Fernwood West III
A few more photos from my Fernwood series.
These buildings are all on the west side of the Fernwood neighbourhood, near to or along Cook Street.
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Canon EOS 5Dii, Nikkor-N 24mm/f2.8 lens, ISO100, +/- 2.0 E.V.
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burnt embers 
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Awesome essay. The big question is whether the neighborhood that is going to replace this old one will inspire us to photograph 😉
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Joseph – you seem to be setting up a challenge! I think a lot of photos are taken in this area, though many probably of lowish quality, it is likely to be pretty well documented. I expect I will take pictures in this area from time to time as I have other reasons to come here, and sometimes with camera.
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Don’t even get me started on the whole concept of development!! Argh! So much of our rich history is lost to these modern, glass structures that seem to be absolutely bereft of any character. I love this series, one of my favorites from your studio lately, Ehpem. It really speaks to a matter that is very meaningful to us. Well done!
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Hi Toad – I am pleased you like this series. One could spend months photographing Fernwood and not be anywhere near done documenting it, let along getting the best shots possible.
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“Numbered days” is right. I hate to see beautiful buildings boarded up like this. “The Normandie” is a gorgeous building and a great photos, too.
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Me too, and with chipboard just seems to make it that much worse.
The Normandie is a fine building – I think it its future is probably less in jeopardy, it seems well maintained and I think is a pretty desirable place to live.
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This set hang well together. I really like the balance to the last one.
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Thanks Andy – I did a version of that one in an earlier post that was in colour, but I liked it in black and white better, and this crop is also an improvement.
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What is going to happen to the place with the land use application sign on it? Also – I like the fence that has the sign language alphabet on it; I tried to figure out what it said, but couldn’t make it out completely. (I think “world” is the last part, though.)
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Hi Melinda. That place is seeking rezoning approval and I expect will have a condo or apartment building in its place. The little blue cottage in an earlier post is next door and has the same sign on it too (and the same fence from the looks of it – you can see the back of the one in today’s post in that earlier photo).
I fear for all of these buildings – I think it is the same old story. Investors buy them not for their character but for their location, rent them out, don’t maintain them, erode their heritage value through neglect and then persuade City Council to rezone and let them tear them down.
While we do need higher density housing as the city grows, we also need to preserve some of the old character and to keep small houses for those that can’t afford big ones and that want a yard and so on. I hope that this part of town won’t go too far in the redevelopment direction. It already has some very unsightly apartment buildings that ruin the feel of the neighbourhood.
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It’s the same everywhere, I guess. Here in Lubbock, an area near the university was completely cleared out – it had been single family homes built (mostly) just before World War II. Most of the houses rental properties and were run-down. A developer bought up the entire area (1 mile wide by 1/2 mile) and cleared out everything. Now it’s filled with apartment complexes catering to students, and garden homes (whatever THAT means), and some tacky single family houses that are supposed to look like what was there originally. It’s awful. The same developer has a contract with the City to “revitalize” downtown, and he’s making noises about how he “has” to tear down everything and start over because “no one” wants to reuse old buildings. (He’s never left Lubbock, I guess, to see what actually goes in on cities that DO reuse buildings.) We have some property on the edge of downtown – a 1920s brick warehouse now used as office space – and have gotten several letters from an out-of-state attorney who tells us he has a client willing to pay cash for the property. I can’t prove it, but am pretty sure the developer is behind the letters, which we throw away every time they show up.
Your photos are important, as they are documenting what will surely, and sadly, be lost.
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Now that is clearing out in a big way. Too bad the replacement is not good because sometimes something lasting is built in replacement.
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These are what realtors describe as “character homes” . They certainly have lots of character!
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They do, though many I think have numbered days. A lot of rentals that are probably investments waiting to turned into high density housing, or something.
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