Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Station, Saginaw, Michigan

Saginaw, Michigan, was once a prosperous timber and, later, manufacturing city in northeast Michigan. It was founded in 1816 as a trading post on the Saginaw River and grew rapidly throughout the 1800s. The first railroad to enter East Saginaw was the Flint and Pere Marquette, to be followed by other lines as the city's trade and industrial capacity increased. During the height of their power and industry, the F&PM Railroad built a magnificent brick station on Potter Street. I am not sure of the exact date or architect, but the size of the structure attest to the amount of passenger traffic in the 1880s. The detailing and quality construction also attest to a pride of construction and desire to make a lasting monument that we seldom see today. The Potter Street station was abandoned decades ago, and AMTRAK uses a different station in another part of town. Northeast Saginaw is blighted and no development plans have borne results. Sometime in the mid- to late-1990s, the station was gutted by fire. Several groups have attempted restoration, but the great building remains a gutted shell. Some of the towers and walls have been braced to prevent collapse. I fear this fine example of American industrial architecture will continue to deteriorate.

Our race to t6he bottom continues.

An Introduction and Some Thoughts

Introduction

Deserted factories, institutions, schools, and houses always fascinated me. Who built these things, what did they do there, and what were their dreams and aspirations? Why were they abandoned? Did the structures no longer serve their intended purpose? Did politicians decide to no longer support an institution? Did a shop get closed because of urban flight and inner city decay?   

Houses are especially difficult. Families once lived there, raised their children there, and went through the cycles of joy, sadness, success, and despair experienced by all families. But why are some houses left in such a state that it looks like the former residents simply walked out one night and never came back?

As a photographer, I always liked the patterns, shapes, and debris found in abandoned or unused structures. I like "complicated" scenes, and old structures offer plenty of potential for frames filled with patterns and minute detail.

I also like the sense of grandeur in many of our late-1800s and early-1900s industrial buildings. They were built with pride to last for decades or centuries. This was so different from our current "let's see how cheaply and crappily we can build it and get away with it" mentality. The sense of space, light, and shadow is unique in many of these old structures.

This photography blog will be an ongoing effort. When I photograph something interesting, I will try to post it. All comments and suggestions are welcome!

Personal note:  I am Andy and live in Vicksburg, Mississippi Olympia, Washington, USA. I travel often to destinations around the world. Most of my photography is with film, and I use a number of film cameras of different formats. My dad taught me to use his Leica IIIC rangefinder camera in the 1960s, and I am still regularly using it. I started using medium format film in 1981, when I bought a Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera in Houston, Texas. But you will also see some digital work on these pages. Digital cameras have come and gone. They just do not do much for me emotionally. Please keep tuned in, and I will try to keep this blog interesting.