For over 40 Years, This Guy Photographed the Same Buildings as he Watched them Decline

timtracker

We all see familiar buildings in our neighbourhoods change over the years, but what if you photographed them from the exact same spot, documenting them over a time span of over four decades? That’s exactly what Chilean-born photographer Camilo José Vergara did. Focusing on the poorest and most segregated communities in urban America, Camilo returned year after year to re-photograph the same places, becoming “an archivist of decline”. Here is a brief look at the space and time he has tracked…

Ransom Gills Mansion (1993-2014)

ransom1
ransom2
ransom3
ransom4
ransom5
ransom6
ransom8
screen-shot-2016-10-26-at-19-26-30
screen-shot-2016-10-26-at-19-26-39



65 East 125th St., Harlem (1977-2014)

eastharlem2
eastharlem1
eastharlem3
eastharlem4
eastharlem6
eastharlem8
eastharlem9
eastharlem10



Fern Street, Camden, New Jersey (1979-2014)

fernst
fernst1
fernst2
fernst3
fernst4
fernst5



4344 West Madison Ave, Chicago (1981-2014)

church1
holychurch2
holychurch3
holychurch4
holychurch5



Vyse Avenue, South Bronx, NY (1980-2013)

vyse
vyse1
vyse2
vyse3
vyse4
vyse5
vyse6

And now I cannot recommend more highly that you discover the life’s work of Camilo José Vergara on his website. Flicking through his slides is like time-travelling through forgotten America.

Images via the Library of Congress.