Category: Architecture
Shadows on the Bay, Seattle
Partial skyline, Seattle.
South Park Changes
The Port of Seattle owns a stretch of land that was once private residences. It’s referred to Pier 117, but there is no pier and the small green space they created was mainly for a large rain garden to keep street runoff out of the Duwamish River. The black and white image, in the foreground, was where two, ramshackle, abandoned houses were located. I have a photo of them somewhere in my archives. They ( the Port) left the two cement pads that the houses were sitting on, for some reason. There is a walking path the length of this ‘park’.
Across the river is I think an abandoned factory, perhaps the old Kenworth plant. Not totally sure. Again, this is the oldest EPA Superfund site in the US.
Across the street from the park is Coffee Umbria, a coffee roaster, etc. Apparently razor wire is needed to protect the business. This particular section of South Park is pretty sketchy, so I understand. I am always on guard and don’t stay in the area very long when I shoot there.
Cruising by Downtown Seattle
Before the Alaskan Way Viaduct is torn down ( within a year or so) I thought I should get some more photos from the perspective of the Viaduct. Shots like these will be impossible once the demo starts.
Heading into Seattle
From a car.
Finding a way to shoot with a broken foot.
Gas Works Park
I shot this years ago, on my Minolta X-700 35mmSLR, at Gas Works Park in Seattle. I was taking a photography workshop and they did field trips on the weekends. We met up at different locations and just wandered around, shooting whatever we wanted. If you ever run across a group of lost-looking photographers wandering about a public space, it is probably a class or workshop on a field trip or exercise.
PS: Eight months on and I’m still wearing a boot due to the fractured 4th metatarsal bone. I haven’t been out much with my camera. Poor weather ( typical for Seattle) is also a factor. So, I’ve dug into the archives and re-edited some old film images to post. Just for those doubters, here is the latest X-ray of right foot taken two weeks ago. Little or no healing, so I am now using a device called a Bone Stimulator that attaches to the foot, directly over the fracture. The theory is: wave pulses are sent to the affected area, which is supposed to increase blood flow which = bone growth. Hoping it works!
Cain Bolt and Gasket
Aug. 1955. Me fishing on the Duwamsh River.
I’ve been exploring the South Park area of Seattle on Sundays for 10+ years. It’s a unique mix of light industry and residential that hugs the Duwamish River on the East and the hills, that lead to White Center, on the West. It’s a gritty step back in time. Slowly most of the scrap metal businesses have been shut down, closed or the land sold. In time this area will probably look like many other gentrified neighborhoods, but it will be a slower transition here so it is fun to explore and document what is there now.
When I was four years old I actually lived in South Park for about a year before my parents moved. We lived very close to the river. I have a photo of myself at that age ‘fishing’ on the Duwamish River near our apartment. I think I have posted it, but if not I can do that. One of the few photos of me from my childhood ( see above -I found the image). For some reason I keep coming back to this area of Seattle.
Rivets: TBT
The Golden Gare Bridge, taken 15 years ago, looking upward. Shot using my Minolta x-700 35mm film camera.
View from the Pike Place Market
Yesterday, on a Chamber of Commerce weather day, we took our two grandkids to the Pike Place Market to have lunch and to check out the refurbed section of the Market. We traveled by bus from West Seattle; I have to insert that I think comparing NYC Subways and Seattle Metro buses is likely close to happening).
Highlights of the images ( which are all shot on my iPhone, with the aid of a detachable lens are: The Wheel, Mt. Rainier, Elliott Bay, Alki Point in West Seattle and the soon-to-become extinct Viaduct/SR99.
One of the highlights of the outing was viewing and contributing to the new Gum Wall!
Anyway, the foray into downtown Seattle for a few of hours was about all my broken down body could endure. The current Seattle agency in charge of tourism promotion of the city seemed to be doing a bang up job as the Market was jam packed, even for a Tuesday!
Duwamish River Access
A couple of weeks ago I went to a spot on the east side Duwamish River that I didn’t know existed. Much of what I have posted, regarding the Duwamish River over the years, has been taken from the west side at various locations. The Port of Seattle owns this access point, adjacent to the new Federal Building above ( something else I had no idea existed as it is set quite a ways back from East Marginal Way).
This area, like many along the Duwamish River, used to be inhabited by indigenous peoples. Rich in history that is almost totally overlooked by Seattleites today. I know the signs are not readable in the photos, but if you can zoom in and maybe find a few keywords to Google, you might be able to dive deeper into the history of this area. The Duwamish River used to snake its way down to Elliott Bay, but in the past ( probably for reasons of commerce) the river’s curvy path was straightened out to what it is today.
The Duwamish River, which I find fascinating, is the first EPA Superfund Site in the US and is still a work in progress 47 years on. This says something about the scope of cleaning a river estuary. Although the area is much cleaner and less polluted today, it still has a way to go. Many of the heavy polluting businesses that were located along the river have since moved or closed down. I think dredging the river bottom is not a possibility as it would stir up much of the heavy metals, etc. Similarly, in Brooklyn, NYC, I have been following the efforts to clean up the Gowanus Canal, which was declared a superfund site a few years ago. This past Fall, a Portland, Oregon company was awarded the first contract to do a superficial dredging to remove debris that was sitting on the bottom of one small section of the canal, without disturbing the sediment. I was there the week this was being done. It was just a pilot project, but was fascinating to watch. A rep from the Portland company was on site to both watch over the pilot dredging, but to be available to answer questions from the public ( such as me, who pestered her for about 30 minutes, till it started to rain). The Portland company actually contracted with the company that dredged the Love Canal decades ago, as they had the expertise and equipment to perform this sensitive work. With the new administration coming in last January, all work on the Gowanus Canal is up in the air, even though monies were allocated to get the project going.
If interested, there is a lot of info online. If you dig back in my posts to around last November ( 11th and 13th) I think I posted a few photos of the initial dredging of the small section of the Gowanus Canal. I also did a couple of Facebook check-in type postings showing the barge and crane at work.
Will be posting more from this site on the Duwamish River over the next couple of weeks. My apologies for getting a bit sidetracked. There are similarities between the two sites that I find fascinating.
Fading Ad and Arches
Brooklyn, NYC.
Old Coffee Warehouse
The old coffee warehouse in DUMBO, on the East River, has been repurposed by the West Elm Company. Here is a link to a video showing the conversion.
Views from Central Park
Just a few views looking outward from Central Park in late October, 2016.
House on the Hill: Update
In March of 2016 I posted a couple of photos of an abandoned house in the South Park neighborhood of South Seattle, near where I live. I resisted the location this past week and you can see the ‘changes’ that have taken place in less than a year. I couldn’t get in the house in March as it had about 3-4 feet of debris in each room-who knows what was in that mess? Now, the house has suffered a major fire ( arson, most likely) and it is mostly a charred ruin. The lot it sits on has been cleaned of dead cars and all sorts of other trash and is now barricaded off with huge cement blocks and cable. At one time this house had a great territorial view and was probably someones pride and joy.
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