Union Station
September 1st, 2007
Archive
Archive for the ‘Buildings’ Category
Bits
August 5th, 2007
Gabriel (Flickr, Website) who I know from Flickr wanted to take photos at the old Titan Tire complex. I wanted to do another visit anyway to get more shots of the “itsy bits.”
Gears and sprockets
This spiral staircase was awesome. If it wasn’t outrageously hot and humid I would have spent more time perfecting it.
My excellent planning skills selected one of the most unbearably uncomfortable weekends. I could barely see through my viewfinder anymore from all the sweat smeared on the glass. Enough is enough, back to A/C.
Elk Horn Windmill
July 27th, 2007
We stopped in Elk Horn, IA to check out their authentic windmill. Elk Horn is the largest rural Danish community outside of Denmark. In two years the small town raised $100,000 and recruited 300 volunteers to locate, purchase, move and rebuild a windmill. This is what they found, shipped from Denmark in 1975. Shipping across the ocean alone costed $8,000 USD.
Des Moines Skyline
July 24th, 2007
I’m always a sucker for these downtown Des Moines skyline shots.
Buildings, Des Moines, Downtown, Greatest Hits, Night, Outdoor
Welcome to the Machine
July 14th, 2007
This is the third and last post of this urban exploration series at Titan Distribution just outside of downtown Des Moines, IA.
Abandoned Warehouses
? This building was extra deteriorated.? There were warning signs stating that some of the machinery uses acid in the manufacturing process.? I have a feeling this is no coincidence.
? You can see the stairs on the ground to the right that were cut from the 2nd floor to keep people from going up there.
Industrial Waste
July 14th, 2007
This is the 2nd? in a series of? posts from urban exploration at this abandoned tire factory complex.? Now we start getting into the interesting stuff.
? Copy cat!
Scavengers have already stolen all the copper wiring to sell as scrap.
? Transformers, more than meets the eye.
? Opened water boiler
? The stairways to the top floor were cut with a welding torch.? The only way up is to climb the wall.
? Roof access through the doorway.
? Cops are here now!? Time to go assholes.
? Quality computer equipment
? Phone board, with paper towel holder mounted.
Poop room is this way
Welcome to Heartbreak Ridge.
Break room
Kitchen
Sexy collage to encourage usage of safety glasses.
Buildings, Des Moines, Graffiti, Greatest Hits, Urban Exploration
Titanic Canvas
July 13th, 2007
This is the first post in a series of a couple taken from the old abandoned Titan Tire location near the Des Moines River.? Titan primarily makes off-road, agricultural, and construction tires. ? Like other locations that have been abandoned by Titan, this one has been sitting for years.? Several sources have spoken of a chemical spill that occured here and has deterred prospective buyers.? One source claims that this site is finally changing hands and may find a use in the near future.?
The bottom two feet of all surrounding trees and brush have been cleared.? Apparently this is an attempt to destroy places to hide from the police.? Some of the buildings seemed to have similar features to help police enforce the complex when called upon.
? Very old? equipment for banding cartons and crates the old fashioned way.
The first few buildings we looked at were the most heavily covered in grafitti.
? Epic?? Must be a popular word these days.
? This made my day.? Graffiti of Master Shake and Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim.
OMG, it’s OMK!
Every skeleton needs a bow in it’s hair!
Graffiti on graffiti?? “I eat babys.”? What’s your thing?
Buildings, Des Moines, Graffiti, Greatest Hits, Urban Exploration
Douglas Relic
June 21st, 2007
Noticing evidence? that this building may be resurrected soon, I wanted to capture it in it’s derelict state.
This is some Mexican restaurant a few buildings down that’s being remodeled.
View with a Room
May 26th, 2007
We stayed at the Marriot in downtown Des Moines
Looking South of downtown Des Moines
Just borrowing? a cart?
When it Rains it Pours
April 26th, 2007
We had a little reminder of the floods no one will ever forget.
? What is now white water rapids? usually is only a tiny gentle babbling creek.
? There won’t be any concerts tonight at the Simon Estes Ampitheater.
? The Des Moines River near 9th Ave has bloated into a lake.
? See the high water at the far bridge.? Debris from the shores of the river have been swept up by the high waters.
Gray’s Lake flooded.? It became an extension of the river.
Beauty extracted from destruction.
Parking lot at Gray’s Lake Park.
I think it’s safe to call the game off.
Half of the building is under water, but the light is still on.
? The water at this point is almost over the stop sign.? I’m sure I didn’t catch it at it’s highest either.
? Streets vanish into the water
? Fluer Drive closed, water over road.
? Fluer Drive flooded.
Water closing in on the new MLK bridge.
No need to evacuate.? It’s already abandoned.? Possibly from last flood?
Judicial Splendor
April 18th, 2007
“If we don’t spend the money, we’ll lose it.”
? This pagoda must be a gift from a sister city of ours in Japan.? I’m sure someone had a difficult task to decide on a location where this would best blend in.
I’ve Been Used
April 18th, 2007
Urban? exploration from a safe distance…? Outside the buildings.? I’d love to go inside but the whole breaking and entering thing is overrated.? Unlike large cities, Des Moines is real quick to board up entries to abandoned buildings.
Mad skills with bricks.? They just don’t do brick laying like this anymore, it was an art.
Above ground? wiring and terminations are sexy
? The Crane Co. building’s sole use? is as as a tower for cell phone antennaes.? The wiring rises up the side of the building to the top.? There’s a short mast on top.
? Dwarfed.? It’s days are limited.
? Work needed
? Unbreakable
? Take pride in safety.
? Scrap heap overflowing.
? The end of a street.? Mounds and mounds of junk.? People actually live next to this disaster.
? Parker Oil Company, Conoco.? For lease.
Capitol Rewards
April 16th, 2007
? Municipal building in Des Moines, Iowa.? Ice skating facility to the left.? Supposedly it’s used for other activities in the summer.
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Famous Court Avenue bridge
Old railroad bridge.? Are those old power lines dangling?
? New pedestrian bridge with built in lookout.
? Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, claimed by many to be the most beautiful capitol in the country.? Some day I’ll get shots from the inside.
? Sunset at the Iowa State Capitol
IA Capitol
? Downtown Des Moines Skyline
Downtown Des Moines at Night
Skyline picture? of Des Moines
Tangled Angles
March 14th, 2007
? I? tried to get more downtown shots from different angles.? I couldn’t find the right place to take these from, so they all sucked.? Every place I went either a building, power lines, or something was in the way.? I think the pro shots that you see local businesses use were taken from rooftops of buildings.? Unfortunately I don’t have the backstage passes that they get.? Maybe some day I’ll find a way or meet someone who can get me there.
? Obstructed again.? Of course I’m not showing all my failed attempts at finding the right spot.? There were far too many.
? I’ll take a few of those right now, good sir.
? Graffiti by Omok.
? Ruan Center 2 and Marriot.
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“Just get me something real economical”? (Economical Auto Sales, Des Moines)
Greater Density of Des Moines
March 8th, 2007
? A photo tour of some areas on the Southwest end of downtown Des Moines.? After recently purchasing my Nikon D40, I wanted to try it out and see how it does.? There’s always something to take a picture of downtown.
? Looking down 10th, crossing Cherry St.
? Very old Lumbard Building at 22 ninth.? It’s just a couple feet from the 9th st. viaduct, keeping the property value well below the surrounding area.
? Looking underneath the 9th St. viaduct at the South side of downtown Des Moines.
? Allied Insurance parking garage
? Trains running through downtown.
Person in? blue coat has interesting luggage
? Lofts or apartments downtown
Neat fire escape.? Look at the curve in the handrails at the landings.? ? Instead of a 90 degree elbow they made a large rounded bend in the metal.
? Wells Fargo Financial parking lot
? Shadows at sunset
? 801 Grand Ave, tallest building in Iowa
? Bird flying
? DART bus (previously MTA)
? EMC Insurance building
? Wells Fargo Financial
? Hotel Fort Des Moines.? As you can see they tore down the parking lot and are building something here.? Soon the view of this historic hotel will be obstructed once again.
Reflecting on Life
? Old Buck and Company building.? I believe it has been just a warehouse for a very long time.
? One of the more interesting skywalks.? Each skywalk is custom made to go with the buildings they are attached to.? The outside and inside decor is made to blend with the connecting buildings.? Sometimes the height of floors in one building is larger than a connecting building.? They have to taper the height on one end to make it seamless.
? A dark, gritty alley underneath a building.? It’s much more gritty than this picture shows.
Ruan Center in downtown Des Moines, IA.? This is the tallest rusticated steel building in America.? The metal is built to continually look rusty.
801 Grand? Avenue again
? Mulberry Lofts
Tin canopy
Hotel Fort Des Moines from the back.? Different colored brick from floor to floor.
? Allied elevator bank.
Stop!? Mulberry street lights shine through parking garage.
New downtown DSM library
Downtown at Night 2
February 22nd, 2007
Continuing from the first page…?
? Skywalks everywhere in Des Moines.
? Hidden behind a parking lot and under a skywalk, I found this dungeon with bars above the door yet the wall doesn’t quite reach the ceiling.? I’m guessing this is just a detterent to keep homeless from making this area into a home.
? Several skywalks in the background.
? 801 Grand, tallest building in Des Moines and IA I believe.
? Another one of 801 Grand.
? Above street parking.
? Under pass or overpass?
? This is the loading area at the Marriott downtown.
? The Marriot.
Why use boring blinds when you can put? up sails.? I have no clue what this space is or how this looks on the inside, but? it’s definitely interesting from the outside.
? Just another parking garage.
I hope to someday return with the camera and grab pictures from other areas downtown.
Downtown at Night
February 22nd, 2007
Urban landscape pictures from downtown Des Moines.? I really like architectual photos so I hope to do more in the future.?
This? isn’t? even downtown, but it was on the way and I had to get a picture of it.? This is a mural on the side of the Italian American Cultural Center of Iowa.
A further away shot of Downtown Des Moines, showing the tallest buildings.? The building on the right with the lights on it’s edges is the Ruan Building.? 801 Grand is the tallest building.? The brightest one, to the left of that, is EMC Insurance I think.
? Driving under a sky walk.
? Another skywalk with a couple more in the background.? Des Moines is crazy about skywalks.? According to the city, skywalks make up more blocks per capita in Des Moines than in any other city of a comparable size in the U.S.? It has become a sort of status symbol for businesses.? If you have a building downtown, apparently adding a skywalk link shows that you’re important and that you have money.? According to? Wikipedia:Skywalk? Des Moines, IA has 30 blocks connected via skywalks, with over 3.5 miles of length.?
Many cities that have built skywalks are realizing that it was a bad idea.? They reduce ground level traffic, eliminating retail on first floors.? To get to 2nd floor businesses on the skywalk, you have to obviously find stairs or an elevator up from the street level.? In some places you may have to walk a block or so to find an open business with access to the 2nd floor skywalk.? Also? even in much larger cities? it creates a ghost town effect? because people are? split between two levels.? Read http://www.walkablestreets.com/skywalk.htm? for more information on skywalks backfiring.? ? Some cities are taking theirs down in the name of downtown revival.? I just heard on the news that we approved to add a couple more links on the South-West end for the Allied Insurance complex.?
Very interesting windows, with what looks like a tinted pane in the middle of each.
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A neon sign for The Travelers.? I think it’s an insurance company but other than the sign, I’ve never heard of them.? Since the sign is still lit, they must be in business still.
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? Read much?? Nine different news dispensers.
This appears to be a retirement / nursing home.? Check out the different colors you see through the windows of rooms with lights on.? I’m not sure if it’s window coverings or painted walls that are creating this.
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? Skywalk to the convention center.
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Fire escape
See? Page 2? for more.