Let’s face it. Detroit’s reputation has never been portrayed good in the news since Ford and General Motors closed their factories. In fact, some people claim it to be the most dangerous city. Many people left their houses abandoned in the suburbs of Detroit causing scrappers and criminals to inhabit these houses. You’ll also find abandoned buildings, factories and theatres. In the middle of the centre, there’s a crumbling movie theatre which is used as a parking lot. The theatre closed down because of, … ironically, insufficient parking space.
While there are still a lot of abandoned houses, they’re an amazing spot for the photographers who love urban exploring. In 1986, the Heidelberg Project in Detroit aimed to refurbish the abandoned houses by turning them into an art exhibition. This public art exhibition turned Heidelberg Street from an unsafe street into a safe, touristy location.
Eastown Theatre used to be a famous theatre in Detroit. Due to illegal activity, especially drug sales and use it closed and reopened a few times. It had been burned down in 2010 but some parts still seemed intact. I heard the building has been demolished now, although not confirmed. I visited all the places with some help from an amazing local guy.
We also stopped at the huge abandoned General Motors Complex. However, we couldn’t stay long because someone showed up and demanded us to leave (probably gang territory).
Here’s some amazing graffiti we found near downtown Detroit.
Something that stereotypes Detroit is the constant steam flow through the manholes which makes the city a bit mystical.
