Detroit Now & Then: Decay
before
after

Side Altar, St. Agnes Catholic Church

Detroit's climate, ranging from hot, rainy summers to cold, icy winters makes maintaining a building a year-round task. When buildings are vacated, maintenance usually stops, and the natural processes that wear down structures take over. A combination of water leaks and seasonal freeze / thaw cycles has caused most of the plaster and stucco around this side altar to detach and fall off in the years since the church closed.

Original photo: 1927, The Michigan Architect and Engineer
Newer photo: August, 2013