detroit.jpg

I love the wry grin in this otherwise dark image of Detroit in decay: "Smile," by Aisa Villarosa. From a wonderful photo gallery, Neighborhood Treasures, at Pictory Magazine, guest-designed by GOOD. (via Robin Sloan)

  • Anonymous

    Some context here helps. This isn’t decay, but the demolition of a building. If the photo is widened, you would see the new Book Cadillac Hotel to the left, the Campus Martius area (that just hosted the Winter Festival) behind it and the Federal Building to the right.

    Detroit is an easy target in all forms of media across America. The problem is everyone has a preconceived notion and they perpetuate it. This photo actually represents progress in Detroit. Something in an area undergoing a bit of a rebirth is being torn down to make way for something better. Call it decay on terms of one cycle, but it’s progress in terms of another.

  • cymk

    I didn’t realize they took that building down. Google Street View still has it. I’ll have to get back down to Detroit and see what I’ve missed these last few months.

  • IronEdithKidd

    Ah, yes, Adamo. Those guys are the epitome of demolition. Even their individual appearances are rough.

    That said, I wouldn’t hire anyone else to do serious, large scale demolition work not involving explosives in the Detroit area.

    • cymk

      Precision demolition is a wonderful thing, especially since Lafayette Coney (the best damn coney in all detroit, if not michigan) is just three doors down on thew same block.