Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Polaroid photograph of a mailbox with a political-religious sign on a foggy September morning in rural Allen County, Indiana. The sun had emerged and broken through the fog, which persisted for a short time after the sun came out. The sign, which has an American flag printed on it, says:
"Pray For Our Government. 1 Timothy 2:1-3. In God We Trust."
The sign also includes the full text of the Bible verses named on it: "All prayers, supplications, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. For all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our saviour."
The mailbox is in front of a cornfield on the north side of South County Line Road, between Smith Road and State Road 1. I made this photograph a few minutes after photographing a foggy landscape scene on this same road a short distance west of here.
9-14-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Polaroid photograph of the demolition of Saint Joseph Hospital on the corner of Broadway and Main Street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is the southeast corner of the hospital. The brick section on the left side of the building is the oldest part of the hospital, which was expended with new sections several times during its long history. There are two men on a manlift in the background.
Founded in 1869, Saint Joseph Hospital was the oldest hospital in Fort Wayne. It closed in November, 2021 and demolition began in 2022.
Originally a Roman Catholic hospital, Saint Joseph was sold years ago to a big for-profit company that also owns Lutheran Hospital and Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne. The company built a new, much smaller hospital one block over on the corner of Main Street and Van Buren Street to replace the aging Saint Joseph Hospital. The Saint Joseph name was not kept; the new hospital is called "Lutheran Downtown."
9-9-22
Cascadilla
Well-known
Thanks--this one was 10 minutes to take the original photo when the light was perfect and several hours in Photoshop to clean it up. I've been enjoying your Polaroid documentary series--I especially appreciate that you really know your history of your local area which adds more layers to the pictures.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
What did you have to clean up? Looks like a pretty easy image to edit (good light, etc.)
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Another of the old People's Trust Bank pyramids in Fort Wayne!
Polaroid photograph of the Health Hut, a locally owned store on the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Packard Avenue in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The little pyramid-shaped building was built in 1971 as a branch of People's Trust Bank, a now-defunct locally-owned bank. There used to be a lot of these pyramids scattered around Fort Wayne. There are only four remaining that I know of. None are used as banks anymore.
9-16-22
Cascadilla
Well-known
There were lots of tree branches that obscured parts of the stack, especially the white bricks in the letters. Also, some of the white bricks had fallen out so I "replaced" them. I will take the fact that you didn't notice the amount of work involved as a compliment...
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Polaroid snapshot of the front porch of the house on the northwest corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Nelson Street in the West Central neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
An American flag hangs behind some hanging flowerpots,and the yellow wooden planter on the porch rail has "Bless This House" written on it, along with a small American flag.
In the Nineteenth Century, the West Central neighborhood was a wealthy area, where Fort Wayne's elites lived. Many of the houses are large, beautiful brick homes like this one. By the late Twentieth Century, the area had become a rundown area whose grand homes had been divided into small apartments. Since then, the area has been slowly restored to its former glory, with many of the old houses restored to their original condition.
9-27-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Polaroid snapshot of the old Atz's Ice Cream sign on Tillman Road, just east of Calhoun Street, on the southern edge of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Atz's was a locally owned company that began manufacturing ice cream in 1922. In 1956, they opened their first restaurant, located on North Anthony Boulevard on Fort Wayne's northeast side. They later opened the south side location on Tillman Road, where this sign still stands along the road. When I was very young, there was also an Atz's at the Time Corners Shopping Center on Fort Wayne's west side; but it closed when I was a kid. Atz's ice cream, which was made in Kendallville, was also sold in grocery stores all over northeast Indiana.
Both of Atz's restaurants in Fort Wayne closed in September, 2014. I still miss going there; Atz's had the best ice cream, far better than big chains like Baskin Robbins and Dairy Queen. The original restaurant on North Anthony is now a Thai restaurant. The one on Tillman has been vacant since Atz's closed.
9-19-22
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Interesting that they chose an artist’s palette to advertise their shop.
What is equally remarkable is that these artifacts still exist - an archivist photographer’s delight.
I found it on Google Street View - there is also one of those pyramid buildings you photographed as well:
What is equally remarkable is that these artifacts still exist - an archivist photographer’s delight.
I found it on Google Street View - there is also one of those pyramid buildings you photographed as well:
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Yeah, its right next to the old bank pyramid. I have been having a hell of a time getting a good photo of the pyramid; the roof is so bright that I can get a good exposure of the roof and the ground goes to pure black, or I can expose for the grass and the roof will be severely overexposed. The Polaroid film is very hard to use for some subjects; I made shoot it with a regular camera; I've wasted two packs of Polaroid on it
This is the best so far, but I had to do some work in Photoshop to make it look even that good..and it really isn't good.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Polaroid photograph of the old outhouse behind the little white church in the Prairie Grove Cemetery on Old Trail Road in the Waynedale area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. I photographed it early in the early evening.
Believed to have been built in 1858, the church is one of the oldest buildings in Fort Wayne. The outhouse is much newer; it has a modern concrete base. It hasn't been used in many years. There used to be a beautiful tree growing next to the outhouse; it was cut down a few years before I made this photograph.
9-24-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Polaroid snapshot of the gigantic American flag at Glenbrook Dodge in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The flag, the largest in Fort Wayne and claimed to be one of the largest in the United States, has flown over the car dealership on Coliseum Boulevard since 2001. It measures 50x80 feet, and flies from a 232 foot tall flagpole! It is visible from a couple miles away when it is run up to the top of the pole, though it was flying at half-mast on the morning when I made this photograph.
9-22-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
This is a Polaroid photograph of the back door of my son's house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The old metal awning over the door casts a long shadow on the white aluminum siding from the morning sun.
My grandparents bought this house in the late 1950s; and my mother spent most of her childhood here. When my grandma died, my mom and my uncle inherited the house and sold it to my son. I live here with him.
9-23-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Polaroid photograph of the red two-seat "Motel Chair" glider swing that sits in front of the white house in the middle of the small trailer park across the street from my house in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
I've always loved these colorful old-style metal chairs. They're commonly called Motel Chairs because in the 1950s, motels had them sitting in front of the rooms for guests to sit on outside. My grandparents had a pair of them that were older than I am. They are usually individual chairs, but these two-seat glider swings were popular too. This one is actually a modern one; they're still being manufactured by several companies.
9-30-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Two Polaroid snapshots of a big stuffed toy monkey sitting on the roof over the porch on a house on Broadway, between Cottage Avenue and Home Avenue, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
9-22-22
Retro-Grouch
Mentor
Two Polaroid snapshots of a big stuffed toy monkey sitting on the roof over the porch on a house on Broadway, between Cottage Avenue and Home Avenue, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
9-22-22
International Monkey Day (according to the all-knowing Google) is celebrated on December 14. Perhaps they got their decorations up early? Or perhaps they're taking their cues from New Mexico. Here, Christmas decorations stay up all year. That way, after July 1, you can begin to celebrate the season early.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Polaroid photograph of a large maple tree across the street from my house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The tree is turning yellow, and I photographed it right after sunrise when the very warm early morning light illuminated the colorful leaves.
10-8-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Polaroid snapshot of a house on Third Street, between Orchard Street and Marion Street, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is in the working-class Bloomingdale neighborhood, west of Wells street.
The door has a small American flag, and wind chimes hang from the overhang on the front step.
9-29-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
A Polaroid snapshot of a house on Third Street, just east of Marion Street, in the working-class Bloomingdale neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
There is an all-black American flag hanging from the front of the porch overhang. This is apparently a right-wing political symbol indicating that 'no quarter' will be given in a battle between the left and the right.
9-29-22
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
Another Polaroid photograph of the demolition of Saint Joseph Hospital on the corner of Broadway and Main Street in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana. One of the excavators used for the demolition stands atop a pile of rubble in front of the partially demolished building.
Founded in 1869, Saint Joseph Hospital was the oldest hospital in Fort Wayne. It closed in November, 2021 and demolition began in 2022.
Originally a Roman Catholic hospital, Saint Joseph was sold years ago to a big for-profit company that also owns Lutheran Hospital and Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne. The company built a new, much smaller hospital one block over on the corner of Main Street and Van Buren Street to replace the aging Saint Joseph Hospital. The Saint Joseph name was not kept; the new hospital is called "Lutheran Downtown."
10-7-22