"Echoes of Ourselves:" An Abandoned Hillside Home
Its been nearly four years since I last looked at these photographs, having made them in 2009 and forgotten about them until this morning. On the hillside of Mt. Auburn, amongst the streets of homes and their impressive cityscape vistas, lies a hollowed out and windowless structure. Constructed 134 years before I even stepped foot in the building, it's incredible to think about the lives and people who passed through here in nearly one and half centuries.
Hockey Night in Hamilton
Just north of Cincinnati in the city of Hamilton there used to be an old school ice rink. Open air with an aircraft hangar like roof, the facility embodied "old time hockey." Today it's a parking lot adjacent to a satellite campus of Miami University, but at one time the place made it to the silver screen - when Hollywood considered Cincinnati a "hockey town.”
Milacron Ruins
Some not so good photos and a not too interesting story that came from the exploration of an abandoned, half demolished factory.
The Beach Waterpark: All Dried Up?
The "stone" depiction of a fanged beast would seem to be the remnants of a forgotten civilization, but protruding through the "ancient" statue is a different kind of ruin: one of modern society.
The Blue Ash Airport
When it comes to abandoned suburbia, one might think about closed fast food joints, shuttered gas stations or foreclosed homes. In Blue Ash though, there stands a small, closed airport. A piece of aviation history is set to be demolished for a new community park in a growing suburb amidst a political controversy that raises questions about the modern day pursuit of truth.
Kinzie Street Railroad Bridge - Chicago
This abandoned Chicago landmark carried trains from 1908 until it was abandoned permanently in the raised position above the Chicago River.
The Downsizing and Dying of CVG.
Even late at night, an airport can still be a center of human activity, but imagine being in an abandoned one completely devoid of life - no aircraft, no passengers and no luggage.
The Ohio State Reformatory
"Andy came to Shawshank Prison in early 1947 for murdering his wife and the fella she was banging’.”
Camp Ross Trails
It would seem like the perfect stand in for "Camp Crystal Lake" in a Friday the 13th sequel, and the Cold War nuclear scares that shut it down could make for the plot of a horror movie, but this abandoned Girl Scout camp is no more.
Combat Stupendous Reunion Tour
Photographs from a road trip that somewhat reunited a high school band and took us from Cincinnati to ruins in Detroit to Lake Michigan and back.
Suburban Stonehenge
Beyond the manicured lawns and the sounds of lawn mowers and birds chirping, is Blue Ash's Sharonville's suburban stone henge. It's a concrete canvas for those who wish to paint swastikas, penises, ying-yangs and their names even over the works of the few who actually knew how to wield a spray can.
A Secret Passageway in Mt. Adams
I'm sure I'm not the only one who looked for secret passages in their house as a kid, only to be disappointed that such things didn't exist (at least in the suburban homes that six year old me wandered). While what I stumbled upon isn't really the kind of "secret passage" you'd find when pulling the right book off the shelf, it does provide a relatively unknown route up the ritzy neighborhood hillside of Mt. Adams.
The Dayton Executive Hotel
I don't know if you could call these lobby stairs grand, but just like the "Grand Staircase" on Titanic, this one is also covered in water. It's hardly a welcoming site for guests at the lobby check-in, but any guests the Dayton Executive Hotel sees these days aren't of the "normal" variety.
How an Abandoned Zoo Made it to the Silver Screen
On October 7, "Real Steel" will hit theaters. Set in the "near future," the film stars that guy who played "Wolverine" in X-Men as a former boxer who now plays major league Rock'em Sock'em Robots in Detroit. That's what I gathered from the trailer and Wikipedia anyways.
When Crosley was King
Before Crosley was the name of a stadium, Powell Crosley Jr.'s empire gave birth to the first commercially affordable radio, the "Nation's Station" 700 WLW, the first car radio and "soap operas.”
Construction on Cincinnati's Subway to Resume, First Train Delivered!
It's been 84 years since construction of the Cincinnati Subway halted. Nearly two miles of unused tunnels have been sitting silently beneath the city streets since 1927. Despite efforts to try and revive the project - political corruption, economic climate, changing population trends and even war were one of the many historical circumstances that prevented the subway from ever seeing a train or rider. That is, until today.
The Mighty Motor City - Part 3: The National Theatre
In the 1960's, being able to communicate with others via a hand held device was the fantasy of Star Trek episodes.
The Mighty Motor City - Part 2: St. Agnes/Marty's of Uganda
It was the second stop of the day on our latest trip to Detroit, MI.