Quatrain ƒotographic, LLC - Uniroyal Tire Plant

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:53 +0000

This 4x5 negative is the only relic that I preserved from the photo archives of the Uniroyal Tire Plant. Dated 10-29-1947, this is negative 9752 of Illustration 141, by J. Vincent.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:51 +0000

Vacancy, silence, abandonment, and even the idea of renewal was profoundly felt when walking about this complex.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:48 +0000

Rubber. As a raw material it possesses incredibly tactile surface qualities.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:44 +0000

Massive letter forms rested on the roof after years of visibility to name the home of Uniroyal Tires.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:41 +0000

Uniroyal Tire was situated immediately adjacent to the Belle Isle Bridge, and the Detroit Boat Club on the opposing shoreline.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:38 +0000

The handprint in these vast, cavernous, industrial spaces immediately brought to mind Paleolithic cave paintings in France & Spain.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:35 +0000

The helmet-like head on camera left silently converses with its decades-old iron girder acquaintance.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:32 +0000

Residing on the edge of the Detroit River, some buildings offered an imposing presence six-stories above the water.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:29 +0000

Poignant lighting enabled by Albert Kahn's architectural vision to illuminate industrial work spaces with natural light.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:25 +0000

The residual, white material on surfaces was most likely asbestos, which provided a layer of exterior insulation and corrosion protection.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:23 +0000

Ductwork clings & claws its way up the side of a six-story factory structure.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:20 +0000

Originally opened in 1906, a gradual expansion was led by architect Albert Kahn in 1920 that eventually turned the 40-acre site into a sprawling complex.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:17 +0000

The facility's water tower was visible from many points on its 40-acre site.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:14 +0000

Although these photographs are 40-years old in 2025, the architectural details & styling are 105-years old.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:11 +0000

Cousins of my family owned & operated this business for decades and compelled my spelunking of the vacant, and soon-to-be demolished complex.

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Mon, 08 Dec 2025 01:50:08 +0000

A dramatic sunbeam represented the idea of hope that my native City of Detroit was starving for in 1985.