DWNTWN ARTMRKT

This past Saturday we headed to the Union Plaza area in downtown El Paso to check out the DWNTWN ARTMRKT:

DWNTWN ARTMRKT

DWNTWN ARTMRKT

The market is a chance for local artists to showcase their wares and runs every Saturday on Anthony Street.  The first time I went a couple of weeks ago the winds were terrible and made it quite unpleasant.  This weekend the wind was gone, the temps were higher so we had a chance to really walk around checking things out.  There was a booth setup for free ornament making for the kids so our boys had blast making a little art of their own.  Thanks to Katie and her friend for helping our hooligans out with their ornaments!

Art

The city blocks off the street so the vendors can set up booths and have plenty of room for people to walk and browse.  There was a nice selection of arts and crafts, from jewelry to paintings as well as a few food vendors.

Vendor row

Vendor row

Union Plaza has gone through a revitalization of sorts with improved sidewalks and parking. There are a lot more restaurants in the area though they didn’t look open at the time we were there. The real highlight of the area is the old industrial buildings that now house may of the clubs and restaurants.   They have retained their character and clues to there past can still be found on the faded brick facades.

Western Coffee Company

Western Coffee Company

Moore

Moore

Post no Bills

Post no Bills

After walking around a bit and checking out the train station the kids were getting a bit unruly so we headed out to get some lunch.  I can see this growing and being real popular in the springtime, hopefully more of the restaurants will make an effort to be open for lunch as more people come.  More shots of the buildings in the area can be found here:

El Paso Downtown Artmarket

Southwestern Portland Cement (Pt 6)

Into to the Dark

I finally had the opportunity to venture into the old main office building at the Southwestern Portland Cement Plant.  I didn’t want to wander around in there alone so I asked a friend of mine to go with me.  His only request was that we not get arrested. Given all of the other possible dangers when exploring abandoned buildings, I’m glad he was only concerned about the police.  Time to head in!


View Southwestern Portland Cement in a larger map

In the map above the office building is outlined in orange.  The stairs to the second story front entrance can be seen from Piasano drive but there is no access there, it’s welded up tight.

Locked!
Welded up

The easiest entry point is from a lower entrance at ground level.  You have to walk around to the side, looking for a set of stairs that go below grade. In the picture below the stairs are right behind the bush. The stairs to the right, lead up to a door that is locked.

v

The lower door that has been pried away, exposing a large room that has a bunch of cabnets and work surfaces.  It looks like some sort of testing area where they may have preformed quality control on their products.

Cabinets
Cabinet work area

To the right is another room that has a narrow set of stairs that lead up to a mid level.  That is the darkest, most claustrophobic part but once you get to the top, light from the second story windows fill the area. This odd area was in the middle of the building with a second set of wider stairs leading up to the office level.

Going up?
Going up?

The building has kind of a weird feel about it. A long narrow hallway runs its length.  Offices hang off to each side letting light in but the low ceiling and cinder block walls negate any openness the light provides.

Long Hall
The Long Hall

the place is gutted with little reminiscent of previous office activity.  The offices had wood paneling which has been removed in large sections and in any area where copper pipes may have been, holes have been punched in the walls to remove it. The long hall ends in a large open office area and judging by the largish corner offices, this was the executive area.

Open office area
Large open office area

The windows have been broken out everywhere exposing the interior to the elements.  It’s also obvious that vagrants have been here making sleeping areas from insulation ripped out of the walls.  I though that these offices might have fared better than the rest of the plant but the passage of time and vandalism have really done a number on the place.

looking out
Looking out

Heading back out we passed a curious breaker panel:

Pulverizer Chipmonk
Pulverizer Chipmonk

These little curiosity’s are the best finds when exploring abandoned places. Pulverizer Chipmonk? Who knows what that was but it sounds like a great band name.  Once out, we walked around a bit more but time soon found us. We both had 1:00 meetings that we needed to get to so we hit the road.

The full Flickr set can be viewed here: Southwestern Portland Cement 6
The previous Flickr sets can be viewed here:
Southwestern Portland Cement 5
Southwestern Portland Cement 4
Southwestern Portland Cement 3
Southwestern Portland Cement 2
Southwestern Portland Cement 1

Abandoned Terminal Redex

Several months back (July) I went to a weird site at 3670 Doniphan.


View Abandoned Terminal in a larger map

There are a few scattered buildings and a single sign that displays “Terminal” at its top.

Terminal

Terminal, that way

The few buildings at the back are the only remnants of industrial activity and they don’t match the age of the other foundation bits and pieces scattered around.  There are these weird blocks that seem to be marking some sort of station locations set next to train tracks that snake through the property.

Six

Six

The last time I was here the main “office” building had been locked up with entry accessible only through a hole in the wall. A side storage area was broken in to but not very interesting.

Open for business

Open for business

This time around the front door had been pried open and the second story graffiti was new, overlapping the older tagging.   Once inside I noticed something kind of weird, the walls had sections broken out in seemingly random spots.  I also noticed some exposed ceiling tiles and cut sections of pipe insulation on the floor and then it hit me… copper scavengers.

Plastic fantastic

Plastic fantastic!

A couple of fake plants and a desk was all that had been left behind. The drawers had been rifled through, though I wager there wasn’t anything to begin with. After walking back out I headed over to the electric station were it was obvious that nothing is going to be going on here for a while.

 Off

All Off

At about this time a white Jeep Liberty with a flatbed trailer drove up behind the building.  I continued to take pictures, waiting for some sort of acknowledgement for the driver.  Eventually I got a nervous “¿Qué Pasa?” from the driver who was holding some very large bolt cutters.  I approached him with a “Hey what’s up?” trying to explain that I was taking pictures because well you know… abandoned stuff is cool.  Confused, he clearly had no idea what I was taking about and asked if I understood Spanish. I went with “No” to make things nice and simple and continued take pictures but not of him fearing I would spook him further. There wasn’t much was left around to look at except for this nice canister:

RUST!

RUST!

I headed out leaving the scavenger behind, I guess there was still some copper to be had that he wanted. Recycling is all the rage right now, so I guess he can be considered to be doing his part for the environment??? The full Flicker set can be viewed here: Abandoned Terminal Pt. 2, for comparison here’s part 1: Abandoned Terminal. My very first view of the site from next door with my Holga can be viewed here: 2008 Graffiti

Chalk the Block ’11

This weekend downtown El Paso held the 4th annual Chalk the Block event.  The organizers bring together artists, artist teams and other performers for a free event that turns the sidewalks around the plaza and museum into temporary art installations.  With the recent removal of the fences around San Jacinto Plaza the downtown park makes for a great place for artists to create chalk and pastel works on the concrete.

Big Red Heart
Big Red Heart

We arrived early Saturday morning so many of the artists were still working on their pieces. There was still a bunch of other things to see as we wandered around. Poetic Kinetics was on hand displaying one of their Holding Flame sculptures:

Poetic Kinetics
Holding Flame

Jack was mesmerized by it but Shaun was a little afraid.  The flame visuals created by the burner at the top really can hypnotize you.  The heat kicked by the flames keeps you mindful of the danger overhead but the distance keeps you safe. Fiat of El Paso was also using this a showcase event for their just launched 500, with artists creating works around and on the spry little hatch.

Fiat 500

Fiat 500 Art Car

There was a large selection of food trucks on hand hawking all sorts of nacho-churro-relleno-on-a-stick concoctions. We opted for a stop at Kipps Cheesesteaks for their awesome hot sandwiches.

Eat at Kipps!
Eat at Kipps!

I guess no outdoor event is complete without some sort of protests.  The Occupy Wallstreet protests that are currently sweeping the globe have even spawned a local group who were standing out in front of the Cortez Building.  They had wanted the center of the Plaza but were supplanted by the arts this weekend. Go Arts!

Occupy Mesa Street?

Occupy Mesa Street?

Main street had been turned into an informal gallery space with several booths set up and artists displaying their wares. Local El Paso artists David “Grave” Herrera  and Mitsu Overstreet of “Border Youth” were on hand laying down some paint on a Sun Metro bus:

Grave's Border Youth
Grave’s Border Youth

The kids were about done at this point and we had seen everything that was worth checking out.  This years event was well organized and looks to be something that will continue and only get better.  My full Flickr set can be viewed here: Chalk the Block