HISTORIC BUILDINGS, DOWNTOWNS, & STRUCTURES

Anything related to history grabs my attention, but today I am narrowing it down to historic downtowns, buildings, and structures. My primary goal with this subject is to create something that goes beyond the documentation of it. I don't want a snapshot-looking image that we can take with our mobile devices--cell phones and tablets. Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that. 

So, if not a "snapshot," what then do I look for? I consider as many options as possible. Some of those options are right-brain, creative approaches, shooting extreme wide-angles, taking uncommon perspectives, shooting at certain times of the day or year, and taking advantage of lucky chances--like unique skies at the right time. Given the right circumstances, I might even stage a shot to to dress up the scene a bit.  

This first example is downtown Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The entire downtown is on the Federal Register of Historic Places, which means there are extreme city ordinances that protect its downtown history and architecture--no Starbucks, McDonald's, or Subways!

One day I came up with the idea of creating an image that reflected the fact that if you visited downtown Eureka Springs in the 1980s and again in 2024, it would still look the same. This image was taken in 2018. I went at 5:30 am, in the middle of the week to eliminate any modern vehicles in the streets. I stood toward the center of the hill that leads to downtown. Being several yards from the first buildings in sight, I used a telephoto lens to "compress" the scene. Telephoto lenses give us what's called the "illusion of compression," that is, subjects, in this case, the buildings, look closer to each other than they really are. Click.

This next example is of a historic structure--the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. You need to put this on your "bucket list." On this particular day, the weather was questionable. It was very cool and uncomfortably windy. There is a gondola that takes you across the extremely deep gorge, across the canyon below. I approached the gondola operator and asked him if he was operating that day, given the wind conditions. He assured me that, yeah, they were operating. He said they had run the gondola in stronger winds before. I trusted him, so I got on. 

It didn't take long before I realized my tripod was going to be useless. The gondola was swaying across the gorge. I tried my best to be "manly" under the circumstances and didn't panic. Instead, I went to Plan B: wide angle lens to cover the broad gorge and an ISO of 500 to get a fast enough shutter speed that would counter the swaying motion of the gondola. Click.

Luckily, the operator took us safely back to the gift shop area that day. 

There is another historic structure in Colorado-- Crystal Mill. It is a really cool reminder of the state's mining history. The mill is surrounded by a creek and is situated up in the beautiful Colorado mountains. One year I decided to wait for autumn colors, which usually show off toward the end of September/early October.

For most vehicles, it is impossible to navigate across the steep, narrow, and rocky gravel road that takes folks to the mill. I decided to pay a Jeep company near the mill. I'm glad I did. The ride was scary, extremely bumpy, and just wide enough for one vehicle, but used as a two-way road! This photo will give you an idea. The Jeep we were in and the vehicle next to us barely fit. If you look ahead of the open-air Jeep, you can see how narrow the road is! We were on our way back.  

As incredibly uncomfortable as the ride was, at least for me, it was definitely worth it. See below. 

The beautiful state of Utah is also known for its LDS (Mormons), or Latter Day Saints history. The 210' high LDS Temple in downtown Salt Lake City is something to behold. I have several photos of it, but here is a frontal view of its facade. Across the street is a beautifully-designed pool with a thin layer of water that reflects the temple. The twilight hour gave the image a strong and dynamic feel.

My hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas is known for its famous Bathhouse Row. From the 1920s until the 1950s, folks like Al Capone went to the "City of Vapors" to get their natural hot water treatments in the bathhouses that lined Bathhouse Row. Today, there are still eight of the original bathhouses standing. They are part of Hot Springs National Park. Only two still provide natural hot springs water treatments. The others now serve as restaurants, gift shops, or art venues. One of them is a museum and the national headquarters for the state's only national park, which surrounds the city.

I have a collection of all eight bathhouses, but below is the majestic Quapaw Bathhouse, with its elaborative and decorative Greek architecture. It opened as a bathhouse in 1922. The clouds were on my side that day.

This next historic structure is outside the box. The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas is one of the most famous and iconic structures in the United States. Although I have several images of it in my collection, for this one I thought I'd try something different. Across the street and a few yards from The Alamo is a large obelisk on a large marble slab. Infantrymen like James "Jim" Bowie and David "Davy" Crocket are engraved on the large piece of slab. Basically, they are relief sculptures.

It occurred to me to create a double exposure, one with some of the infantrymen superimposed over the Alamo itself. The whole idea started with me thinking, "What would it look like if they were coming back from the dead through the Alamo?" 

I mentioned at the beginning that sometimes I will stage a historic shot. I did that with the state of Arkansas' oldest bar, the Ohio Club, in downtown Hot Springs. I knew that if I took a picture of it from across the street, it would look like a very good snapshot. I wanted more. I had an idea.

I talked to the owner and told her I had an idea for a shot, and if she would allow me to create it. Not only did she oblige, but she said, "Tell me when you're gonna do it and I'll make sure to place a couple of (traffic) cones in front so nobody will park there."

Al Capone used to frequent Hot Springs. It was his getaway from his Chicago, shall we say, culture. The Ohio Club was one of his favorite haunts. Like today, it was a restaurant and lounge. 

Now that I had the owner's approval, I then contacted the owner of a beautiful classic 1929 Ford I had seen around town--the same era as Al Capone's visits. 

So, I coordinated a shoot with the two owners. I planned it early in the morning so we wouldn't get much traffic. When the owner of the '29 arrived, I politely gave him specific instructions as to exactly where I wanted the car. As he maneuvered the car to the right position, he told me, "This isn't easy. I don't have power steering." Click. You can see "Al Capone" sitting and smoking a cigar in front of the Ohio Club.

 So, start with your own town first and see what you can find. You can also do what I like to do, which is take a 60-mile radius day trip and see what you find. And, when you have the time and resources, visit other states as well. Have fun finding historic downtowns, buildings, and structures!