HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Photography Forums > My City Photos


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 4:47 PM
stepper77's Avatar
stepper77 stepper77 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: East Bay
Posts: 2,254
Holyoke, MA

Holyoke is city of about 40,000 along the Connecticut River is central Mass. It is part of the greater Springfield Metropolitan Area and definitely one of those cities that has seen better days. I asked the friends and family I was staying with, who live in nearby Chicopee, whether there was anything interesting to see in Holyoke. They answered, "Yes, the Holyoke Mall is great!" I am certainly glad I didn't listen because downtown Holyoke, while a little rough along the edges, definitely has a lot of potential. Hopefully, it will be realized.











Deserted train station



















It's looking a little bleak, let's go to downtown proper...















Holyoke wasn't as deserted as it looks





























































There are signs of redevelopment/reuse of the old industrial sections, the building in the front here is now a Teen Center.



























Ahhh...a little nature...











































One last shot of city hall...



...this means the day's photography is over...



Tomorrow's destination...Chicopee and Springfield


_____________________________________________________________

Quincy - Provincetown- Chicopee - Springfield - Worcester - Boston

Last edited by stepper77; May 3, 2009 at 2:42 AM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 5:31 PM
latennisguy's Avatar
latennisguy latennisguy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Back in L.A.
Posts: 552
Holyoke! ( almost sounds funny)...thanks for the tour. It looks like some old novel come to life..well..and death.
__________________
La arquitectura es música congelada. - Schopenhauer, Arthur
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 5:34 PM
Ex-Ithacan's Avatar
Ex-Ithacan Ex-Ithacan is offline
Old Fart Forumer
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Live in DC suburbs-Maryland
Posts: 22,154
I think the grayish mood of the pics match the city fairly well. There are some grand old buildings downtown, and perhaps some hope for revitalization too, but I was left kinda sad by the place. Seemed to be a lot of abandoned apartment buildings (tenement style). And plenty of blocks that probably once teemed with people and when I visited were just large dirt lots. Cool tour though, thanks.
__________________
Get off my lawn you whippersnappers!!!!!


Retired, now Grandpa Daycare
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 9:20 PM
TinChelseaNYC TinChelseaNYC is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New York City
Posts: 803
You're definitely right about the potential. How sad to see such pretty buildings neglected and abandoned. An all too common story in this country...

Nice tour!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 9:26 PM
OhioGuy OhioGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: DC
Posts: 7,649
It looks like it has some very nice buildings. Some revitalization is needed, but good bones nonetheless. I can't help but imagine what this type of built environment would look like if it was in Canada. I see it being more vibrant both with the look/upkeep of the buildings as well as more people walking around.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Jul 1, 2008, 9:33 PM
blade_bltz blade_bltz is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boston, MA/ Palo Alto, CA
Posts: 652
Fascinating. Holyoke is often considered the worst city in MA. It's great to see the downtown area in such good shape, all things considered.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 3:17 AM
ColDayMan's Avatar
ColDayMan ColDayMan is offline
B!tchslapping Since 1998
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Columbus
Posts: 19,889
Dare I say it? HOLYSMOKE!
__________________
Click the x: _ _ X _ _!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #8  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 4:12 AM
Thundertubs's Avatar
Thundertubs Thundertubs is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Posts: 2,921
Nice! I drove through Holyoke once in the rain and was glad to see it more in-depth here. It's one of those cities that is fun but sad to imagine how it used to be. Very solid structures.

Excellent tour!

-

Freshman year of high school a friend and I got kicked out of a pre-graduation ceremony for the seniors because we couldn't stop laughing after a speaker said "Mount Holyoke". It sounded like "Mount Holio", ala Beavis and Butthead, to us. Ah, maturity.
__________________
Be magically whisked away to
Chicago | Atlanta | Newark | Tampa | Detroit | Hartford | Chattanooga | Indianapolis | Philadelphia | Dubuque | Lowell | New England
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #9  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 4:43 AM
pip's Avatar
pip pip is online now
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 4,229
Looks like a city to explore. Nice pictures.

This is the one time and the city I got mugged in. Went to Westfied State College one semester and worked in the Holyoke Mall part time. Got mugged when I stopped in a fast food store to ask directions on my out back to my car.

Beautiful part of the State. The Poconos(?) area near Westfield is drop dead gorgeous.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #10  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 11:26 AM
ChrisLA's Avatar
ChrisLA ChrisLA is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: San Fernando Valley
Posts: 6,662
Can't say I would want to live there, but I certainly would visit. Yes it does have potential, there are a lot of beautiful historic buildings to be rehabbed. I could see a lot of lofts here for sure.

One thing I noticed in your photos are a lot of signs in spanish. I'm assuming there is a sizeable Hispanic/Latino population?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #11  
Old Posted Jul 2, 2008, 9:26 PM
blade_bltz blade_bltz is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Boston, MA/ Palo Alto, CA
Posts: 652
Yep. Holyoke has the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in any city in the country. It's cool because just down the river you've got Hartford, which has boasts the second highest percentage. Unfortunately, however, the PR population in Holyoke is extremely poor. It's not exactly a "vibrant" ethnic hood.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #12  
Old Posted Jul 4, 2008, 4:04 AM
kcexpress69's Avatar
kcexpress69 kcexpress69 is offline
Beer Stampede
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Metro KCMO
Posts: 2,283
Depressing, yet neat!! At least the city is striving to hang on to its heritage. One renovation at a time.!! Your picture threads tell a story!! Keep it going!!
__________________
"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Kurt Vonnegut
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #13  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 11:55 PM
stormkingfan stormkingfan is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PhilaPA
Posts: 503
Drove through once. Didn't have time to stop. This town should have its architectural history preserved. I wouldn't want to see it modernized.

I like the shots of the rr bridge and station. Looks like New York Central vintage. Possibly part of a branch line off the Boston & Albany (NY Central).
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #14  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2008, 7:42 PM
Wheelingman04's Avatar
Wheelingman04 Wheelingman04 is offline
Pittsburgh rocks!!
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Salem, OH (near Youngstown)
Posts: 8,800
Depressing, but it has a great built environment. I hope to see some rivitalization soon.
__________________
1 hour from Pittsburgh and 1 hour from Cleveland
Go Ohio State!!
Ohio Proud!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #15  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2008, 8:17 PM
CapitalCity's Avatar
CapitalCity CapitalCity is offline
Go Saxons!!
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Salem, OR & Waynesville, OH
Posts: 293
Nice tour! And let's not forget that Holyoke is the birthplace of the greatest sport in the world: VOLLEYBALL!!
__________________
Salem, Oregon project rundown
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #16  
Old Posted Sep 18, 2008, 10:23 PM
plinko's Avatar
plinko plinko is offline
them bones
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Santa Barbara adjacent
Posts: 7,388
Richardsonian and industrial bliss. Beautiful architecture. Great photos.
__________________
Even if you are 1 in a million, there are still 8,000 people just like you...
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #17  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2008, 1:15 PM
stormkingfan stormkingfan is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: PhilaPA
Posts: 503
Was in Holyoke a second time. This time, I spent half the day last Sunday walking around and went to church at that big brown stone church you took a couple of pics of. United Church of Christ. Very nice people there.

Nice conversation with owner of one of the bodegas in d'town. Holyoke is a bit depressed, but I felt comfortable there. A place that time left behind. This town is a diamond in the rough. Like I said before, preserve it! Don't turn it into another Springfield. Restore/renovate and use as many old bldgs as possible.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #18  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2008, 5:28 PM
mSeattle's Avatar
mSeattle mSeattle is offline
Socialism 4 Extreme Rich?
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: here
Posts: 10,073
I agree. Forget the mall. The city has great potential!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #19  
Old Posted May 2, 2009, 4:16 PM
fueltank fueltank is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1
A Lot of Potential

I was born and raised in this city and looking at these pictures brought back some memories. This was and still is a rough city. I visited some family in Holyoke about a year ago and I was depressed about how bad it looked now...The old buildings have so much potential for office spaces or stores near downtown. I would imagine it can get expensive to revitalize those buildings especially the chances that those buildings would be infested with lead paint and asbestos. Most of those pictures are the very places I hung around most of my time. I noticed that he didn't go deep into the flats which can get pretty scary in there...hehe. But the buildings are still beautiful in there. Most of the buildings where lost by fires or just had been abandoned. Some of those buildings would be great for a studio or a gaming company. But still is a beautiful city if you can see past the graffiti and abuse that it's taken over the years. This use to be one of America's biggest paper suppliers....This is why they call it The Paper City.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #20  
Old Posted May 2, 2009, 5:52 PM
holladay's Avatar
holladay holladay is offline
Bombshell Vintage
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,249
This is a fantastic tour! I especially love the industrial areas.
Reply With Quote
     
     
This discussion thread continues

Use the page links to the lower-right to go to the next page for additional posts
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Photography Forums > My City Photos
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 12:38 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.