Industrial – Page 2 – RDZ Photography

Boston – May 2018 – The Waterworks

The Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston has been providing water to the city for 130 years. For about 100 years the impressive Waterworks pumping station was the engine behind the supply.

The huge pumps and pipes pushed millions of gallons of water a day.

Driven by large steam engines, it is an impressive sight.

The 3 massive steam engines take up most of the building.

Giving the entire building a true ‘steam punk’ vibe.

The wheels are massive, nearly 10′ high.

The building is roughly 40′ high, with the view from the balcony providing an excellent overview.

Some of the other buildings have been converted to condos.

A visit to the Boston Waterworks Museum is well worth the time.

North Adams, MA – May 2018 – Mass MOCA

Architecture, Art, History

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the small far northwestern Massachusetts town of North Adams. With a name like that it has been abbreviated to Mass MOCA.

Located in an old factory complex it is now home to 19 galleries and 100,000 square feet of space. As we arrived we stopped by the cafe for lunch and had the opportunity to listen to some musicians.

The galleries are scattered throughout the buildings – mixing new construction with the existing buildings.

As with many contemporary art pieces, they are sometimes subjective to interpretation.

A fencing mask with feathers.

Pallet art with a record player (that was stuck on the same part of the same song).

You have to hand it to them – they are creative.

At first this seemed like a re-used satellite dish.

But upon closer inspection it had hundreds of small reflective panels at different angles. All the little red spots are actually reflections of a nearby exit sign.

The building itself is interesting with it’s high ceilings.

My favorite gallery was by an artist named Gunnar Schonbeck – who specializes in making giant music instruments.

A guitar from a large wooden box.

Xylophones – they encouraged you to ‘play’

Which many did – to the amusement of their friends.

Another gallery had commentary on the American involvement in foreign affairs – complete with walls of (somewhat redacted) U.S. intelligence memos displayed in giant form.

Many of the pieces are huge.

As well as the statements.

Mass MOCA is not an easy place to get to – a 3 hour drive from Boston – but it is a very popular artist town and museum.

Galeton, PA – May 2018 – Pennsylvania Lumber Museum

Architecture, History, Nature, Sciences

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum highlights the history of lumbering in the state – from the time it was settled by Europeans, the deforestation that occurred over the years, to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps to bring the forests back.

The Main Building houses the administration offices and a nice museum. Recently built it has the wonderful wood smell throughout.

The exhibits show the early cutting methods.

As well as later ones, including 2 man chain saws – what could possibly go wrong there.

The grounds includes a complete lumber camp.

Including a Shay Locomotive that would’ve pulled the timber to the various ports for distribution.

Of note is a lumber loading car.

The camp had all the basics required to operate.

The mill itself feature huge saw blades.

Driven by steam powered engines below.

Mt Vernon, OH – May 2017 – Ariel Foundation Park

Architecture, Art, History, Nature

The small city of Mt Vernon, Ohio was the home of the largest plate glass factory in the world until 1979 when PPG closed it. Sitting dormant for 30 years it has recently been recreated as a park, with industrial ruins and sculptures as the features.

The centerpiece is the 280′ high former smokestack, now an observation deck with 244 open steel stairs leading to the 140′ level.

From the top you get an excellent view of the park, and the town.

The grounds have been graded to numerous terraces to add to the aesthetics.

For those who have a problem with heights (me) the stairs can freak you out!

Back on terrafirma, you can tour the various sculptures including river of glass, which is made up of millions of small clear glass pieces, along with the larger blue ones.