Institutions

Published June 7, 2006

The Belle Isle Aquarium, now idled – perhaps permanently. It survived 101 years.

Inside is a very disturbing site, no workers, no fish.

[dfunk note: no, i am not inside the aquarium building, yes it is secured. you can look in the front glass door – i shot through the glass with a flash.]

YMCA building

YWCA

6 Responses to Institutions

Mint on June 11, 2006 at 11:20 am

Those are some beautiful pictures of details. I love the aquarium, how sad that it is closed. =(
sam on June 8, 2006 at 11:22 am

That aquarium flash shot is an excellent, atmospheric photo, but I have to admit it caused me to have two slightly different reactions at once:

1) ‘What a beautiful interior, I remember seeing the previous story with pictures from when it was still operating, shame it got closed down’

and

2) ‘Bloody hell that looks exactly like a scene from Resident Evil (video game). If you go near one of those glass things something horrible is going to burst out.’

:> I think it’s the lighting that does it.

–sam
nailhed on June 7, 2006 at 7:50 pm

WOW
James on June 7, 2006 at 10:59 am

How did you get in the aquarium? I hope its well sealed.
Rob on June 7, 2006 at 8:55 am

Beautiful work as always. Sad to see the amazing aquarium building join the other buildings to slowly decay. I hope someone soon can turn that around. Wish someone could at least maintain that building until then, we have several like that here in VA.
annonymous on June 7, 2006 at 8:15 am

As others have said, you have done excellent work with your photography. Your site is among the best.

I went to Detroit in 1999 and got to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Belle Isle aquarium. Such a shame it has closed down.