Photographs of Historic Buildings

[neil poulsen]

I'd like to suggest that we begin a thread of color or black and white photographs that you've taken of historic buildings. When posting, please provide some information about the building whose image you're sharing. They should be scans of large format photographs as defined in this site. I you recall, let us know when the photograph was taken.

Photos could also be of architectural details of historic buildings.

Here are some guidelines for historic buildings included.

> Buildings should have been built prior to 1950.

> The buildings should be representative of their original architecture. For example, please don't include buildings that have obvious additions, or at least where the addition can be seen in the photo. With that said, if an addition is historic (say, prior to 1950?), then a building with an addition can be included.

> Don't include buildings that have vinyl windows, nor vinyl or aluminum siding.

> The buildings do not need to be listed on a national register to be included, nor do they need to be a structure within a recognized historic district.

The idea is, we want to get an idea of what a historic building looked like in its day.

The photograph I've included is of a home in Jacksonville, Oregon (USA), which I believe was built in the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, I don't know much more about the building.

The photograph is from a 4x5 color negative that was exposed in the 1990's. I'm not sure exactly why the red was showing through the paint in this fashion. I recall that it had a similar appearance in the 1960's. For me, the color added to the historic appeal of the structure.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Only US buildings?

[neil poulsen]

Only US buildings?

Good question. I think anywhere. Thanks for asking.

[HMG]

Great idea. I would encourage the poster to include a bit of history of the building (when built, usage if not obvious).

Of course, "historic" is relative. Minneapolis was built in the late 1800s, so it doesn't take much. East Coast US would have a different view. And even more so in Europe.

[Tin Can]

Do you know the large Minneapolis office building that was constructed of huge wood uprights. The trees were nearly the size of California Redwoods. The building was downtown and the wood verticals were at least 8 stories tall.

I saw the building a long time ago, my memory fails on name and exact location. I would love to see images of that building and revisit it one day.

Few know or remember the upper Midwest once had massive trees however every single giant tree was cut down.

Great idea. I would encourage the poster to include a bit of history of the building (when built, usage if not obvious).

Of course, "historic" is relative. Minneapolis was built in the late 1800s, so it doesn't take much. East Coast US would have a different view. And even more so in Europe.

[HMG]

Do you know the large Minneapolis office building that was constructed of huge wood uprights. The trees were nearly the size of California Redwoods. The building was downtown and the wood verticals were at least 8 stories tall.

I saw the building a long time ago, my memory fails on name and exact location. I would love to see images of that building and revisit it one day.

Few know or remember the upper Midwest once had massive trees however every single giant tree was cut down.

It might be Butler Square. I'm in what was a warehouse district - older buildings here with wood beams up to 2 feet square. But in the downtown office area, many historic buildings were demolished in the name of progress. Tall buildings here started using steel frames around 1900, so I suspect an 8 story wood beam building would have been built earlier. You'd probably find it here.

Logging of pine along the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers in the mid-1800s drove much of the settlement of this area. Much of that logging was out-and-out illegal as it was on land owned by Ojibwe and Dakota. The logging that was not out-and-out illegal relied on treaties that were, most of the time, deceptive and/or reneged upon. Not our finest moment.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled thread:

This building started life in the 1880s as a hotel. In 1915, it became the Commutator Brass Foundry (rear section and smokestack not in photograph) and that name - Commutator Foundry building - continues on. I don't know when it stopped being used as a foundry, but in the post-WWI period was used as offices. Currently a home good "boutique" is on the main level. Nice stuff but expensive.

This shot taken with my Travelwide.

[Tin Can]

It must have been Butler Square. This is an edit. I read everything else first.


I looked at the sad old destroyed buildings and read the droll commentary, but my building was not here.

The building I am thinking of was still there in the 80's at least and I think an upscale fashion hub. Exposed wood beam. You could touch it. You could look straight up at a high center courtyard. I have searched many times, never find it and my source, my father has passed.

Perhaps some emails to relatives still there will find it.

Thanks for the history. I love old buildings, the odder the better.

[blueribbontea]

The Spokane Public Bath, 1912. changing house for the first public swimming pools in Spokane. Too many kids were dying in the river in the hot summers and behind the camera two pools were built outdoors. The original pools are long gone. I shot this in the early 90's with an Eastman 2d 8X10 with a Protar VII in a B&L compound shutter. Still a sweet lens and shutter today. Presently the building is on the Historic Register, but filled with lawn bowling supplies behind the modern Witter Pool.

[Tin Can]

Barat cupula 7-20-2016 by moe.randy, on Flickr

All that is left of a lovely 100 year old school. Which is ancient in Chicago. The cupula casually placed on a vast field where once stood, Old Main, dorms and even a 1960's Flying Saucer shaped science building.

This is where I studied darkroom in 1997.

http://sofie.org/news/barat-college-...dlands-academy

A few believed ghosts haunted it. I shot the ghost in 1999 on 35mm and already shared that picture.

Here is a link to a Pano that shows the emptiness of the former grounds. IMG_2561 by moe.randy, on Flickr

They kept the $5 million 1997 new library...

I am sure the emptiness will not last, as it is prime, yet Holy ground with many nuns buried in the back.

[AtlantaTerry]

Do you know the large Minneapolis office building that was constructed of huge wood uprights. The trees were nearly the size of California Redwoods. The building was downtown and the wood verticals were at least 8 stories tall.

I saw the building a long time ago, my memory fails on name and exact location. I would love to see images of that building and revisit it one day.

Few know or remember the upper Midwest once had massive trees however every single giant tree was cut down.

If my memory is right, you may be thinking about the Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters building. Or 3M?

Might Frank Lloyd Wright have been the architect?