Depreciated by Joe McClure
Joe McClure's Gallery Joe McClure's Gallery
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  1. Joe McClure's Gallery
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West Dennis Sunrise_Joe McClure
An aerial view of downtown West Dennis along Rt. 28 with The Columns on the right as the road curves out of sight.
Loud Voices Shout to No One_Joe McClure
The vox populi sums up the overriding sentiment intentionally or not. The town has spoken, and the developer must put up or shut up.
LightFalloff-Window-Renovation-Old-House-2
Look Beyond What You See_Joe McClure
Look through the windows into the past. Look beyond reflections of things that have happened. Imagine the future and what is required to achieve the goals. Stasis steals the future.
Commands and Optional Directions_Joe McClure
Roadside signs provide residents and visitors all kinds of direction.
Foundational Approach_Joe McClure
The remnants of the old carriage house. Without support, the bricks are slowly falling inward. The yellow and orange berries of the bitterroot vines take over where a manicured lawn once prevailed.
Disney Stand-ins_Joe McClure
The small stature of these shops reflects a different age. The tall fronts hide a shorter, single-story store. These buildings are represented in post cards dating from the early 1900s. Though the street sign says “Doric”, it has nothing to do with The Columns who’s defining features are Ionic columns.
In Situ_Joe McClure
This section of Main Street has shifted from residential to commercial owing to the expense of maintaining these large buildings. The Columns was a jazz club for nearly two decades, increasingly surrounded by buildings of lesser stature.
Final Legacy_Joe McClure
Whatever we leave behind is erased by time or taken over by other humans. We become but a footnote in the history of our own making. The only real story that matters is the one you’re living now.
Fall Lullaby _Joe McClure
A triptych of objects discarded in the back of the property. A pair of mattresses and a broken piano are left to the animals and the elements. Markers denote the location of new housing units to be built on the property where other mattresses will lay. It could have been mattresses dumped there by unrelated people or by teenagers looking for a secluded place to hang out. A small table would complete the scene, but a smashed baby grand piano raises a whole other story.
Fortunes May Wane_Joe McClure
The major economic engines that grew the fortunes of the region have gone the way of the way of whale oil lanterns. Quaint old houses are lost to time as private funds find insufficient return in restoration and community organizations have to weigh the impact of every dollar.
Windows are the Eyes to the Soul_Joe McClure
Various windows divide the light in various shapes. It has been thirty-five years since residents or staff looked out of these windows.
Grand Memories Pass to Hopes in Desperation_Joe McClure
Built in 1861 by Obed Baker, 3d. a sea captain turned local merchant, The Columns is one of the most iconic historical houses in Dennis. What it’s most famous for, however, is its legacy that no one wants to carry. Once the best house on Main Street, it has become one of the most significant at-risk historical properties in Massachusetts. It has spent thirty-five years achieving that level of repute.
Striped Down_Joe McClure
The Former Elmhurst Inn_Joe McClure
Later known as Ryder’s Sweetheart Inn, this building was purchased, and the façade was painstakingly decorated. Never in its history had it been anything but white, now it features bold colors. The inn and the church are the only comparably sized structures in the days when The Columns was a home.
Empty Houses_Joe McClure
A look inside the front sitting room. A beautiful home begs to be restored, but the path at the moment would seem to be through a private developer. These rooms would never be seen by the public from whom the owner would elicit funding.
Seamless_Joe McClure
Putting the Cart before the House_Joe McClure
Hoping to raise support within the community, the developer puts seasonal decorations in front of the ailing building.
The Past is Obscured_Joe McClure
Whatever historic buildings that existed along this year have been replaced with more modern buildings or have been obscured by new façades. Utility poles carry services not available at the time of The Columns construction. Hidden behind young trees, the large house stands within view of the center of commerce for the village.
13 Acres of Marsh, 1 Acre of House_Joe McClure
The Columns sits on one acre of buildable land. The other thirteen acres of property is marshland. On one side is a discount store. On the other side is a motel turned apartment building. No elegance remains here at the edge of Main Street.
Still There_Joe McClure
Peeking through the window into an almost empty room. It is still there. No wait staff bustle. No patrons converse. It is still there, in that room. A lone piano sits unplayed in a silent, empty room. It is still there, in that room!
Forlorn, My Heart Breaks_Joe McClure
A simple broken heart spray painted on the back wall of the building. Even it has faded. A deformed pumpkin sits atop a staircase to nowhere.
The Façades You Will Meet_Joe McClure
A typology of typical façades in the village of West Dennis. The majority of historic buildings in this area of the town of Dennis are Greek Revival houses build in the mid-19th century.
West Dennis Sunrise_Joe McClure Loud Voices Shout to No One_Joe McClure LightFalloff-Window-Renovation-Old-House-2 Look Beyond What You See_Joe McClure Commands and Optional Directions_Joe McClure Foundational Approach_Joe McClure Disney Stand-ins_Joe McClure In Situ_Joe McClure Final Legacy_Joe McClure Fall Lullaby _Joe McClure Fortunes May Wane_Joe McClure Windows are the Eyes to the Soul_Joe McClure Grand Memories Pass to Hopes in Desperation_Joe McClure Striped Down_Joe McClure The Former Elmhurst Inn_Joe McClure Empty Houses_Joe McClure Seamless_Joe McClure Putting the Cart before the House_Joe McClure The Past is Obscured_Joe McClure 13 Acres of Marsh, 1 Acre of House_Joe McClure Still There_Joe McClure Forlorn, My Heart Breaks_Joe McClure The Façades You Will Meet_Joe McClure
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