The Commerce Center, South Bend, Indiana

This extraordinary building sits between the St. Joseph River and the East Race waterway in downtown South Bend, Indiana. It's original use was as a power generating station, using coal to produce steam for driving turbines. Excess steam produced here was used to heat nearby buildings. This building was the second power station to be built on this site. In order to prevent an interruption to the city's power supply, this building was constructed around the outside of the old building, and the old building was later dismantled and carried out piece by piece. Located on Colfax Street just east of the St. Joe River, it has ben repurposed/ upcycled into office space, and several different companies are housed here. This is a thriving city with a rich history and a bright future!

Danger!

Near a former power generating station in South Bend, Indiana.

Bremen, Indiana Fireman's Festival

A few time exposures from the Fireman's Festival at Bremen, Indiana.

MLK Memorial Bridge

This remarkable tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The arch mimics the appearance of the bridge at Selma, Alabama, where peaceful marchers were attacked by law enforcement officers in 1965 on a shameful day in our history.

It is painted black and adds significant beauty to the downtown cityscape. At night it is adorned with lights of many colors and it is worth a trip to Fort Wayne to see this artful memorial to MLK.
One very interesting side note: As I was putting away my camera and getting ready to leave, a group of three teenage girls, obviously friends, came walking across the bridge. One girl was black, one was white, and one was hispanic, and I thought, yes, we really are making progress. Dr. King would be pleased!

East Race Waterway

One of my favorite things to do is put the camera on a sturdy tripod, then shoot with a slow shutter speed so that anything moving gets blurred. This manmade waterway parallels the St. Joseph River in downtown South Bend, Indiana. It was built in the early days of the city to provide power for the numerous "manufactories" in the area. It has been repurposed and now provides obstacles and rapids for kayaking. This is a thriving city with a lot of good things happening and a lot of interesting things to see.

Junk Evolution and Circa Arts!

Two very interesting stores occupy this repurposed/ upcycled classic building in downtown South Bend, Indiana on Colfax Street. Junk Evolution is an antique store and Circa Arts is an art shop. About a block away there is a custom pottery shop. This area could become an art colony... how very cool!! Three cheers for the owners of businesses with character!

On the side of the building shown above there is a remarkable mural, only part of which is shown below. The thriving city of South Bend, Indiana has a lot of great things happening, and a lot of interesting and unique little shops!