Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=77299&Start=55&Artist=PhrankPower&ByArtist=Ye

There is an old building here in Memphis that I've admired for years. It's the old Memphis Brewery Building, at the edge of the bluffs on the Mississippi River. Some of you may remember a picture I posted here in the forum a few months back while working on it, and when finished, I posted it in my gallery (see link). It was built way back in 1890, and brewed Goldcrest 51 beer there from that time until 1949. By 1954, it was locked up tight, and has remained that way ever since. It is a grand old elegant building, and in it's day was a work of art in itself. The inside was almost like a palace, but when it closed down, most anything of value was taken away leaving a gutted shell. Last Friday, I finally got permission (after repeated unsuccessful attempts) to go inside and photograph it. I didn't know what to expect, and it was stripped bare, but still I found an amazing place. I was extremely rushed, so I didn't have time to really scout around like I would have wanted to do. So a friend and I rapidly went floor to floor while the man with the keys stayed on the ground floor ("Why in the world would you want to take pictures of this old eyesore?"). I shot both film and digital. The film work was more serious, but I shot some with the digital in case something happened to the film. The below posts are from the digital; I'll get the film back next week. The building had windows everywhere, but that was the only light source. Some areas were well lit, but other places were dark as hell. I'm gonna post a bunch here. My thinking is you'll really like them a lot, or you'll feel like the man with the keys. Um.... I think I've got a few leading lines here too! Hope you like. marshall

Another example of stair and rail work.

All the windows have what looks like a white plastic cover over them. Fortunately it lets light in, but it's not transparent. I can only imagine how it would have looked with the view of the sky through the many windows.

Wow! What an incredible staircase - it looks like a really fascinating place, I can't wait to see more!

All I can say, is WOW, again! :-)

Some Photoshop work on this one, originally to fix the slight blur in the image from not holding the camera still enough (perhaps due to being in a rush?). Not too noticeable though reduced to this size. The light however is all natural, which is what prompted me to take the picture in the first place.

I guess part of the beer making process, but I haven't a clue.

Another nice light contrast. There's a lot of that going on there.

Close-up on the metal work. Punkclown, there's enough rust here to keep you busy for weeks!

Wow Phrank, it's a shame you had so little time. That building looks more like an old church than an "eye sore," to quote the key man. I'm looking forward to seeing the film shots you took.

More silent machinery. There was once a day this room was jumping!

Just another stairway connecting floors, but so silent, so cool!

This looked too scary to go down. This was as far as I went!

More Photoshop work here for the same reason as the one mentioned above. Note the fancy columns. This is the last one on this thread. Thanks for looking. It was a good day for me!

These are absolutely incredible Marshall! I'm so glad you got to get in...they are all amazing...I love post No.3 with the light coming through the windows...and the shots of the wonderful wrought iron staircase, and of the railings! (everything really)...Jane's dragging me up for tea but I'll be back to look at these for a long time. Thanks! :-)>

Really neat, Phrank. I'd think you could at least get a show at the community library with something like this. Maybe now that they see you are serious they will let you back in.

Wow! Awesome stuff Phrank!!

I'm so jealous! And drooling over these pics......such aged beauty in this building Marshall. I love all of them....can't wait to see more. We also had a brewery in Providence RI...(Narragansett Brewery) which closed down in the late 70's....it was finally demolished about 2 years ago and now the site contains yet another shopping plaza. :~( The building was crumbling and in need of serious repair, and I think there was consideration in saving it because it was a part of state history...(we have a very serious Historical Society here)....but the costs would have been prohibitive. You are so lucky to have been able to get in! I think historical buildings or just really old stuff is so incredibly beautiful.....call me romantic, but I can imagine the workers sweating, cussing, laughing, while going about their jobs in there. Gee....can't believe how much I've rambled...guess these images got me really excited. :~) Don't forget to show more when you get the film back.

I wonder what the guy--who called this an eyesore--would say if a developer came along and asked to buy it so that people could LIVE in it? Great pictures!

These are awesome Marshall, the detail, textures, the sense of space & decaying grandeur... all wonderful & for someone in arush you did a great job. Can't wait to see more...

Dear Marshall, this may sound ridiculous, and you may never find the chance to do it (if you tried so hard to have permision even for photographing this building in daylight), but here it is: try your chance to visit this building in night time, with a fried or friends, with torches and camera flashes with you...
...Then, see the adrenalin, the attraction of horror, and the astoundingly mysterious beauty of the treasure you managed to enter..!

Perhaps 80% of my b/w photography belongs to a deserted building in my hometown, an old hotel in the middle of the city. It was to be demolished someday, but that day came after 1.5 years after I first discovered it. I was warmly welcomed by the keeper of the building to photograph it regularly. My first visit there was with a close friend, and in the night...
...I cannot define you the excitement we had during our expedition to the depths of that enermous hotel..!
Flash photography in such an environment (that sometimes gets pitch dark, deep dark, and only dark) is like seeing ghosts here, there, and everywhere..!!

Then, after that first night, me alone and sometimes with my friend visited that hotel for 1.5 years, for several times per week. Thus, I was able to see that building in every season, under every weather condition...
...And photographed, photographed, photographed...

That building was my studio, my home, my 'feeding grounds'...
...And seeing it demolished when the day arrived tortured me, and seriously made me cry.
Still, after approx. 5 years, the memories are fresh, the visions are strong, and my longing for that building is everlasting...
...As there were a lot to be done in that building for my photography.

The works I've posted under the names like "On paint peeled off", "Strong urge to fly", "Blast", "Textures and crops", etc. are all derived from the photography that I was able to do in my "Hotel Boulevard Palace" expeditions...
...So many more are waiting to be dealt with.

So, this took so long, but I'd like to express my excitement and my envy (but peaceful... :)) about seeing your photography here...
With all my heart, I wish that you'd be able to have many, many more visits to that marvelous place... :)

I've tried for a while to get into a power station near us that is being dismantled - no-one could decide on who should give me permission. after a while I gave up coz a guy fell in there and lost his life, so I guessed they'd totally say no after that and claim 'health & safety' - these pics REALLY make me want to try again, though..... Great photo's can't wait to see more! (",)

wow. dubidu. instantly fallen in love with nr.6! so well balanced. wonderful. & a really wonderful series!!

These are awesome, Marshall!!! I was able to view some of these last night, but my ISP was screwy. I love post #s 6 and 13. (What's with dark staircases that attracts me?...) Wish I was there to shoot, too. (*

these are such fabulous shots!! i can't wait to see the other film.... it's so sad when an architectual beauty is allowed to go to waste. the windows and the scroll work on the banisters is gorgeous. i wonder how embellished it was in it's heyday. you are so lucky to have finally gotten permission... congrats for perservering.... and thanks for posting!

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback. This place is so cool, I think anything shot in there would turn out looking good. Michelle, when I was in there, I could almost hear the workers too. In the darker areas, I was wondering what I'd do if I ran into a ghost of some guy still at work. Someone just had to fall in the beer and drown, wouldn't you think? Alpha, it was supposed to be turned into condos, but the developer backed out at the last minute (too expensive), so it still sits there with new houses between the back of it and the river, and the old, mostly abandoned industrial section in front of it. The man said probably nothing would ever become of it. But, if I ever get rich, man what a party palace this could be turned in to! Doruksal, I got an adrenalin rush just reading your post about going there at night. There are some uncovered holes in the floor that look down to the floor below, and I'd probably fall through one running from a ghost! But it does sound exciting. I remember those pictures of yours that you mentioned, and now I'm going to go back and check them out again. Hopefully the Brewery won't be torn down like your hotel. Bonbon, I saw a group of old Memphis photographs for sale, and one of them is this Brewery building from the 1920's. The beer wagons are very fancy looking, and you can see them leaving the building through the main entrance. Even the workers were dressed up.

F a n t a s t i c photos, I stared these with my mouth open. I would pay to get places like that. Now, little detail from equipments used, film? camera? .n