Detroit–Superior Bridge

Capturing this view of the Detroit–Superior Bridge (officially known as the Veterans Memorial Bridge) was possible only through good fortune and circumstance. It was taken from an office window across from Spaces Gallery one early morning during a March thaw.

These are the days of late winter when lake clouds swallow buildings, open briefly, and close their curtains just as abruptly. I used a telephoto lens to compress the distance between the bridge and the buildings. The diffuse light was strong enough to capture all of the tonal values without losing the mystery.

Beyond the aesthetic simplicity of this photograph, there is considerable history underlying the image and the theme of “place.” The bridge, completed in 1918, was at the time the largest steel and concrete bridge in the world, and the Carl Stokes Tower directly behind the bridge is still the fourth tallest U.S. Federal Building in the country. BP America’s headquarters, barely visible through the mist, has its own recent but fabled history.

One earnestly hopes this image represents the enduring union of the Cuyahoga’s two geographic and cultural shores.

Year: 2012
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Collector’s Edition of 10
Dimensions: 16" × 24"