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- Collection: Chester Smolski Photographs
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Charleston: Fort Sumter Aerial Photograph
This aerial photograph shows Fort Sumter, a historic military fortification that is best remembered as the first battle of the Civil War. Though a coastal fortification, Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor, is accessible only by boat. It is now…
Charleston: Marion Square
The rectangular plot of land seen in the center of this aerial shot is known as Marion Square. The grounds are home to many monuments as well as the South Carolina State Arsenal, aka the Old Citadel. The tall statue to the middle left of the area is…
Charleston: Rainbow Row
Once the center of Charleston’s commerce, these homes have since been purchased and restored by Dorothy Legge. The name “Rainbow Row” was coined with these buildings due to their wide variety of vibrant colors. These 1700s style buildings used to be…
Charleston: Porgy & Bess
Adopted by Dubose Heyward, this section of Church Street is responsible for inspiring “Catfish Row” in his story “Porgy”. This story was eventually turned into the opera production “Porgy and Bess” which depicts black life in the 1920s in Charleston.…
Charleston: Suburb Neighborhood
Pictured is one of the many suburban neighborhoods in Charleston. Calhoun Street, a major street running from east to west, was viewed as the major boundary separating the north suburbs from the southern urban area.
Charleston: Naval Base
Located on the west bank of the Cooper River is Charleston’s former Naval Station. Closed down in the mid 1990s, the three miles of river front was seen as a large investment in real estate. In charge of redeveloping this $60 million dollar area…
Charleston: Housing, Charleston International Airport, Aerial
This aerial photograph shows housing around the borders of Charleston International Airport. The airport is a joint civil-military airport, which was privately constructed in the 1920s. During World War II the US Army began using the airport as part…
Charleston: Highway 26 Interchange with U.S. 17
This aerial captures the meeting of Highway 26 with U.S. 17 in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Highway 26 consists of the major roads running horizontal to the right of the split, while U.S. 17 runs perpendicular to it and continues veering off…
Charleston: Meeting St. Aerial Photo
This aerial image of downtown Charleston has Meeting St. running diagonally across the picture plane. St. Michael’s Church (1752-61) is at center left, is significant because it is the oldest religious structure in the city. It was designed by an…
Charleston: Marion Square, Aerial Photograph
This aerial photograph looks south west across the peninsula that is downtown Charleston. The mouth of the Ashley River empties into the Charleston Harbor on the horizon, while the foreground is spotted with the city’s many historical and…
Charleston: White Point Gardens, Fort Sumter Hotel, Battery Carriage House
This photograph of downtown Charleston reflects the city’s prosperity during the nineteenth century. At the center left of the frame is the Battery Carriage House Inn, a large home built by Samuel N. Stevens in 1843. Colonel Lathers commissioned…
Charleston: Hampton Park
This aerial photograph shows Hampton Park and the Citadel: Military College of South Carolina.
Hampton Park, named for Confederate General Wade Hampton III, was the site of a race track, a prisoner of war camp, a plantation, and even a trade…
Charleston: The Citadel: Military College of South Carolina
The Citadel is a military college in South Carolina that has it’s roots in the nineteenth century, and was originally used by Confederate soldiers in the nineteenth century. Federal troops occupied the original Citadel during the reconstruction until…
Chaleston: Randolph Hall at College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the United States. It was founded in 1770. This photograph shows the quad and an obscured view of Randolph Hall. The building was created in two parts, the center of…
Charleston: Downtown, The Fort Sumter Hotel
This aerial photograph of downtown Charleston shows the city’s low rise skyline along the Charleston Harbor. At the top center of the photograph is the Fort Sumter Hotel, a seven story structure that towers over the residential surroundings. Designed…
Charleston: Aerial View of “The Citadel: Military College of South Carolina”
This photograph, taken in the late 1970s, is an aerial view of the Citadel: Military College of South Carolina. The Romanesque design of the buildings was based on the architecture of the Old Citadel, which was designed by Frederick Wesner in…
Charleston: Housing
With a 2010 census of 120,083 people, Charleston is South Carolina’s second largest city. Also known as The Holy City, Charleston is known for its religious tolerance as many Huguenots have settled here. This neighborhood lies on the peninsula formed…
Charleston: Hyman’s Wholesale Co. Parking Garage
Originating in 1890, Hyman’s Wholesale Co. was established by W.M. Karesh, a Jewish immigrant. The company has been passed down from generation to generation and is now known as Hyman’s Seafood and Aaron’s Deli. In the year of 1986, the Omni hotel…
Charleston: Pink House on Chalmers St
Built at the turn of the 18th century, Charleston, South Carolina’s Pink House gets its name from the coral Bermuda stone that was used to build it. Bermuda stone is unique in that it is soft and malleable, but when exposed to outside weather, it…
Masada: Roman Road (2 of 2)
Largely untouched for two thousand years, this photograph shows the original Roman access road to Masada, which can still be traveled on foot by visitors. On the western side, this “ramp” was constructed by the Romans as a way to penetrate the…
Massada: Roman Road (1 of 2)
Largely untouched for two thousand years, this photograph shows the original Roman access road to Masada, which can still be traveled on foot by visitors. On the western side, this “ramp” was constructed by the Romans as a way to penetrate the…
Masada: Roman Style Tile & Bath
This photograph shows a Roman style bath built by King Herod at Masada. Masada was one of the fortresses built during Herod’s rule in the first century BC. Herod was generally unpopular with the Jews, so perhaps this is why he spent much effort…
Masada: Tourists and Ruins
Excavations of Masada were not seriously undertaken until the 1960s when Masada became part of Israeli territory. With the help of twentieth century technology archeologists were able to access this natural fortress that had been largely untouched…
Massada: Tiles in Herod’s Palace
Mosaic in King Herod’s Palace at Masada. Despite it’s remote location, excavations at Masada have revealed beautiful tiles and mosaics, and balconies with beautiful views of the surrounding country. Masada was taken in A.D. 66 by Jewish rebels who…
Masada: Ruins of Herod’s Palace
Excavations of Masada were not seriously undertaken until the 1960s when Masada became part of Israeli territory. With the help of twentieth century technology archeologists were able to access this natural fortress that had been largely untouched…
Masada: View from the top (2 of 2)
Upon embarking on a rigorous and dangerous climb, tourists can reach the top of Masada by a small number of pathways. Spanning around 200,000 square yards, the top of Masada is completely flat. Today, the top still contains the ruins of Herod’s…
Masada: View from the top (1 of 2)
Upon embarking on a rigorous and dangerous climb, tourists can reach the top of Masada by a small number of pathways. Spanning around 200,000 square yards, the top of Masada is completely flat. Today, the top still contains the ruins of Herod’s…
Masada: Natural Fortress, Ruins, Visitors
This photo is taken at the top of Masada, a horst that was used as a fortress by many ancient people. King Herod, in the first century BC, built an elaborate palace here, perhaps fearing he would have to go into isolation because of his unpopularity…
Masada: View Toward Dead Sea
This photograph looks east from Masada towards the Dead Sea. Masada is a natural fortress that was most invested in by King Herod, who in the first century BC constructed a intricate palace atop this isolated horst. Masada was the site of a mass…
Masada: Roman Siege Camp Ruins
Seen from atop Masada, a natural fortress in an otherwise wasteland, is the remains of a Roman Siege camp from AD 74. Jewish rebels took the fortress in AD 66 and held it for seven years until Romans took them by force. The rebels committed mass…
Masada: Ruins, View From Top
This photograph shows Masada’s natural fortification and ruins of King Herod’s Palace built in the first century BC. Because of it’s remote location and natural defenses, Masada has been mostly untouched since the first century BC. Recent…
Masada: Roman Siege Camps
Taken from atop of Masada this photograph shows the remains of the Roman Siege camps constructed in AD 74. At the time Masada had been taken by approximately 900 Jewish Rebels. Masada eventually fell to the Romans and the rebels, also known as the…
Masada: Cable Car Access
Masada, once a fortress in the last Jewish holdout against the Romans, represents bravery and self sacrifice to modern Jews, which ended in the mass suicide of nine hundred rebels. It is now reached by cable car for visitors. In the twentieth…
Masada
Masada is a natural fortress which was used by Jews during rebellion against the Romans. It is located near the Dead Sea and some biblical fragments, pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls, have been located here. In AD 73/74 nine hundred Jewish rebels…
Paris: Charles DeGaulle Airport
Named after the President of the French Republice during WWII, the Charles DeGaulle Airport is the second busiest airport in Europe. The airport is comprised of three terminals: the first for international travelers, the second for European airlines,…
Jerusalem: Western Wall
At about 1600 feet, the Western Wall is the longest of the four walls retaining the Temple Mount. It is mainly noted for its tourism and frequent visitors, as it is a famous Jewish prayer area for the people of Israel.
Jerusalem: Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountainside in Jerusalem covered in a combination of magnificent architecture and stones. Among the various highlights of the Mount are the Church of Mary Magdalene, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony, and…
Jaffa: Flea Market
The Jaffa Flea Market is located between Yefet Street and Jerusalem Boulevard. It is heavily populated with people Sunday through Friday and offers a wide variety of goods to be purchased. These goods include a large selection of jewelry and oriental…
Tel Aviv: Beach
Along the west side of Tel Aviv rests a lengthy stretch of shoreline divided into several different beaches. These beaches include: Hof Hatzuk Beach, Sheraton Beach, The Separated Beach, Atzmout Beach, Hilton Beach, Gordon Beach, Frishman Beach, The…
Tel Aviv: Carmel Market
Pictured in the upper left hand corner in this aerial shot is Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market. The market is located on Carmel Street, in between Allenby Street and Magen David Square. Being the largest market in Tel Aviv, the Carmel Market is open everyday…
Tel Aviv: Allenby St. street signs
Named after the British General Sir Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, Allenby Street is one of the major streets in Tel Aviv. The street originates in Hamoshavot Square and runs until Haknesset Square. Known for its commercial centered theme, the street…
Tel Aviv: Dizengoff Center
The Dizengoff Center was Israel’s first mall and was built over a period of eleven years, from 1972 to 1983. The first stores opened in 1977 and today it has a total of 420 sores. The Dizengoff Center is partly blamed for declined business on nearby…
Tel Aviv: Dizengoff Street on the Shabbat
Pictured is a corner restaurant on Dizengoff Street on Israel’s weekly Shabbat (Sabbath) day. Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv’s busiest social area is usually flowing with pedestrians and traffic, but it is evident that the crowds are reduced on this day.…
Tel Aviv: Coastline Hotels, Miami of the Middle East
Tel Aviv is sometimes referred to as the Miami of the Middle East. Looking at this 1980 photograph it is easy to see why. The city’s architecture, much like Miami, is dominated by modernist structures in the Bauhaus and International styles. Here…
Tel Aviv: Former I.B.M Building, Cityscape (Weizmann Branch)
The I.B.M. Building, now known as Weizmann Branch and occupied by law offices, was designed in the 1970s by the architectural firm Yasky & Partners. The buildings unique design places it on a single solid stone foundation and utilizes curved…
Tel Aviv: Beaches, Tourism
The Tel Aviv Beach was developed into a resort after it’s economic potential was realized by Mayor Dizengoff in the 1930s. Originally the development was to follow the Gruenblatt plan, which followed the Geddes plan for the city, but planned to…
Tel Aviv: Bust of David Ben-Gurion in Airport
This photograph shows a bust of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, in the Ben-Gurion Airport. The bust was made by Dorothy Wolf, a Chicago based artist. In 2007, at the age of 86, she was honored by the State of Israel for the bust of…
Jerusalem: The Wailing Wall at the Noble Sanctuary
The Noble Sanctuary is home to a number of religiously significant sites and structures. This photograph shows a mass of visitors at the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall (19th century) because of the cries of visitors overcome by emotion…
Jerusalem: Dome of the Ascension & Archways on the Dome of the Rock Platform
Directly 22 meters northwest of the Dome of Rock on its platform lies the Dome of the Ascension (seen in the center of this picture). Originally a Crusader baptismal, this 6 meter wide dome was rebuilt as a Muslim shrine in 1200. To the left of this…
Bethlehem : Church of the Nativity
This picture was taken at an angle from Manger Square of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, Israel. Since its initial construction in 326 AD, the church has undergone much reconstruction and restoration over the years. Built over the cave that is…