed for some unknown reason. I think that there may have been a bridge across to the neighborring building that was bricked up some time ago. better view ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic )
On September 22 the University of Connecticut Huskies visited Kalamazoo to face off against the Broncos of Western Michigan University. The Broncos took a 17-0 lead before the Huskies tried to stage their comeback. Ultimately their efforts fell short and WMU beat UConn 30-24.
Chicago, 2014 Even the famous Picasso statue is ready for this Chicago winter to end.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends for 42 miles along the northern shores of Michigan. Established in 1966 this park hosts more than 400,000 visitors each year who come to see the magnificently stained limestone cliffs as they jut out of Lake Superior. Click here to see it LARGE. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7940663818/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
Rail tracks in Chicago.
Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends for 42 miles along the northern shores of Michigan. Established in 1966 this park hosts more than 400,000 visitors each year who come to see the magnificently stained limestone cliffs as they jut out of Lake Superior. Click here for the larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7940675144/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
The recently restored "Flamingo" sculpture in the Loop once again looks fantastic. This view represents a more traditional approach to Calder's famous work than the previous entries in this series. Click here to see the large version. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8188280694/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
Click here to see the large size. ( http://fiveprime.org/blackmagic ) To purchase prints please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com )
Large View On White ( http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=4809610001&bg=white&size=large )
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore extends for 42 miles along the northern shores of Michigan. Established in 1966 this park hosts more than 400,000 visitors each year who come to see the magnificently stained limestone cliffs as they jut out of Lake Superior. Click here for the larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7940669610/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
Soldier Field on a cold evening in Chicago one week before the Super Bowl. Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
When I lived in Chicago I was always frustrated by the fact that stars are simply invisible in large metropolitan areas. The light pollution simply washes them all away. Once I moved to Michigan I was amazed by the number of stars I could finally see. Sadly the truth is Kalamazoo is still too bright to see much but if you drive out into the middle of nowhere you can see the Milky Way. Luckily Kalamazoo just happens to be located about an hour from the middle of nowhere. As you can still see in this image there is still a lot of light pollution on the horizon and the sky is still only about 50% natural light. One of these days I'll have to get out west where the skies are really dark.
Click here to view a larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8694884264/in/photostream/lightbox/ ) From Wikipedia: In 1763, King George III of England granted John Ormsby, a soldier in the French and Indian War as well as the alleged first settler of Pittsburgh, 2,400 acres of land along the southern banks of the Monongahela River for his service in the capture of Fort Duquesne. Ormsby divided the land into four boroughs - South Pittsburgh, Birmingham, Ormsby, and East Birmingham, which is present day South Side Slopes. South Side expanded and grew in order to keep up with Pittsburgh's industrial boom, adopting the nickname "Workshop of the World". The industry of glass-making was predominant in the early 1800s, and later the banks of the Monongahela River became home to the iron and steel operations run by the company J&L Steel. J&L (The Jones and Laughlin Steel Company) eventually became South Side's largest employer as by 1910 it employed 15,000 workers. The majority of these workers came as immigrants from European nations such as Germany, Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, the Ukraine, and the Slavic nations and settled into homes in the present day South Side Slopes. The houses built for them were traditionally one room wide, two rooms deep, and up to four stories high. The houses are built into the hillside with narrow walkways between them. Most of the structures and houses in both South Side Slopes and South Side Flats were built from brick, in a rectangular fashion. Many of them were ornamented in the popular style of the 1900s - Romanesque, Italianate and Second Empire. They are fashioned in a classical Victorian style row home way with carved doorways, cornices, corbelling, cast iron ornaments and geometric slate patterns. The Slopes is rich in culture as many immigrants wanted to preserve their native cultures and languages; so they built many bars and churches, many of which still exist today.
This remains the largest free standing cell block in the USA at 6 tiers tall. The Ohio State Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until a 1990 federal court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of movies, TV shows and music videos it is perhaps most famous for as being a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Reformatory remained in full operation until December 1990 when it closed via federal court order. Since the closing most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed in 1995 and currently works to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. Take a much closer look here (10000 px). ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7535241080/sizes/o/in/photostream/ ) The East Cell Block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high.
I was going through my archives today and found these. This is the Ethyl, a four pound monstrosity of ground beef, cheese, and two toppings (my choice was lettuce and tomato). If you can eat this in under an hour its free. I'm happy to report that I finished in a comfortable 48 minutes. Surprisingly the burger was actually quite good. I really miss those days when I could eat literally anything I wanted. www.rplaceromines.com/r_place/restuarant.htm ( http://www.rplaceromines.com/r_place/restuarant.htm ) Please visit www.crouchphotos.com ( http://www.crouchphotos.com ) to purchase prints.
From the Monongahela valley to the Mesabi iron range To the coal mines of Appalachia, the story's always the same Seven hundred tons of metal a day, now sir you tell me the world's changed Once I made you rich enough, rich enough to forget my name - Bruce Springsteen Check out a larger size by clicking here. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8659029656/in/photostream/lightbox/ )
The three sisters await the rising sun on a dried up portion of the Salton Sea. This panorama is stitched from 78 individual files. The resulting image is a 440 megapixel image that would print out 12' x 3' at 300 dpi. Click here ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/7262880766/in/photostream/lightbox/ ) for a better view.
The Ohio State Reformatory is a historic prison located in Mansfield, Ohio in the United States. It was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until a 1990 federal court ruling ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of movies, TV shows and music videos it is perhaps most famous for as being a primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The Reformatory remained in full operation until December 1990 when it closed via federal court order. Since the closing most of the grounds and support buildings, including the outer wall, have been demolished. The Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society was formed in 1995 and currently works to stabilize the buildings against further deterioration. The East Cell Block remains the largest free standing steel cell block in the world at six tiers high.
This is a different take on the shot I posted a couple images ago. Despite being shot at the same time and from the exact same location they each feel quite different to me. Do you have a preference? The world's largest Tiffany glass dome resides in Chicago's Cultural Center. More than 30,000 small panes of glass are set within the dome. It once again shines brightly after a restoration effort in 2008 removed a coating of paint which had been applied to the exterior in the 1940's.
The Ohio Turnpike during a late spring snow storm.
Trying another view...... Just to explain what you are seeing here, the statue was in front of me (most of it anyway), while the building you see to the left and right and top was completely behind me. You can see the Sears Tower behind the Flamingo and reflected in the buildings windows at the top of the image. I suppose you could say this is a wide angle view - it's about 300 degrees by 200 degrees. Make sure you see the larger size. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/8183504590/lightbox/ )
Say whatever you want about the man but Donald Trump bought an amazing piece of property when he built the Trump Hotel in Chicago. Within the very formal grid that defines the city's core there simply aren't many locations that seem to lie at the ends of streets. Aside from the Board of Trade which caps the southern end of LaSalle the Trump stands alone. Wabash doesn't terminate like LaSalle does though. Instead, it wraps around the Trump site so the Wabash Bridge can span the river at its narrowest point. As a result the building soars and stands out from the surroundings and seems to rise out of Wabash from any angle. The station in the foreground is the historic Madison / Wabash stop. Dating to 1896 it is the oldest remaining station in the Loop. However plans of a new station one block north have recently been released and the Madison stop is slated to be closed by 2015. The new station won't contain an overhead crossing so this particular view will disappear but if you head a couple blocks south the Adams' stop offers something similar.