Album
Case / Emerson-Brantingham Agricultural Implement Factory Office
This is the upper level loft of the office building of the Emerson-Brantingham factory in Rockford, Illinois (now demolished)
This powerhouse of industry employed 5,000 from 1905, when the city’s population was 50,000, including elderly, women and children. The company manufactured carriage, wagons, plows, farm implements, and eventually evolved into J.I. Case Co.
The sprawling manufacturing facility encompassed a 24 building, 175-acre complex, and was the largest modern agricultural implement machinery facility in the world at the time.
A close neighboring company was lurking in the wings. J.I. Case out of Racine, Wisconsin watched closely as Emerson Brantingham fell further and further behind. Their particularly keen interest was in the plant and facilities and the 28 vital patents that Emerson Brantingham held.
Finally, in November 1928, the Emerson Brantingham Company fell to the hands of J. I. Case. For what it's worth, Emerson Brantingham was one of the last of over 800 implement companies to fall prey to the times.
J.I. Case continued to manufacture agricultural implements at its Rockford works until 1970 when they closed the aging manufacturing facility. Finding no buyers for the sprawling complex, Case donated the site and 1.4 million square feet of buildings to the City of Rockford for use as the City Yards. It was demolished sometime between 2023 and 2024.
Case / Emerson-Brantingham Agricultural Implement Factory - Rockford, IL
The office building of the Emerson-Brantingham Manufacturing
This powerhouse of industry employed 5,000 from 1905, when the city’s population was 50,000, including elderly, women and children. The company manufactured carriage, wagons, plows, farm implements, and eventually evolved into J.I. Case Co.
The sprawling manufacturing facility encompassed a 24 building, 175-acre complex was the largest modern agricultural implement machinery facility in the world at the time.
A close neighboring company was lurking in the wings. J.I. Case out of Racine, Wisconsin watched closely as Emerson Brantingham fell further and further behind. Their particularly keen interest was in the plant and facilities and the 28 vital patents that Emerson Brantingham held.
Finally, in November 1928, the Emerson Brantingham Company fell to the hands of J. I. Case. For what it's worth, Emerson Brantingham was one of the last of over 800 implement companies to fall prey to the times.
J. I. Case continued to manufacture agricultural implements at its Rockford works until 1970 when they closed the aging manufacturing facility. Finding no buyers for the sprawling complex, Case donated the site and 1.4 million square feet of buildings to the City of Rockford for use as the City Yards. It was demolished between 2023 and 2024.
The Children Are Our Future...
Gundlach School was constructed in 1931 in the Jacobethan style. This historic structure boasts over 35,000 square feet, terrazzo floors, marble work, woodwork, and intricately designed railings and light fixtures. The school, like hundreds of others in the greater St. Louis area, was constructed in the quintessential "Ittner" style, named after the leading school architect of the early 20th century, William B. Ittner.
Wayne Braslerw attended a nearby school, but frequently found himself in Gundlach in the 1950s. "Gundlach impressed with its wide hallways, linoleum floors and something Laclede (my school) did not offer - a lunchroom! With really delicious dining! At the time, St. Louis public schools ranked among the best in the nation and the most creative."
Gundlach closed forever in 2009. The public school system in St Louis is currently offering it up for sale to private developers.
Gundlach School
Gundlach School was constructed in 1931 in the Jacobethan style. This historic structure boasts over 35,000 square feet, terrazzo floors, marble work, woodwork, and intricately designed railings and light fixtures. The school, like hundreds of others in the greater St. Louis area, was constructed in the quintessential "Ittner" style, named after the leading school architect of the early 20th century, William B. Ittner.
Wayne Braslerw attended a nearby school, but frequently found himself in Gundlach in the 1950s. "Gundlach impressed with its wide hallways, linoleum floors and something Laclede (my school) did not offer - a lunchroom! With really delicious dining! At the time, St. Louis public schools ranked among the best in the nation and the most creative."
Gundlach closed forever in 2009. The public school system in St Louis is currently offering it up for sale to private developers.
Gundlach School
Gundlach School was constructed in 1931 in the Jacobethan style. This historic structure boasts over 35,000 square feet, terrazzo floors, marble work, woodwork, and intricately designed railings and light fixtures. The school, like hundreds of others in the greater St. Louis area, was constructed in the quintessential "Ittner" style, named after the leading school architect of the early 20th century, William B. Ittner.
Wayne Braslerw attended a nearby school, but frequently found himself in Gundlach in the 1950s. "Gundlach impressed with its wide hallways, linoleum floors and something Laclede (my school) did not offer - a lunchroom! With really delicious dining! At the time, St. Louis public schools ranked among the best in the nation and the most creative."
Gundlach closed forever in 2009. The public school system in St Louis is currently offering it up for sale to private developers.
What Remains. Third Church of Christ Scientist and Karpeles Library Museum.
Historic artifacts, including a copy of the proclamation of France's approval of the Louisiana Purchase and a yearbook from Fidel Castro's high school, were rescued Tuesday night from a four-alarm fire that damaged the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in St. Louis.
About 80 firefighters rushed in and out of the museum, housed in what was once the Third Church of Christ, Scientist, hauling out armloads of one-of-a-kind documents, manuscripts, statues and intricately carved wooden ship models, even as they battled 8-foot-high flames.
"They knew they were in a museum," Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's like, 'Don't leave empty-handed. Grab something and get it out of here.' "
Since opening in August 2015, exhibits at the St. Louis branch have included "a Gutenberg Bible, the Confederate Constitution, a map from the Spanish Armada, Babe Ruth's first baseball contract, the first draft of the Bill of Rights, and Columbus' handwritten letter describing the coasts of America in his last voyage of discovery."
Battelstein's Wig - Houston Texas
Battelstein's was Houston's earliest and largest department store. Philip Battelstein built this "multimillion dollar merchandising firm from a handmade tailor’s bench” and he immigrated to America at the age of 13 with just $.50 in his pocket. In 1897, he moved to Houston, where he opened a shop in a 12 ft. x 12 ft. space in the Prince Theater building next to Sweeney and Combs Opera House.
The first shop burned down, but Philip opened another at 618 Main Street. His sons, Abe and Henry eventually joined him in the growing business. In 1924, the store again suffered from a fire and Battelstein - again - opened another shop on Main Street.
By the mid-twentieth century, Houstonians were becoming more prosperous with the growth of the oil industry, and downtown was the leading area for retail shopping. Houston's population grew from just under 50,000 in 1900 to over half a million by 1950.
Thus, Battelstein’s business went from a "small tailoring shop to a glittering many-storied downtown store." By 1950, Battelstein’s enlarged to include 10 floors in its downtown location and added a lady’s shoe department. After many decades of great success in Houston the retail enterprise was closed in 1981. #abandoned #houston #texas #retailapocalypse #nightphotography #lightpainting
Northridge Mall, Milwaukee, WI
We met up with some amazing people in Milwaukee who brought us to the vandalized ruins of the Northridge Mall (opened in 1972). Northridge is one of the last remaining dead malls of America. Others, such as Rolling Acres (Akron, OH) or Dixie Square (Harvey, IL) are long gone. Northridge is close to that fate. "The city wants to pull the plug," said a Milwaukee Magazine article. "But a nebulous, name-changing, promise-unfulfilling [corporation] with unclear intentions is keeping the ventilator plugged in." The million-square-foot building almost seems cursed - starting in 1992, Jesse Anderson stabbed his wife to death in the parking lot and claimed that two African American men were to blame. Later, it was revealed that Anderson (a White man) fabricated the story. More recently, 37-year-old father-of-six, Victor Diaz (a handyman at the abandoned mall) died after being electrocuted by a damaged transformer outside the mall (likely due to vandals or copper thieves).
It's possible the Northridge Mall could have been reused, but the building's corporate owners neglected to keep the building heated. Earlier owners placed thermometers along the walls of the building and asked the building to be kept at least above 32 degrees. When journalist Andy Tarnoff visited the building in 2012, he noted that the thermometers were all below freezing. Undoubtedly, pipes burst that winter, causing irreperable water damage.
By 2019, the City of Milwaukee ordered the demolition of the building and later that year, Victor Diaz was electrocuted while trying to repair a fuse box. Ironically (and perhaps unsurprisingly) this symbol of conspicuous consumption is now beyond salvage. Even worse, taxpayers will be partly responsible for its demolition and removal. In December of 2023, Governor Tony Evers awarded a $15 million American Rescue Plan Act grant to cover the demolition costs of this private development...
Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church Theatre
The basement theater of Mary Manse College. The building originally housed the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church, which was originally founded in Toledo, Ohio in 1894. In 1958, an arsonist's fire destroyed much of the interior and the congregation move elsewhere, leaving the 1890s church vacant. Mary Manse College bought the property in 1960, and started raising money to convert it into a library. Over the next seven years a flat roof replaced the original peaked one lost in the fire, and the nave was converted into a three-story library holding 52,000 books. A 154-seat auditorium was installed in the basement, along with audio / visual rooms and offices. Construction was completed in the spring of 1967.
Mary Manse College closed in 1975 due to financial problems. In 1991, the building was bought and reopened by a small Church of God in Christ congregation, which used the first floor for services. Exactly when the church left is unknown, but the building has since fallen into deep disrepair, with water ruining the remaining books and causing heavy structural damage.
Schmit Family Farm, Bryant, Indiana
Not much is known about the Schmit family of Bryant, Indiana. I discovered that their family was large and Catholic. The Schmits were committed to agriculture, and had a long history in the community of supporting the FFA and 4-H. Schmit children served in the armed forces and had a deep conviction to their faith and country. Campaign paraphrenelia in their home indicates that they supported the Wallace-LeMay campaign of 1968 (Wallace was a strong supporter in states rights for racial segregation). In the end, Nixon won, and we all know how that turned out...
Notes in the home indicate that the final resident was Robert "Bob" F. Schmit, who passed away Dec 5, 2019, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Bob was well liked and respected in his small, rural community, receiving the Citizen of the Year award in 2012 and recognized in the FFA Ag Hall of Fame. He enjoyed taking friends and family members to the Indianapolis 500. He owned a number of classic cars, which - to this day - sit abandoned on his property. He was the first among his many siblings to pass away. His home - the historic home of his parents and siblings - sits abandoned and collapsing in Bryant, Indiana.
As a photographer, I am conflicted in sharing these private family moments and artifacts. I enjoy sharing the stories (controversial and complicated) of the past, but I never want to judge or implicate a particular family for their own experiences until they can speak for themselves. I appreciate their past, but I also know that we are moving forward as a country and as a culture. There are scores of families like the Schmits - who may have possibly moved politically/culturally forward themselves (I hope). I know I have invaded their privacy, and for that I hope I am forgiven. I am only sharing a moment in the past, despite its flaws and distance. I hope we can accept that people change.
Tanner's Creek Generating Station
Tanner's Creek was a large, 1100-MWe coal-fired power plant along the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Its four generating units, ranging in capacity from 153 MW to 580MW were put into service between 1951 and 1964. In 2015, Indiana Michigan Power announced that the plant would close, and 92 workers were subsequently laid off. The company decided to idle the plant in order to meet EPA emission standards. The plant was sold to St. Louis–based Commercial Development Company in October 2016 with the ultimate intention of converting the property into the Indiana's fourth port. The building, generating units, and smokestack have since been demolished, heralding an era of new, cleaner energy for the region. Special thanks to @Lisa for sharing.
Marble Window Sill - Edgewood / Queen City Nursing Home
A. E. Burckhardt House / Edgewood / Queen City Nursing Home was built in 1886 as the "country" estate of Bavarian-born furrier Adam Edward Burkhardt. The renowned Cincinnati architectural firm of Samuel Hannaford & Sons was hired to design a lavish Romanesque, Queen Anne, and Victorian-style mansion that contained 33 rooms with ten bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and approximately 8,000 square feet of living space.
In all of Avondale there is no place more beautiful than Edgewood, the home of Mrs. A.E. Burkhardt, and in all the annals of Cincinnati’s social history, no reception has excelled in sumptuous appointment the one she gave yesterday to meet her niece, Miss Clara Erkenbrecher. The house of stone is built on the edge of one of the most picturesque woods in the Ohio valley and has a far-away view from every outlook.
In 1892, the Cincinnati Enquirer described the mansion as having an "interior is of royal magnificence, with its rare painting and statuary pieces from the A. T. Stewart collection, bric-a-brac picked up at intervals in Europe, and an abundant wealth of the floral world filled the house with delicious perfume and added to the general gorgeous effect... The rooms above the stairs were greatly admired, especially the Moorish room, and Mr. Albert Erkenbrecher’s bachelor quarters on the third floor."
After several owners, the mansion was converted into the Queen City Rest Home in 1946, later becoming the Queen City Nursing Home. The mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1980 and remained in operation as a nursing home with 37 beds until 2004. It was acquired for $250,000 in 2005 and was proposed for demolition in 2014.
Gabe's Tower in Owensboro, Kentucky
Gabe's Tower was a 1963 motel, which made it likely to be the oldest freestanding, cylindrical tower in the country of its kind. With its groovy cylindrical form, its pastel-paneled façade, its 12th-floor restaurant and cocktail lounge, and its heated roof garden with swimming pool and retractable glass roof by local architect R. Ben Johnson (1921-2009) for restaurateur and local legend, Gabe Fiorella, Sr. (1900-1977), Gabe's Tower was the hippest place in town in the 1960s and ‘70s.
The tower was owned for a period of time with intentions of being converted into housing for homeless veterans. Plans fell through and the city of Ownesboro put out an RFP for development proposals in November of 2019. Nobody came forward and the city soon demolished Gabe's. Gabe's no longer exists.
Loch Sheldrake Diner turned Laundromat
The former Hollywood Diner is a Kullman from the 1940s. It was gutted for use as a laundromat and has been abandoned for years.
The property was included in the book 'Diners of New York' by Michael Engle and Mario Monti, First Edition, 2008. The following is an excerpt taken from page 202: "The former Hollywood Diner is in Loch Sheldrake, five miles east of Liberty on Route 52. This shell of a Kullman Challenger diner from the 1930s sits near the lake."
Gundlach School
Gundlach School was constructed in 1931 in the Jacobethan style. This historic structure boasts over 35,000 square feet, terrazzo floors, marble work, woodwork, and intricately designed railings and light fixtures. The school, like hundreds of others in the greater St. Louis area, was constructed in the quintessential "Ittner" style, named after the leading school architect of the early 20th century, William B. Ittner.
Wayne Braslerw attended a nearby school, but frequently found himself in Gundlach in the 1950s. "Gundlach impressed with its wide hallways, linoleum floors and something Laclede (my school) did not offer - a lunchroom! With really delicious dining! At the time, St. Louis public schools ranked among the best in the nation and the most creative."
Gundlach closed forever in 2009. The public school system in St Louis is currently offering it up for sale to private developers.
