No place like home: One hundred crumbling houses that capture the downfall of Detroit


An amazing collection of photographs has captured the utter devastation of Detroit -- the once bustling American city that now sits largely derelict.

Perplexed at the state of his hometown, photographer Kevin Bauman began taking pictures of the scores of abandoned homes littering the city in the mid 1990's.



His incredible series '100 Abandoned Houses' poignantly documents the depressing downfall of the Michigan capital, where entire neighbourhoods, even wealthy ones, have been left to fall into ruin.

Abandoned houses: Photographer Kevin Bauman began taking pictures of the scores of abandoned homes littering Detroit in the mid 1990's

'I had always found it to be amazing, depressing, and perplexing that a once great city could find itself in such great distress, all the while surrounded by such affluence,' Bauman said of his inspiration for the documentary-style project. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Wombs with a view: Revolutionary four-dimensional imaging... Real life Robinson Crusoe... but for how much longer?... Share this article Share Geographically, Detroit is larger than San Francisco, Boston and Manhattan put together.

Yet, the population has shrunk from just under 2 million to less than 800,000 as the collapse of the auto industry, political dysfunction, and epidemics of crime, drugs, and arson have caused residents to flee.

Devastation: The amazing collection of photographs captured the utter devastation of the city that now sits largely derelict

Perplexing: 'I had always found it to be amazing, depressing, and perplexing that a once great city could find itself in such great distress,' Bauman says Exodus: The population of Detroit has shrunk from just under 2 million to less than 800,000 Many of Bauman's pictures were taken in Brush Park, on the outskirts of Detroit's entertainment district.

'For as long as I can remember the area, housing large houses and mansions, sat largely abandoned,' he said.

'How could an area that was obviously once a wealthy enclave in the city become an example of the downfall of American cities?'

Motown: The collapse of the auto industry, political dysfunction, and epidemics of crime, drugs, and arson caused residents to flee

Locations: Many of Bauman's pictures were taken in Brush Park, on the outskirts of Detroit's entertainment district Mansions left empty: 'For as long as I can remember the area, housing large houses and mansions, sat largely abandoned,' Bauman says But after the neighbourhood was redeveloped, the artist moved on to the other 135 square miles of Detroit, which was being largely ignored. Here, he found Detroiters struggling to make a life among decrepit and burned out houses.

'Often times, the neighborhoods were almost completely abandoned,' he said.

'In these neighborhoods I encountered concerned citizens, packs of wild dogs, 20 foot high piles of toilets, and houses with the facades torn off, filled with garbage.'

Sprawl: After Brush Park was redeveloped, Bauman moved on to the other 135 square miles of Detroit, which was being largely ignored

Struggling: During the project, the photographer found Detroiters struggling to make a life among abandoned and burned out houses Wild: Bauman says he encountered concerned citizens, packs of wild dogs, 20 foot high piles of toilets, and houses with the facades torn off, filled with garbage At first, Bauman felt daunted by the task he set himself -- photographing 100 homes.

But he soon realised, with Detroit suffering such a dramatic decline, he wouldn't have any trouble completing his mission. '100 seemed like a lot, although the number of abandoned houses in Detroit is more like 12,000,' he said, adding, sadly, that the derelict house problem was not likely to go away anytime soon. Ghost towns: Some neighbourhoods were almost completely abandoned

Boarded up: Bauman thought 100 seemed like a lot but the number of abandoned houses in Detroit is more like 12,000

Burned out: Some homes were utter destroyed due to fire damage

Ongoing problem: Sadly, that the derolict house problem is unlikely to go away anytime soon

Baffled: Bauman was curious as to how areas that were obviously once wealthy enclaves could become an example of the downfall of American cities

View the rest of the photographer's incredible collection here .



