Demolition? Seriously???

While I was in Iowa this week photographing a project for Kerry Davis of Preservation Solutions, Kerry was told of a beautiful Catholic church located about 10 miles outside of Le Mars that the Diocese wants to demolish. Naturally, we had to go have a look.

The St. Joseph Church, built in 1924, sits literally in the middle of thousands of acres of farmland. And, to put a fine point on it, this is really the only thing wrong with the building.

In the early half of the 20th century it took far more people to manage farmland than it does today. Many farms were only 100 acres, and many hands were needed to work them. Filling a rural church of this size was not a problem then. Today the congregation is nearly non-existant.

So the Diocese solution is to demolish the building, which seems to me to make a sad situation even worse, but what do I know? Can there be adaptive re-use if there is no use needed? Would it be better to sell it and roll the dice on a new owner caring for it? Or is demolition now preferable to the slow demolition of neglect? Or maybe it could be moved? It's a real challenge but alternatives to demolition need to be explored, IMHO. Hopefully there's still time.






Artistic influences of the largely German-immigrant population are front and center in the highly detailed woodwork of the Dais. Wood from cigar boxes and other sources make up the hundreds of individual pieces which comprise the whole.

Too many schools . .

Who could have guessed that this would become a problem? With many school districts consolidating and "right-sizing," older school buildings are up for grabs while districts scramble to come up with "repurposing" plans. Over the years I've seen school buildings converting into apartments, senior living, technical training facilities, and even better schools! The buildings are often in great shape, considered landmarks in their respective communities, and highly worthy of the effort it takes to preserve and re-use them.

8th St. Tunnel - 9th St. Incline

I had the chance today to see something not many people even know exists. A hundred-plus years ago when Kansas City's west bottoms was a more happenin' place than it is even today, getting in and out of it wasn't easy. That is, until the 9th Street Incline was opened in 1888. The idea was to build a tunnel beginning just west of Broadway and angle it down through the bluffs into the west bottoms, creating a direct rail link to downtown and Quality Hill. It worked quite well, albeit a bit scary for those first passengers, some of whom bailed off as the train began to descend.

(Below photos courtesy of the Kansas City Public Library's photo collection.)

You can see streetcars coming in and out of the tunnel in the lower center of this photo (above), and the track as it emerges from the bluffs. (below)

Fast forward to today . . About 100 yards of this tunnel still exists and is occasionally opened for private tours. For an architectural photographer and history buff like me, it was a REAL thrill!

Goodbye BMA

It's been about ten years since I was first hired to photograph BMA Tower for a National Register of Historic Places nomination. Since then I've photographed the building for pre and post-rehab documentation for historic tax credits as often as several times each year. Last Monday, however, was my final trip to BMA, now One Park Place. A lot has changed with the building in that time, but it's still my favorite job and has produced some of my best work. I'm sad to be finished with it.

Here are a few shots done for the nomination ten years ago which are not on my main website.

Here's how it looks today:



The view from the 19th floor is spectacular, and can be yours for just under $1 million!




So long BMA.

Dreary day in the studio . .

Nothing going on, no pressing projects, nasty weather. Perfect for experimenting in the lighting studio; something I don't do enough of.

Simple enough setup . . Three halogen lights, home-made soft box, heavy tripod, a black vinyl notebook for a background and my watch. Here goes . .

35 years ago . .

While sorting through all of Dad's boxes in his basement, my brother and I found this! This is the camera I learned photography with 35 years ago. It's a c.1950 Voigtlander Bessa 1, 6x9cm (2.25x3.25 inches) format.

Dad was always into photography when he was younger but had pretty much given it up a few years after us kids came along. When I reached 14 years old I asked him to teach me. Dad had better cameras then this one, but he figured this was the perfect learning tool. Everything on it is manual. There is no built-in exposure meter and no range-finder for focusing. You have to estimate the distance from the camera to your subject and understand depth-of-field if you want sharp pictures. You have to know how to use a light meter and how to set the exposure. You only get eight shots per roll of film, too, so you better be sure what you're shooting is worth it. There's no double-exposure lock out either, so if you're not paying attention you'll end up with eight shots on the same frame.

Dad's axiom for good pictures was, sharp lenses, big negatives and smart photographers. This camera had two out of three with me, but I learned.

Here's one of the first images I made with it, processed and printed by me.

What material says "Plumbing"?

Copper, of course!

Yesterday I photographed the newly remodeled Reeves-Wiedeman Company building ("Plumbing Supplies For Contractors and Industry") at 3635 Main, KCMO, for their tax credit application. Helix was the architecture firm involved, and I really like their work.


A spectacular feature is this skylight/atrium lined with copper located over the order counter.




The entire elevator bay is clad in copper as well.


The elevator bay is mirrored by a copper wall in the office lobby.



A stairway surrounds the elevator bay providing a dramatic blast of sleek copper color. Nice!