Finding Value In Abandoned Buildings
Greetings Reuse Fans,
Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the small, thriving business district in Carnegie. The quick trip was inspired by seeing several large prints by photographer Chuck Beard in the Steel Valley Roasters coffee shop in Homestead. Chuck has a fascinating gallery in Carnegie under his business name Abandoned Pittsburgh. It located on 301 East Main Street. His art is focused on capturing the haunting beauty of abandoned structures and the materials that reside within them.
I have been at Construction Junction for 20 years, and I wish I had kept track of all of the abandoned buildings I have trekked through during my history. At least two of the subjects of Mr. Beard’s photos are buildings from which CJ has salvaged materials: the Garden Theater and the Connelley Trade School. There may also be a few other buildings that time has erased from my memory…
When CJ enters abandoned buildings, we take photos to communicate to an owner or their contractor the material we would like salvage. I have not necessarily thought about the value of photographing these buildings as works of art, although I have always been drawn to their character and the inherent mystery presented at the moment we gain access to one of these abandoned, decaying buildings.
In the future I will be looking at structures not only for their potential to add to CJ’s inventory, but also to add to Abandoned Pittsburgh’s inventory
I already have a potential subject for Chuck, so I will be paying him a visit very soon, I encourage you to do the same. Check out Chuck’s work at abandonedpittsburgh.com
