Sunday, September 08, 2024

Around Ann Arbor

A Few Graffiti We Have Seen


Dexter, Michigan: a cute tiny mural by famous Ann Arbor artist David Zinn.
Unlike his usual chalk drawings, this one is durable and has been in place for over a year.

Near the railroad tracks on North Main, Ann Arbor. Various graffiti on RR boxes.
I know nothing whatsoever about what these mean, I hope they aren’t offensive!

The Wrecking Ball is Coming

Everyone recognizes the unique dome on this old house quite near the UofM campus.
Like many older houses that have long been student rentals, it will soon be demolished and replaced by a high-rise apartment building, also catering to students. Ironically, after years of neglect this house seems to have recently been very nicely repainted.

Another view of the construction site showing the beautiful old stone porch that will soon be rubble.
Does this mean our town is losing its character and its connections to its history? Maybe it means that.
In case you are wondering about the shoes: after graduating, students throw their shoes over the utility wires.

On Our Walks

A view of Argo Dam from the far side of the river. An expanded park is being constructed here.

Not far from the Huron River: a tree has begun to turn red and the vegetation is looking very much like autumn.

 All photos © mae sander 2024
Shared with Sami’s Monday Murals.

13 comments:

Boud said...

I love Zinn! I didn't know he did more permanent work, so this is nice to see, not blink and you miss it.

Valerie-Jael said...

Love this Zinn piece. I have seen some house facades which were supposed to be from him, but couldn't check if they really were! Have a great, new week!

kwarkito said...

l'ecureuil est très espiègle et me plaît beaucoup

Jeanie said...

I hate seeing teardowns like that -- a beautiful house. Makes me angry and also sad. That porch is a gem and so it the tower/cupola.

Rostrose said...

The David Zinn mini mural is so adorable!

It's a shame that the pretty blue-gray (or just gray?) house is going to be demolished. Aren't there any protests? I think people here would chain themselves to the house to prevent it from being demolished...

All the best and a happy new week, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/09/weltreise-2024-7-station-san-francisco.html

My name is Erika. said...

That's such a pretty old house, but it might be in tough shape inside. And that's such a cute chipmunk piece. Happy new week Mae.

magiceye said...

Lovely murals!

Bertiebo said...

Zinn is nice. I really like that house. Funny tradition, those shoes

Sami said...

Love the first very cute mural. What a pity that house is being demolished. It still looks quite good on the outside. I just came from the dentist and they had a book about "Old Perth" with black and white photos of the main/important and very imponent buildings and they were all demolished in the 70's and 80's... so sad...Luckily nowadays the emphasis on renovating and keeping what is old, even if it's just the facade and then build a highrise at the back. And there are a few of those in Perth. Thanks for contributing to Monday Murals Mae.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I would have been by earlier, but I ate something yesterday that made me very sick. Now I'm trying to visit around bouts of nausea, etc.

I only knew David Zinn from Valerie's blog. I had no idea he was from Ann Arbor. How incredibly sad about the house. If this was Europe, houses like this would be preserved.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

It's sad for me to see old buildings demolished. I'm sure the owners of the property can make more profit by having a high rise for students.a

Linda said...

Changes are coming, and sometimes they are sad. That first picture is so cute!

Divers and Sundry said...

What a shame about that house. Memphis is bad about tearing down old structures and putting up ugly buildings in their place. I do feel the pain.