"Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus" Photo

Photographer’s Note

The title words were spoken by a priest when a then small western outpost burned to the ground in 1805. That little outpost was Detroit and the man who said that was the beloved priest Father Gabriel Richard who went above and beyond in improving Detroit.

And here is the result of a more recent fire. It was another one of Detroit's historic buildings lost. At one time it housed the Studebaker automobile company before serving various other functions in its century long life. It had seen the rise and fall of the automobile in Detroit with Ford's first large assembly facility across the street, a Fisher Body plant a block down and numbers other facilities nearby. The area been called "The Cradle of the Automobile" for its role in putting America and the World on wheels. It saw a metropolis born through fire, the fire of industry. It saw the city boom from a moderate sized midwestern town to a worker's utopia of 2 million in just a few decades. And it saw the pride and hope everyone had in the greatest industrial center the world had ever known.

Then it stopped and it saw that population dwindle away as the city collapsed under industrial abandonment and racial divides. It saw the once respected and revered city turn into a ghost of its former self that was constantly abused by the entire nation who used its problems to symbolize of all the problems they did not want to admit to. And even the factory itself ended up mostly empty with a meat market tucked into a corner of its vast spaces.

And so here it was 2 days after a blazing inferno ravaged the building turning another once proud symbol into a pile of bricks and iron. Firefighters were still spraying down the stubborn fire then. And now, 2 months later, the debris is being cleared out and another empty block among so many others is appearing on the city's landscape.

And despite all that has been lost one must remember the words of Gabriel Richard after the 1805 fire.

"Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus"

"We hope for better things; it shall rise from the ashes"

And it rose to incredible heights then and there is no reason that it can't once more.

You can see the previous two posts of the ruins in

"A Day in the Life"

"What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"

Rinie_Hoff, supereira, wilkinsonsg, elihesamian, nwoehnl, Tue, jhm, john_c, kajenn, bertolucci trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

snuggleaphagus (4140) 2005-08-12 0:37

Hi paul this is so good because it shows light and dark. sort of like destruction brings on csntruction which goes so well with the tittle. I really like the colors but the water and the shapes it creates is very good.
I like the foreground with so much rubble and so clear I want to reach and take a little piece o brick between my fingers as memory.
beautiful composition well anchored on the left by the building and countered by the water and fire person.

cgrindahl (6109) 2005-08-12 2:32

These are wonderful additions to TE Paul, showing as they do what all too often happens in rust belt cities where disinvestment leads to dilapidation, leads to scenes like this. Although I ran a redevelopment agency for many years, it always pained me to see our heritage so easily abandoned in favor of newer, generally more sterile, development. We look at the beauty of Europe and Asia where veneration for the physical world inherited from generations past stands alongside efforts at economic development. They seem to exist there, even as we continue our profligate ways, our commitment to disposability rather than preservation.

This is a fine photo Paul, even in its grimness. You give us the diagonal from the upper left corner as well as in the fire engine ladder at the right. And the square format works really well, compressing the elements, much the way the mass of twisted steel and debris appears compressed at the left. Forgive me, however, for not liking this photo at all... :-( I doubt anyone who loves history as much as I do would appreciate the scene you depict, nor the story you tell in your note.

Rinie_Hoff (9332) 2005-08-12 3:00

Hi Paul, another one of the sad event of that fire, you note is very good, but deepens the sad feeling, because you describe so well what the building has been, has seen, and has meant to generations of people, and to the city. It is usually not a improvement when these beautiful old buildings with so much history disappear, because what replaces them is often not that nice. Or am I just being nostalgic?

This is a nice composition, Paul, I like the lines and the diagonals. The pile of iron debris is well placed in the frame, the parts of the building still standing, add a lot of drama.

supereira (9576) 2005-08-12 4:38

Great shot.I like it.I like the contrast between the light and dark.Good composition and poin of view.Great colors,light,textures and sharpness.Great details.Very good job!

wilkinsonsg (8646) 2005-08-12 5:16

Moving notes and image - we in the UK have experienced very similar events regarding our industries - to the extent that I wonder what we actualy produce now - hey ho - Nothing changes - it's always changing.

elihesamian (26091) 2005-08-12 10:24

Last week we had a sad and bad happening in this point in our big group,1/4 of a big factory gone with fire,milions $ gone,but fortunately no body injured,and all were glad for this point.
The shot is very familiar and tangible for me,this is very strong in your serie,Paul,and you note/story made it stronger and important and fine.
very well worked with a great dynamism,a sad dynamism!
Thanks Paul
Best Wishes
M

nwoehnl (120) 2005-08-12 14:29

Well, reading your title I am glad to report that my knowledge of Latin is still holding up ;-) Your ongoing exploration of this theme is yielding another compelling photo here, where the working firemen rising above the layers of rubble make an essential compositional element. It seems the light was quite difficult but you handled it well to get a good result. And of course another fabulous job with the notes, thanks Paul.

Tue (25608) 2005-08-12 16:25

Hi Paul,
This destroyed place doesn't make a very 'happy' picture, but it gives a beautiful one instead. The PoV and composition are both very good. Good idea as well to take such a picture, well done.
Groeten,
Lars

jhm (82909) 2005-08-13 11:58

Hi Paul,
Very nice serie of this old factory, and very interesting note too, it's sad for looking but your picture give a great composition.
have a nice weekend Paul.
Greetings,
John

john_c (24635) 2005-08-14 12:19

Hi Paul,
A very effective presentation of the fire's aftermath. The large format is especially suitable in conveying the full dimensions of the disaster. The red glowing bricks contrast well with the sombre hulking ruins of steel and pale sky. A memorable scene, and a good follow up to your two previous posts. As your note says, one must remember Gabriel's words.
John

kajenn (2325) 2005-08-15 19:07

A sad occasion, Paul, and a great picture - the best one of the three - and a fantastic note, especially when it shows some optimism in a moment when it's the most difficult. A great man and a great example this priest - continue in his spirit! You've made a great composition of these piles of debris, almost making the bricks look beautiful in the different shades of red and the twisted iron serve as a dramatic backdrop. The low POV works well and makes the firefighters on the ladder look so small. Very well done!

bertolucci (11976) 2005-08-18 13:54

Hi Paul, this perhaps not the most visually pleasing one of your fascinating and evocative Studebaker triptych, but it's certainly the most dramatic. You narrow things down to only smoldering bricks and contorted iron and the fire fighting equip which arrived too late. Together with your very good and very well written note it paints the dark history of industrial Detroit very well. And yet in ends with a hopeful note. This is really good.
Regards from Rotterdam,
Bert.

Stepan (27175) 2005-08-19 14:35

What an apocalypse !
The contrats and colors are strong and the frame right.
Well done.
Stéphane

jrzufferey (7249) 2005-08-20 9:13

Salut Paul, tu es vraiment excellent dans ta série images apycalyptiques. Amicalement/jr

Polonaise (5638) 2006-03-04 19:27

I am not quite sure what I should cherish more - your amazing, journalistic style photos or your highest class notes.
Well, I believe I have to accomodate both of these elements, just by organizing some departments of information in my brains.
I also will ask you for some rather weird help with my intentions on this site, but I rather send you an e-mail about this - instead.
Your fan
George

Photo Information

Copyright: Paul Mastrogiacomo (pamastro) (7213)
Genre: Lieux
Medium: Couleur
Date Taken: 2005-06-22
Categories: Ruines
Camera: Olympus C-5000, 38-114mm 1:2.8-4.8, Olympus xD Pic Card
Exposition: f/5.6, 1/320 secondes
Map: view
Versions: version originale
Thème(s): Fire!, My Personal Favorites, Fire in the Cradle [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-08-12 0:32