Some new photos from Fort Wayne

[sailor]

Chris, I've just noticed that your original photographs were taken on Covington Road. I live in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the tiny village of Covington is a few miles down the road from my home. I wonder if someone from old world Covington founded the town of Covington in the USA. Any ideas?

[SimonSawSunlight]

Originally Posted by Borghesia

Very folkloristic, you won't see this kind of patriotism in Europe. Here it is mostly forbidden to put up a national flag besides the few national festivities. Even wearing a little national flag on a button or sewed on a jacket would make you very suspicious around here.

depends on country and region etc.

[ChipMcD]

Chris,

As always, thanks for posting your work. I always enjoy it. You do a great job of depicting the vanishing details of 20th century USA such as the bowling alley and the ugly side of today's society, like the ubiquitous payday loan places.

I can't resist bowling alleys either.

Chip

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by sailor

Chris, I've just noticed that your original photographs were taken on Covington Road. I live in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the tiny village of Covington is a few miles down the road from my home. I wonder if someone from old world Covington founded the town of Covington in the USA. Any ideas?

There isn't a town called Covington where I live. Its just the name of a road through the west side of the city of Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne is a pretty big city, about 250,000 people.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here is another photo from a couple days ago.

This colorful storefront on Wells Street is Brewers Art Supply, a store that sells equipment and materials for making beer and wine at home.

The building used to be home to Artistry In Ink Tattoo, and the owners of the homebrewing store kept the colorfully painted facade, changing the words from Piercing and Tattooing to Homebrewing and Winemaking.

The door closing off the space between the building and the Mexican ice cream parlor next door still has the Snap One graffiti on it, which I photographed in 2010.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Another one from a few days ago.

The name of this business on Wells Street means "Security for Latinos." It is an insurance agency catering to Mexican immigrants. Wells Street has become home to several Hispanic businesses in the last few years, including a restaurant, an ice cream parlor, and a bakery.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I did this one yesterday evening in Waynedale, the part of Fort Wayne where I live.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I've always found it amusing how often the word "Estates" finds its way into the names of trailer parks. McArthur Estates is on McArthur Drive in Waynedale, but there are a number of other mobile home communities in the Fort Wayne area named "______ Estates."

I made this photograph yesterday evening.

[victoriapio]

Chris, again I really like this series. In addition to the color and rendering, I like your framing too.
O.C.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by victoriapio

Chris, again I really like this series. In addition to the color and rendering, I like your framing too.
O.C.

Thanks Here's another one I shot yesterday afternoon in Fort Wayne.



This sign is on the side of Mechanix Unlimited, an auto repair garage on Jefferson Boulevard in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. It says "Sept. 11, 2001. God Bless the U.S.A."

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I had wanted to photograph the sign on the end of the building commemorating the September 11 terrorist attacks for a while, but the sign over the office door intrigued me even more: "The big ole bank was bold, shop owner refused to fold. Congratulations Marika Hamilton."

I shot this the same day as the color photo of Mechanix Unlimited in my previous post.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The sign on the front door of this old house on Butler Street in Fort Wayne's inner city says "Buy This Home $395 per month."

Looks like the owner has started fixing it up. The padlock on the door above the deadbolt and doorknob locks says a lot about the location!

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Another one from yesterday afternoon.

This billboard is next to the former Devoe Paint store on Lafayette Street in Fort Wayne. The store has been closed for years, and the building now houses a woodworking shop.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This gigantic American flag, which flies over Glenbrook Dodge Chrysler Jeep, can be seen for miles; it is the largest flag in Fort Wayne. I thought that the company had gotten the flag soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks, but their website says that the flag was installed in 2004. It measures 50x80 feet, and flies from a 232 foot tall flagpole!

Friends in other parts of the United States have told me that the biggest American flags in their cities are also flown by car dealers. I wonder why that is?

[mfunnell]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

Friends in other parts of the United States have told me that the biggest American flags in their cities are also flown by car dealers. I wonder why that is?

Pardon my cynicism, but I'd guess the flags are not flown by Toyota dealers (or Hyundai, or BMW etc.). Perhaps the dealers want customers focused more on patriotism than on the qualities of the products they're selling. Portraying "patriotism", as a form of "marketing", is pretty widespread - in the US and elsewhere (it's pretty common here).

I think you've done an excellent job with that photo, by the way.

...Mike

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by mfunnell

Pardon my cynicism, but I'd guess the flags are not flown by Toyota dealers (or Hyundai, or BMW etc.). Perhaps the dealers want customers focused more on patriotism than on the qualities of the products they're selling. Portraying "patriotism", as a form of "marketing", is pretty widespread - in the US and elsewhere (it's pretty common here).

I think you've done an excellent job with that photo, by the way.

...Mike

Thanks Mike. A lot of Toyotas and Hondas and even some BMW models are now built in the United States, and that fact is advertised by the companies when they push the particular models that are American made.

Going back to photography, Fuji used to make some of their film and color paper in the USA too. Making stuff here let Japanese manufacturers avoid the import tariffs and the cost of shipping the finished products halfway around the world. I've been fascinated by the fact that Japanese and German companies are opening factories here.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Taqueria Coahuila looks like it was lifted from a small town in Mexico and dropped into Fort Wayne's inner city. A taqueria is a restaurant that specializes in tacos, and this place is the real thing, not the Americanized simulation of comida Mexicana found at most "Mexican" restaurants in the United States.

Taqueria Coahuila is on South Clinton Street, a couple blocks north of South Side High School. I ate there with a friend six or seven years ago. The owners and employees were all immigrants from Mexico who didn't speak English well (and I didn't speak Spanish back then like I do now), but the food was great.

I photographed Taqueria Coahuila a few days ago.

[biomed]

Great photos! I like both the color and black & white versions of the vacuum cleaner store. I also like the flag photos and the way different people have responded to them. I haven't gone out on a photo shooting expedition in some time. The weather looks good here for the weekend and I am feeling motivated.

[bobbyrab]

Chris would you say your photographs are a good reflection of large swathes of Fort Wayne, or are you drawn to the more depressed areas. I always get a great sense of loss in your images, of a town the economy has passed by, and wondered how you feel about the document your making.

[bigeye]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

This gigantic American flag, which flies over Glenbrook Dodge Chrysler Jeep, can be seen for miles; it is the largest flag in Fort Wayne. I thought that the company had gotten the flag soon after the September 11 terrorist attacks, but their website says that the flag was installed in 2004. It measures 50x80 feet, and flies from a 232 foot tall flagpole!

Friends in other parts of the United States have told me that the biggest American flags in their cities are also flown by car dealers. I wonder why that is?

Little known, less observed:

4 USC § 8 - RESPECT FOR FLAG
The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever...

.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by bobbyrab

Chris would you say your photographs are a good reflection of large swathes of Fort Wayne, or are you drawn to the more depressed areas. I always get a great sense of loss in your images, of a town the economy has passed by, and wondered how you feel about the document your making.

There is a small wealthy area in the city. The middle class and upper middle class areas are mostly outside the city limits in the suburbs. Interestingly, the very wealthy do live in the middle of the city. There aren't many of them, though. The ones who have fled the city are people who think they have money (and want others to think it too) but who really don't.

If you go out in the suburbs where the big fancy houses are, you'll find that many of them have very little furniture in them, and much of it is old stuff from the Salvation Army. I've seen this myself in the homes of people I knew in college (I went to Indiana University's Fort Wayne campus), and my father, grandpa, and uncle saw it a lot while working (they all worked for utilities; dad for the phone company, uncle for the electric company, grandpa for the gas company). These people cannot afford furniture because they have such high house payments!

I've thought of that a long time, and wish I could find a way to document it.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by bigeye

Little known, less observed:

4 USC § 8 - RESPECT FOR FLAG
The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever...

.

I bet that law is broken more often than the speed limits! Thanks for digging that up, I think I'll mention it on the "patriotism project" page on my website.

[jippiejee]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

I've thought of that a long time, and wish I could find a way to document it.

Now, that would be an amazing photographic project though... I can see this being a book: "Nickel millionaires."

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This abandoned farmhouse is just outside Fort Wayne. The house, which has been abandoned for a few years, is surrounded by a huge number of old junk trucks. This old Cadillac Fleetwood that sits behind the house with a Ford F-150 pickup is the only car there!

I photographed it yesterday evening about an hour before the sun set, after a day of rain.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Driving down Paulding Road on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, I noticed this old, torn up, dirty American flag nailed to a utility pole. I went back in the evening to photograph it as the sun was setting. The man who lived in the house nearby told me that he found the flag in the street, being run over by passing cars. He didn't want to throw it away, so he hung it from a nail on the pole.

I made this photograph yesterday evening.

[robert blu]

"The man who lived in the house nearby told me that he found the flag in the street, being run over by passing cars. He didn't want to throw it away, so he hung it from a nail on the pole."

Great story! I like your photographs and as european I find this project really interesting. It gives me a look into a reality which is not the same as the one we see thorough the movies...Thanks for that.
robert

[Michael Da Re]

Originally Posted by batterytypehah!

Not to harp too much on the flag issue but one thing I found fascinating when I came to this country was that the largest flag in town invariably is at the car dealership. This seems to be true everywhere I go. Probably something about limits on the size of billboards, etc., but not on the height of flagpoles.

This is so true. And the funny thing about it in my area is that the largest flag I've ever seen is over a Kia dealership. And Chris, even though I'm a big fan of black and white I believe I appreciate your color photos. They show more of a stark reality to you hometown.

Michael

[bigeye]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

...This old Cadillac Fleetwood that sits behind the house with a Ford F-150 pickup is the only car there!

When we're bird hunting out west, we stop by farmhouses to ask if we can hunt their farm. The house is generally small, plain and tidy, out on a prairie. An older farmer has his pickup and his farm implements are scattered all around, but the wife often has a spotless Cadillac of varying age tucked away in a shed or barn. It's quite an extravagance and represents her only material reward for a hard life.

I worked at the Fleetwood-Clark St complex in Deeetroit that produced that car, which was 'an experience', itself.

Funny, the things a photograph can bring up.

- Charlie

[collum]

great series Chris! home town series have always been a favorite theme of mine (George Tice being one of the best in the genre)

Interesting comments on the flag in this thread as well... and even in the US, the display of the flag is very regional. I'm in the central coast area of California, and the flag is rarely seen.. although when it is.. it's usually attached to a large 'monster' truck, with big wheels and a Confederate flag hanging in the rear window

[Cpitch]

Hi Chris thank you for posting these series of images of Fort Wayne, living
my side of the pond its been a very interesting series of images and comments.
I think your use of color was absolutely right it has added so much to the viewing experience, please keep posting on this inspirational thread.
Chris

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by Cpitch

Hi Chris thank you for posting these series of images of Fort Wayne, living
my side of the pond its been a very interesting series of images and comments.
I think your use of color was absolutely right it has added so much to the viewing experience, please keep posting on this inspirational thread.
Chris

I want to say thanks to everyone who commented on the photo of the flag on the utility pole I posted last week. I haven't been on here much because I have been so busy with school. I have 2 weeks left and two papers to finish, then I'll be done with my MA.

I did find a few minutes to shoot something this afternoon. I start going crazy if I go too long without photographing!



The Value City Department Store chain went under in 2008, and the two stores they had in Fort Wayne closed sometime before that. This one is on South Coliseum Boulevard, on the city's east side. A Home Depot store just down the street closed a few years ago too, and that store had only been open a few years.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here's another one from yesterday afternoon.

I found this truck, with its exhortation of economic patriotism, in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The auto industry is an important contributor to the city's economy.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The sun rises over a newly planted field on Thiele Road on the southern edge of Allen County, Indiana. I photographed this scene early this morning.

[tjh]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

The sun rises over a newly planted field on Thiele Road on the southern edge of Allen County, Indiana. I photographed this scene early this morning.

Very nice!

Tom

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Thanks Tom

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Here's another from this morning. This is about 5 miles south of Fort Wayne

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

This playground and cemetery belong to Saint Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Thiele Road on the southern edge of Allen County, Indiana. The church is in front of the field in my previous photos.

[sprokitt]

Originally Posted by Chriscrawfordphoto

The sun rises over a newly planted field on Thiele Road on the southern edge of Allen County, Indiana. I photographed this scene early this morning.

Love this shot. Also love the one of the park bench.
Nice work. Flags would make a good theme for a photo essay. It seems Ft Wayne would give an interesting perspective.

Good luck finishing the MA.

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Originally Posted by sprokitt

Love this shot. Also love the one of the park bench.
Nice work. Flags would make a good theme for a photo essay. It seems Ft Wayne would give an interesting perspective.

Good luck finishing the MA.

Thanks Sprokitt. I'm working on a paper that is due tomorrow afternoon, then I am done with my degree!

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I'm done with school. I now have a masters degree in liberal arts/history from Indiana University! Now I can catch up on all the old photos I shot while in school that need to be scanned. Here's one from October of last year.

This little Victorian house is one of several on Jefferson Boulevard in Fort Wayne's historic West Central Neighborhood that have the American flag hanging on their porches.