Documenting One of Detroit’s Iconic Buildings

A group of anonymous photographers document the past of Detroit’s Lewis Cass Technical High School in the series “Now and Then.” Built in 1917, the unofficial historic building on 2nd Avenue in downtown Detroit had an imposing, gothic architecture. The abandoned building, once filled with life and learning, would have been more expensive to renovate and so the students were relocated to a new in 2004 while the building itself remained until its demolition in late 2011. Detroiturbex started the project in 2010 to capture the decay and the deterioration of the once majestic halls and classrooms. The photographs were then layered with negatives gathered from the old yearbook room to create a photo montage showing the school in its former glory.

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Security station on the first floor.

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