Urban Decay- Multifloored

[bcash]

I'm new to this forum. I'm looking for guidance. I'm looking for exterior urban decay that could be the background for photographs shot nearby. The photos we usually work on are shot in Philadelphia, but we're getting to shoot this year in Houston. Philly has alot of the kind of urban texture that comes from many old brick or masonery buildings that are in varying states of decay rising from the streets. I'm trying to find single corners, clumps, sections of this in Houston. Not so quick to find when you're new to the search. I've seen the few that are on the Dowling side of 59 downtown.

Does anyone have any directions to give me abit more targeted search? Thanks for any help. B

[TheNiche]

I'm new to this forum. I'm looking for guidance. I'm looking for exterior urban decay that could be the background for photographs shot nearby. The photos we usually work on are shot in Philadelphia, but we're getting to shoot this year in Houston. Philly has alot of the kind of urban texture that comes from many old brick or masonery buildings that are in varying states of decay rising from the streets. I'm trying to find single corners, clumps, sections of this in Houston. Not so quick to find when you're new to the search. I've seen the few that are on the Dowling side of 59 downtown.

Does anyone have any directions to give me abit more targeted search? Thanks for any help. B

You started your search in a very good area; just drive around back and forth on that grid until you've covered the whole area. Be sure to get just north of the tracks along Commerce Street, Canal, and Navigation. Explore around north side of Navigation between it and the bayou; specifically be sure to check out the old grain silos near the intersection of N. Live Oak and Kennedy Street. There's another good one at the northwest corner of Navigation and Lockwood, and then another several interesting shots in the vicinity of Navigation or Canal and N. Norwood Street. Further east off of Navigation is a neat brick building at 75th Street and Avenue P; other (larger) neat brick buildings are at the dead end of Wingate Street just east of 75th.

Be sure to drive Harrisburg from downtown to where it becomes Broadway and turns south. You'll see plenty of old buildings along the way worthy of your cause. Explore off of Broadway just south of the Brays Bayou. That's old Harrisburg. It's got some decaying masonry buildings and a few sets of houses that look like they could be from the poorest parts of Appalachia.

Another drive is from the corner of Jensen and Clinton Dr. east along Clinton. Just keep going and going. There's plenty of material. Eventually you'll get to a big traffic circle. Go south, use the tunnel under the Ship Channel, and then emerge in old downtown Pasadena. It isn't a very large downtown, but has a number of decaying masonry buildings, including a gun range in one of them that should photograph well. A little ways south of there, at the northeast corner of Pasadena Blvd. and Southmore is a mid-century highrise that has been abandoned for a long while. That's a good one. If you have time, go from there to Texas Ave. in old downtown Baytown. Then go south on SH 146 to 6th Street in old downtown Texas City, and then across the I-45 causeway into Galveston. There are plenty of good opportunities in Galveston, especially post-Ike. Aside from downtown Galveston, I would specifically recommend that you go down Harborside and the portion of Market Street that is west of 25th.

Try just north of downtown Houston to the east of San Jacinto and N. Main Street, both north and south of Interstate 10. Find Lyons and take that due east into the 5th Ward. Dowling is similar where it goes south into the 3rd Ward.

Other buildings I would advise you to check out specifically:

*West side of Sampson between Rusk and McKinney

*Northwest corner of Preston and St. Emanuel

*Southeast corner of Lawndale and Henninger Street

*South side of Yellowstone, just east of Old Spanish Trail

*Brooks Street and Kempner Street near the former Imperial Sugar Plant in Sugar Land

This is a tour oriented towards older decaying masonry buildings you asked about specifically, but I think that you'll find that what makes Houston appealing for this kind of a photographic study will be the refineries. You'll see plenty of them along the route that I suggested and you can use Google Earth to help you find the best angles.

[bcash]

Wow! Thanks so much to TheNiche. Your detailed response gives me alot to scout. I appreciate your guidance.