The massive Soo Line ore dock (seen in the distance across Chequamegon Bay) was built in 1916 in Ashland, Wisconsin, on the southern shore of Lake Superior, for loading the area's iron ore into freighters headed to the nation's industrial belt. This concrete structure, which is 80 feet tall, 59 feet wide and 1,800 feet long, was last used in 1965.
In an effort to stimulate preservation efforts for "the largest concrete structure of its kind in the world," the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation named it "one of the ten most endangered historic buildings in Wisconsin" in 2007, the year I happened to be vacationing in the area and took this photo. But the structure was deemed structurally unsafe and was slated for demolition in 2010. As of Spring 2011, it was still standing.
No comments:
Post a Comment