The Ruins of Detroit by Marchand and Meffre
Detroit is a city seething with irony. This beautiful city rose out of the Detroit River on the might of the industrial revolution– yet as that revolution fades into history, so does this city seem to fall right back into the flowing water. Detroit, Michigan swelled to 2 million residents strong at the peak of the auto industry’s growth. Later in 1967, the city was crushed by race riots and a resulting exodus of most of its population into the suburbs. Plants closed, business shuttered, and this misunderstood city fell into a deep depression.
There are some, however, who see beauty in urban decay. Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre are amongst these ruins seekers whose passion took them to the Motor City. Their photo novel titled “Ruins of Detroit” is a touching look into the pain and beauty this city has in its difficult history. While this city rose to prosperity on the back of industrial progress, these pictures show the high water mark before it sank into a depression of cultural and economic bankruptcy. [see the full gallery at marchandmeffre.com via dailytonic]
My home town May 6, 1935 I try not to look back.——Doug Rosbury
I am from Saginaw but lived in Detroit a few years as a kid. I remeber a lot of good times at the theater.
The decay of the Auto industry is like rust to metal on the historic buildings of that once great city.
i miss it. Great Pics.
From afar, the beauty of the city’s architecture is still visible amid the decrepitude. Like wrinkles on a pretty face…
AMAZING. I am a young woman and I get chills thinking of these places and of how they would have been in the 50′s & 60′s. The memories of happy people, blissfully and ignorantly walking into these rooms each day, and now these buildings are in ruins. I know everything must come to an end but it’s like looking at the Titanic. Forever frozen, locked like a capsule in time. Amazing, good work.
Detroit i love this city it will live again they all look like great sites for a rave too..?
My lovely childhood home…Looks like Chernobyl!
I have appraised several houses both small and large in this decaying city. My company is hired by HUD, Fannie Mae, Fifth Third, Chase, Bank of America and others to go into these dwelling and give a fair market value to the banks after they have foreclosed on them.
The blight and stench stays with you long after you exit the city. Squatters are not uncommon, Often when you enter you are welcomed with a smell that makes you worry what you will find. Like these photo’s and one of the other comments left here, I see the beauty and wonder about these homes when occupants resided here and cared for the homes, parents helped kids with homework. I have read the Detroit Almanac cover to cover and it shares what a great city it once was. The blight can be attributed to so many different things, Greedy unions, politicians, mis management, suburban sprawl, corrupt mayors, under paid teachers, drugs and prostitutes, break downs in the family units, etc,etc. Each one, another brick on the back of a city that already struggled and eventually succumbed to the weight. Kwame Kilpatrick and his gang of thugs, are out and maybe we can move forward a little bit at a time.
Tedd Davis
Beautiful photo’s of a once beautiful city. Everything bad that can happen to a city has happened to Detroit…a picture says a thousand words.