According to the photographer, the town burned down this house not long after he took this picture. Photo by Chaaanny.
Moldings have the power to capture our imagination, even when a home is giving up the ghost.
It was the eared architrave on the right doorway that caused me to stop and stare at this photo. Not just because I installed door trim like this in our kitchen this week, but because beautiful moldings imply that once upon a time this crack house (literally), was loved by someone as much as you and I love our homes now.
I used to get up early on Sunday mornings, while the city was still mostly asleep, and crawl through abandoned historic homes in downtown, Detroit, looking for molding ideas.
Those of us who do this sort of thing do it for our own reasons.
I may be looking for architectural details, but others are looking for ghosts. Some study the sociology of urban decay and some are contemplating impermanence — while others stand amid the rubble and mumble something about Marx. My sometimes companion and guide on these adventures, Chris, mines the blight for artistic inspiration.
Thanks Chaaanny for sharing your picture with us.
