Some new photos from Fort Wayne




This is one of three storefronts at Victoria Park Plaza, a shopping center on South Anthony Boulevard on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When I was a child, this was a Little Caesar's Pizza restaurant.

This shopping center sat abandoned for many years after the stores in it closed when I was a teenager. The much larger storefront to the right of this one was a Hook's Drug Store. The largest part of the building, on the other side of the former drugstore, was a garden shop and art supply store called Frank's Nursery and Crafts. My parents went there a lot to buy plants when I was young. The former Frank's store is now a storefront church.

10-11-21
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:




This is one of three storefronts at Victoria Park Plaza, a dead shopping center on South Anthony Boulevard on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

When I was a child, this was a Hook's Drug Store. The now-defunct Indianapolis-based pharmacy chain had a lot of these very austere, windowless stores. There is one like it in the small town of Churubusco, Indiana that is now a CVS Pharmacy.

This shopping center sat abandoned for many years after the stores in it closed when I was a teenager. The storefront to the left of this one was a Little Caesar's Pizza restaurant. The much larger storefront to the right, which occupies most of the building, was a garden shop and art supply store called Frank's Nursery and Crafts. My parents went there a lot to buy plants when I was young. The former Frank's store is now a storefront church.

10-11-21
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My memories of Hook's Drugs mostly consist of where I'd go to buy things like greeting cards or over the counter medications for colds as I did not have a need for prescriptions when I was younger. If they were still around today, and I was back in Greensburg I'd probably give them a lot of business.

PF
 
farlymac said:
My memories of Hook's Drugs mostly consist of where I'd go to buy things like greeting cards or over the counter medications for colds as I did not have a need for prescriptions when I was younger. If they were still around today, and I was back in Greensburg I'd probably give them a lot of business.

PF
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When I was a kid, my parents went to Hook's for any medical stuff. Over the counter meds, prescriptions, bandaids, anything. They were the 'local' company, unlike places like Walgreens that were big out of state chains. I never knew Hook's was not a Ft. Wayne company until years later! They were based in Indy, but they had a huge number of stores in Ft. Wayne.
 
I remember Hook's. The old store near where I grew up south of Indy had a genuine soda fountain. It got torn-down and replaced with a small strip mall, the new Hook's that went in was one of those sterile boxes just like any walgreens/cvs/rite-aide that exists today, no more soda fountain.
OTH, that center also had a Vonnegut's hardware which was part of Kurt Vonnegut's family's business.
 



This vacant storefront is on the south end of Charlie Bob's International Plaza, a shopping center on South Anthony Boulevard on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Yes, that really is the name of the shopping center!
 
I like the composition, Chris -- all the horizontals. Great shopping center name too. Sounds like "World Headquarters" could have been in there also! Just curious what your camera/lens/film(?) of choice is for these pictures.
 
KoNickon said:
I like the composition, Chris -- all the horizontals. Great shopping center name too. Sounds like "World Headquarters" could have been in there also! Just curious what your camera/lens/film(?) of choice is for these pictures.
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The color stuff from the last couple years has all been done with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 mark II. Almost all were shot with the Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens.
 



Sunset Hall is on South Hanna Street, just north of US-27, on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Opened in 1971 as a movie theatre called Cinema South, it later became a music venue and dance hall. The name changed several times, but the name it had for most of the time after the movie theatre closed was Sunset Hall.

11-8-21
 



This classic Chevrolet pickup truck is from the late 1940s. I'm not sure the exact model year, as those made from 1947 to 1950 looked nearly identical. It was sitting next to Sunset Hall, a former movie theatre on South Hanna Street, just north of US-27, on the southeast side of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

11-8-21
 



This vacant storefront is on the corner of Washington Street (State Road 26) and Monroe Street in the small town of Hartford City, Indiana. It has "Coming 2021 - Happy Dayz" painted on the front windows.

Other signs on the building said that a restaurant called Happy Dayz was going to open there in early 2021. I don't think it ever did. I photographed it yesterday afternoon.

12-7-21
 



This tiny old building sits vacant on the north side of English Street, between 2nd Street and 3rd Street in the small town of Hoagland, Indiana. It looks like it may have originally been a small house, but it had been used as a retail storefront for a long time.

The current owner told me that she had recently purchased it and was going to renovate it and open a business.

10-11-21
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
This tiny old building sits vacant on the north side of English Street, between 2nd Street and 3rd Street in the small town of Hoagland, Indiana. It looks like it may have originally been a small house, but it had been used as a retail storefront for a long time.

The current owner told me that she had recently purchased it and was going to renovate it and open a business.

10-11-21
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Places like that were usually barber shops or hair salons, sometimes connected to the owner's house. Very interesting roofing tiles, I hope the new owner keeps them in the restoration.

PF
 



This scraggly-looking pine tree stands by the gate on a farmer's driveway on Yoder Road, just outside the small town of Poe, in rural Allen County, Indiana.

This is the first of two photographs that I made of it on a very foggy December morning.

12-10-21
 
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John Hrehov was one of my professors when I was in art school. He was recently awarded a prize for his surrealist paintings by the New York Foundation For The Arts.

I made the portrait of John in his studio that the NYFA used in the article about John and his work on their website; and I also made the photographs of the paintings that were used in the article!

https://www.nyfa.org/blog/introducin...realist-prize/

You can see more of John's work on his website, which I built for him.
 




This vacant storefront is on the south side of Line Street in the small town of Geneva, Indiana. In the late 19th Century, it was a pharmacy owned by Charles Porter, husband of famed writer Gene Stratton-Porter. Later, it was owned by local businessman Charles Fravel, who had antique store called The Hub.

Geneva is a small town in the southern part of Adams County, Indiana. Like the larger town of Berne, located a few miles north, Geneva was founded by immigrants from Switzerland.

I want to thank my friend and fellow Indiana artist Gedda Runyon Starlin for her help in researching the history of this place. Her family was one of the first to settle in Adams County in the early 19th Century, and she grew up near Geneva.

12-10-21
 
I'm always fascinated by your photos Chris, and even more by the many historical informations you provide us. It increases the appreciation when watching your photos. And it underlines how much you love your area. Thanks!
 



This beat-up old Toyota was parked on Line Street in the small town of Geneva, Indiana. The car was covered in spray-painted graffiti of hearts and the word "Love." On the hood, someone used a paint marker to write "Williams Auto Parts." Strange form of advertising!

Geneva is a small town in the southern part of Adams County, Indiana. Like the larger town of Berne, located a few miles north, Geneva was founded by immigrants from Switzerland.

12-10-21
 




This small abandoned building stands on Line Street, just east of Railroad Street, in the small town of Geneva, Indiana. The signs say "Salvage & Junk Yard" and "More In-Side," though the lot on which it is located seems way too small to have ever been a salvage yard. The window on the front door is boarded-up with plywood that has the word "Watch" stenciled on it.

Geneva is a small town in the southern part of Adams County, Indiana. Like the larger town of Berne, located a few miles north, Geneva was founded by immigrants from Switzerland.

12-10-21
 
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