Photographs from Detroit, 1975-2019

A retrospective of Bruce Harkness' powerful social documentary photographs captures the lost swaths of Detroit's social and urban fabric. The Poletown series, documenting the lives of 350 people in a Detroit neighborhood, established Harkness as a significant Detroit documentarian. The images include street scenes, portraits, and the cultural milieu of a local gay and transgender bar. Harkness' work brightened in the 1990s alongside Detroit's revival, capturing blues musicians, youth culture, and the struggles and resilience of ordinary individuals and families. This book is a valuable historical record and a must-have for Detroiters, historians, and others interested in the city's history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 02 August 2022
Publisher: Ohio University Press

Detroit's urban landscape has been significantly shaped by the redevelopment and gentrification processes that have taken place over the past few decades. These changes have led to the displacement of many residents and the loss of important cultural landmarks. One notable example of this is the Poletown neighborhood, which was once a thriving community of over 3500 people.

In 1980, the cities of Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan, exercised eminent domain to develop nearly five hundred acres of land for a new industrial park and General Motors assembly plant. However, the land was not vacant. Some 3500 people lived in Poletown, many of them for their entire lives. They attended neighborhood schools and churches, worked for and patronized small businesses, walked the sidewalks, drove the streets, and tended to lawns and gardens.

Bruce Harkness began photographing the area in February 1981. He recorded street scenes, intersections, panoramic views, homes, businesses, churches, and people. Ten months, ninety visits, and six hundred photographs later, it all disappeared forever.

The Poletown series established Harkness as a major Detroit documentarian. It came on the heels of late-1970s projects located in and around the city's skid row: Cass Corridor. The images include gritty streetscapes, a portrait series depicting residents living in a crumbling apartment building, and the lively cultural milieu of a local gay and transgender bar. Most of this old portion of inner-city Detroit since has been supplanted by urban redevelopment and gentrification.

During the late 1980s, Harkness collaborated with urban historian John J. Bukowczyk on a major documentary project, Urban Interiors. While the Poletown project had documented the exteriors of buildings and streetscapes on Detroit's East Side, Urban Interiors captured the insides of inner-city Detroit homes and businesses and included extended oral history interviews.

While Harkness has always found inspiration in the city's rich history, he is also concerned about the future of Detroit. He believes that the city has the potential to thrive once again, but it will require a commitment to investing in education, infrastructure, and job creation. He hopes that his photographs will serve as a reminder of the city's past and inspire future generations to work towards a brighter future.

In conclusion, the redevelopment and gentrification processes that have taken place in Detroit have had a significant impact on the city's urban landscape. The Poletown neighborhood is a notable example of this, as it was once a thriving community that has been lost to urban redevelopment. Bruce Harkness's photographs of Poletown serve as a valuable historical record of this community and a reminder of the importance of preserving Detroit's rich history and cultural heritage.

Dimension: 229 x 305 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780804012386