From Mills…To Malls?

This article in yesterday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the redevelopment of the Carrie Furnace site – “an expanse of blast furnaces that once produced as much as 1,200 tons of iron per day for the former Homestead Works of U.S. Steel.”

The 168-acre parcel is now owned by the county and is close to being ready for development, the article states, in the final stages of environmental cleanup.

What will replace the furnaces, which operated for 102 years?

A Look Inside an Old Steel Casting Plant

Check out this view of the old, abandoned Fort Pitt Steel Casting plant in McKeesport, Pa. (outside Pittsburgh).

Lorain, Ohio’s Steel Mill Trail

I recently spent an afternoon in and around my old stomping grounds of Lorain, Ohio. While I was there, I took a few hours to explore a Lorain County Metroparks Trail that runs through the slag fields of the city’s steel mill, as well as along the banks of the Black River. Walkers, runners, and bikers on the trail get to see a juxtaposition of industry (or what’s left of it, anyhow) and nature.

I wanted to share a few photos:

Decay in Youngstown

Let me start off by saying, Youngstown is one of my favorite cities. It is a weird place, with a set of rules all its own. Some of my best friends in the world live there. Also, they make some killer Italian food in this city. Killer. It’s cheap too. Very cheap.

Anyway, photographer Mark Stahl, an acquaintance of mine from my days at The Vindicator newspaper, has generously donated the use of some of his photos. This series is about decay taking place in the city.