I’m going to try to share some of my Chicago architecture photos on a weekly basis. Sometimes I get some good architecture shots, and sometimes it might be more the story behind the photo and the history of the building that might intrigue you. In this case, it’s industrial architecture on display.

I went biking through Chicago’s West Side last weekend, and rode by the soon-to-be-gone Brach’s Candy Factory out in the Chicago neighborhood of Austin.

You can see the parking lot is cracked weeds are growing, and spring has just recently arrived in Chicago. I was struck by the contrast of textures going on here, with the crumpled fence, the grid of the chain links, the grass and trees, and also the piles in the background.

The industrial architecture this historic manufacturing building is exposed. A shell remains, but on the left of the building you can see how its walls once looked. The really historic building of Brach’s Candy Factory, which has a little more character, (and you can see here) will be demolished, too.

— Amanda Scotese, Chicago Detours Executive Director