Graffiti at the abandoned Standard/Midwest refinery in West Laramie.
The abandoned and decrepit Standard/Midwest refinery on the West Side of Laramie has always been an interesting place for photographers, graffiti artists, and assorted riff raff (I imagine). This ruin has been here since it was abandoned about 20 years ago. According to Laramie's newspaper, The Boomerang, the Laramie Rivers Conservation District is planning to clean up the "ugly and dangerous relic." I don't really have any ground for arguing that the site isn't dangerous. Apparently it was a yttrium processing facility at one time and the soils are contaminated, and there are certainly a lot of holes, broken concrete, and rebar throughout. But ugliness is in the eye of the beholder, and I personally find the site quite appealing visually--it's one of the most interesting places to photograph in town, and quite a lot of fun to explore. It's hard to say that the site shouldn't be cleaned up, but I'll be sad when it is, truth be told.
An abandoned building at the site.
Concrete ruins, with graffiti.
More concrete, more graffiti.
A rose by any other name is an "ugly" and dangerous site.
I love, love, love these photos of the abandoned concrete ruins in Laramie. The graffiti is hilarious, the sky is awesome and the compositions are
ReplyDeleteabsolutely perfect --- a spectacular combination of elements! - connelle m.