A Weekend Stroll Downtown

This weekend I got the opportunity to explore downtown Springfield and I was inspired to take a few pictures. There has been a lot of construction and renovations recently which has opened up parts of the downtown area to new foot traffic, but it has also changed a lot of what gave the area it's character. These pictures are my attempt to capture some of what I consider the "-ness" of the downtown area.

Some art in an alley way behind a comedy club and whiskey bar. Quite a few businesses downtown have some sort of artwork adorning their exterior walls. Often it was put their by the establishment, but there are also a few graffiti works. All of them unique!

Almost the entire side of this building is covered in ivy. Fitting as it houses a quaint Italian restaurant. The old street lights still speckle the downtown streets. And of course, the obligatory Irish bar across the street!

You can see the layers of history at the corner of this old building. Remnants of the past foundation peek through the crumbling modern facade.

This is a beautiful entryway to a loft off one of the back alleys. Something I have noticed about older buildings... The address always had this prominence that was often iconic. I guess it is the residue of a time before GPS and Google Maps.

You can see these street paintings on most sewer drain downtown. They were part of a green initiative to build awareness of our impact on the environment and the pollution in our local waterways. This particular one depicts a swan with her babies and serves as a reminder that even something as small as littering in the street can affect ecosystems miles away.

The street lamps come on as dusk reflects off the windows in an alley way. Something about the dynamics of the lighting brings out magical details you might easily overlook. Any other time of day this would just be a picture of a building, but the contrast of the darkening alley and the blue sky reflecting off the windows adds a dimension that makes you think. It's not just a building. People live here, eat here, work here. Yes it's just walls, but these wall hold stories!

A mural on panel board covering up an old brick wall. I'm not sure how old it is... I want to say it is part of one of the recent downtown re-vamp processes, but it is showing the same wear and character of the downtown area.

Afterthoughts

I know that the face of downtown is a constant evolution of the local culture and the impending gentrification of the area is overall a positive thing, but my stroll made me think of how fleeting things can be and how important it is to preserve things, even if it's only in memory.

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