Posted by: Naaman
Steep stairs, big Es, terra cotta, and dust.
Scaled by the Human Fly in 1917. Scaled by me in 2015. Which was more heroic?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
superb. You are not only talented but courageous. I do hope that you do your travels with a companion or at the very least leave an itinerary with someone. But then, I'm sure you know what you are doing. Good job.
ReplyDeleteWhere is this particular buildings location?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, My Husband & I just recently began doing exploration of abandoned homes etc.
What would you recommend is the best way to find places to explore?
Glad you didn't fall off and go SPLAT on the sidewalk, or get chained-up and diddled mercilessly in a filthy sexdungeon/basement by a crazed homeless dude.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work! Were going to Birmingham tomorrow actually. Were hitting a few well known spots, but hoping to come across some random gems.
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos! Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWhat building is this
ReplyDeleteare you serious?
DeleteYour photography is ridiculously good. I love following your page. How many people see these places and remark how it's "such a shame" that they are forgotten or run-down? But with your camera, you prove why these places are in fact beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to urban decay photo sites & yours is one of the best, I LOVE your gorgeous work. I would urban explore myself but I couldn't handle the following: darkness, cobwebs, bugs, foul stenches... So much work goes into exploration I sincerely commend you for it!
ReplyDeleteThat means a lot to me, thank you.
DeleteColonial Bank? My god, that's a name I haven't heard in years. And it blows my mind how much empty space continues to rot away downtown. Isn't there a housing boom or some such?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, having watched your blog for some years, your artistic style is superb as ever. You're an excellent photographer, and thank you for documenting all of this.
This is why historic preservation is a never ending battle. The Empire Building was renovated/restored in 1982-83. All the paint on the exterior dates to then, as do the exterior doors and windows (which is why, I believe Colonial Bank did not get the full historic tax credit for the project as they should have kept the originals). The interior work was much more of a historically sensitive restoration and is why the interior looks so original. The stairwell, lobby, and various other places had been cheaply Danish Moderned in the 1960s. The marble stairwell you photographed was, before the 82-83 work, covered in wood paneling. All that was returned to its original appearance (for the most part).
ReplyDeleteAll that money and effort restoring the Empire Building and thirty-something years later, it has never been in worse shape. Despite what many civic boosters say, most of our great, historic, urban cities are in the same state.
W. White at Preservation in Mississippi.