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- Collection: Chester Smolski Photographs
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Norfolk: Waterside Festival Marketplace
The Waterside is a festival marketplace in Norfolk. James W. Rouse envisioned the marketplace in the early 1970s as a way to revitalize Norfolk, which was experiencing a considerable decline. The marketplace has a combination of restaurants, retail…
Norfolk: Parking Garage for Waterside Festival Marketplace
The Waterside Festival Marketplace was constructed as part of Norfolk’s postwar revitalization project.T his photograph (circa 1985) shows a parking garage neighboring the marketplace to accommodate shoppers.
Nofolk: Scope Arena (Norfolk Scope)
Featuring the world’s largest concrete dome, the Norfolk Scope (derived from kaleidoscope for it’s re-configurability) is a center for sports, entertainment and conventions in downtown Norfolk. It was designed by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi…
Norfolk: Aerial, North Corner
Anchored by Norfolk Scope, the northern corner of town is shown in the aerial photograph. Retail shops outlets dominate the area. Throughout the twentieth century shopping centers in the suburbs continued to draw commerce away from the city. The…
Norfolk: St Paul’s Blvd, The Basilica of St Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church
This photograph, believed to be taken from the Crowne Plaza, looks south down St. Paul’s Blvd. in Norfolk. On the horizon is the Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church. The cathedral was constructed in 1858 after the original…
Norfolk: Granby Mall
Granby Street was a major commercial district in Norfolk before suburban shopping centers lead to it’s decline in the twentieth century. The Granby Street Mall was an concept that was hoped to revitalize the district, however turning the street into…
Norfolk: Granby Mall
Granby Street, once a bustling commercial district in Downtown Norfolk, saw continued decline throughout the twentieth century as retail and shopping centers moved to the suburbs. This picture, which shows a cinema advertising The Last Dragon (1985),…
Norfolk: Loew’s Theater, Trolly
Now the TCC Roper Performing Art Center, Loew’s State Theater opened in 1926 and featured gilded box seats, glass chandeliers and air conditioning. The theater closed in the 1970s and was unoccupied for over twenty years until revitalized by…
Norfolk: Commercial Park
Photograph of Commercial Park in Norfolk. Commercial Park sits between MacArthur Square and the Confederate Monument, on East Main and Plume Street.
Norfolk: Confederate Monument, Bank of America Center,
The Confederate Monument in Commercial Place had it’s corner stone laid on the thirty second anniversary of Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ inauguration. In 1907 a bronze statue of Johnny Reb, the personification of the southern states, was…
Norfolk: Confederate Monument, Commercial Place
This photograph shows the Confederate Monument in Commercial Place, formerly Market Square. The Monument was began in 1899, and in 1907 the bronze statue of Johnny Reb, the symbol of the southern states, was added to the top.
Norfolk: Confederate Monument, Downtown, Commercial Park
Commercial Park and the Confederate Monument are photographed in the image of Norfolk. The Confederate Monument was completed in 1907 when a 15 foot bronze statue of Johnny Reb was added to the top.
Amsterdam: Anne Frank House
The Anne Frank House is a museum in Amsterdam that occupies the building which Anne Frank, her family, and four other people hid from persecution in secret rooms at the back of the house. It also serves as an exhibition space to highlight persecution…
Norfolk: Public Art, Wall Mural, Parking Lot
This 1985 photograph shows a public mural in downtown Norfolk. The building, which in this photograph is occupied by Unlimited Tatse, is presently (2011) occupied by a Starbucks franchise. The parking lot has since been redeveloped as part of the…
Norfolk: Waterside, Bank of America Center
This photograph shows Downtown Norfolk from Hampton Roads. At the right is the Waterside Festival Marketplace developed by James Rouse. The marketplace was a key component in Norfolk’s revitalization process in the decades following the Second World…
Norfolk: New Spirit, Hampton Roads, Harbor
The New Spirit was a cruise boat that toured the Elizabeth River, a branch of the Hampton Roads waterways. It, along with Waterside, was part of the downtown revitalization movement. The New Spirit, pictured here, was launched in 1983 after the…
Clarksburg: U.S. Rt 50 West, Joyce St. Exit
Clarksburg is a city in West Virginia with a population of 16,578 at the 2010 census. This 1981 photograph, taken on U.S. Route 50 shows the approach to the city and the hilly terrain that the city is built within. This section of Rt. 50 is part of…
Morgantown: High St., Rt 119 South
Morgantown is home to West Virginia University and is the largest town in the North-Central region of West Virginia. This photograph looks south on Rt. 119 in the First Ward neighborhood. Many of the businesses have changed since this 1981…
Morgantown: High St.
View of High St. in Morgantown on a rainy afternoon in 1981. Morgantown is the largest town in the North-Central region of West Virginia and is home to West Virginia University. At the left is the Monongahela Building, an apartment complex on High…
Morgantown: Monongahela River
Monongahela, an approximation of a native word meaning “falling banks”, refers to the instability of the Monongahela Rivers banks. The river flows through Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This photograph shows the Monongahela River in Mograntown.…
Morgantown: Housing, Seneca Glass Company
This photograph taken from the Seneca Glass Company looks northeast towards housing in Morgantown. Seneca Glass Company, founded in 1891, was a fixture in Morgantown until it’s ultimate demise in 1983. The intersection pictured is the meeting of 7th…
Morgantown: Seneca Glass Company (Factory Interior)
Factory workers at the Seneca Glass Company in Morgantown. The Seneca Glass Company, founded in 1891, was a staple of the city of Morgantown until the companies eventual bankruptcy in 1983. This 1981 photograph shows the company in it’s final days,…
Morgantown: Seneca Glass Company (Factory Interior)
Factory workers at the Seneca Glass Company in Morgantown are photographed here in 1981 by Chet Smolski. Founded in 1891, the factory was sold and eventually become bankrupt in just two years time.
(date of photograph has been approximated)
Morgantown: Seneca Glass Company (Factory Worker)
From 1891 to 1983 the Seneca Glass Company was a staple business in Morgantown. This 1981 photograph shows a glass worker in the Beechurst Avenue factory in Morgantown.
Morgantown: West Virginia University, Downtown Campus
Pictured in 1981 is the original campus at West Virginia University, now known as the Downtown Campus. The three campuses in Morgantown are connected by the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system, a unique automated people mover funded by the…
Morgantown: West Virginia University Evansdale Campus, Personal Rapid Transit Station
Evansdale Campus is photographed from one of the stops along the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system. The Evansdale Campus, developed during the 1950s and 1960s, is part of West Virginia University.
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transit
The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system connects the West Virginia Campuses and downtown Morgantown. The system opened in 1975 and was completed in 1979. While construction of the system was four times over budget, it has proved to be both…
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transit (Station Platform)
The Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system is a unique people mover in Morgantown, West Virginia. It was built using funding from the Nixon administration.
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transportation (Station)
This photograph shows one of the stations on the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system. The system began operation in 1975 and has been running relatively smooth for over 30 years.
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transit (Station, Cars)
This photograph shows several stationary cars at one of the stations as part of Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system. Each car has the capacity to hold eight people along with minor room for standees.
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transit System
This photograph, taken from a car on the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system, show’s the unique tracks that the automated cars move upon. Each car is equipped with rubber wheels and receives energy and information from a rail in the center. This…
Morgantown: Personal Rapid Transit System
This picture shows a side view of the railway tracks for the Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit system. The entire system has a length of approximately 8.2 miles, along which 5 different stations can be found.
Washington, DC: Trompe l’Oeil Wall Mural
Shown on the side of this building is the optical illusion trompe l’oeil. Translated, the term stands for “deceive the eye”. This technique is achieved by using realistic imagery in order to give the optical illusion that the image is in 3D.
(date…
Lisbon: 25 de Abril Bridge at Sunset (Salazar Bridge)
The 25 de Abril Bridge in Portugal is the largest suspension bridge in the world. Crossing over the Tagus River, the bridge was built by the American Bridge Company and inaugurated in 1966. It connects the capitol, Lisbon to Almada. Until 1974 the…
Cabano: Ladder on Roof for Fire Prevention
Cabano is a small town in the Canadian province of Quebec. In the twentieth century it experienced several devestating fires. In 1950 a fire destroyed over 100 homes. This 1965 photograph shows a house with a ladder on the roof, a fire prevention…
North Syracuse: Centerville Court, Senior Housing
Centerville Court is an elderly housing complex in North Syracuse build in the 1970s. This housing complex, built during an oil crisis, originally used electric heating, but in recent years has been converted to natural gas to save energy coats.
Alburquerque: New Town Center
Albuquerque’s skyline in 1993, shortly after construction of the Albuquerque Plaza (1990). it’s distinct shape can be seen in the center in this photograph. While it saw much of the same cycle of decline and urban renewal as many US cities in the…
Albuquerque: Old Town
Old Town Albuquerque is a historic section of town that dates back to the early 18th century settlements by the Spanish. Today it is a popular destination for shoppers and tourists. There are many historic adobe buildings, including the San Felipe de…
Iowa: Aerial Photograph
This aerial photograph shows patterns made by roads and farm land in the Iowan landscape during the winter.
New Mexico: Dam Rio Grande
Flowing from southwestern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico is the Rio Grande. Pictured is a dam along the the major river. With a total length of 1,896 miles, there are a large number of dams along the Rio Grande. These include: Cochiti Dam, Elephant…
Albuquerque: Rio Grande Aerial
This image is showing an aerial view of the Rio Grande River. It is considered the fourth or fifth longest river system in North America. The river passes through the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, thereby forming a natural border between…
Chicago: O’Hare, North
Aerial view of the northern section of Chicago. At the left is O’Hare International Airport. The Des Plaines River can also be seen running through the center of the frame.
Chicago: Downtown, Aerial
Aerial photograph of Chicago taken in the winter of 1993. Chicago has among one of most dense skylines in the world. It is also home to some of the worlds tallest buildings, including the Willis Tower (formerly Sear Tower) which was the tallest in…
Chicago: Aerial, Lake Shore Drive, North Side
This aerial photograph shows Chicago’s north side, and Lake Michigan. Running along the shore is Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, dotted with high rise buildings. Officially part of U.S. Highway 41, Lake Shore Drive serves to accommodate the travel needs…
New Mexico: San Felipe Indian Reservation
The boarder to San Felipe Indian Reservation in New Mexico is the homeland of a branch of the Native American Pueblo people. The reservation itself is approximately 79 square miles. As of the 2000 census the land is home to 3,185 people.
Rio Grande Dam
This frame is featuring one of the dams along the Rio Grande. In total there are two large dams and six small diversion dams, all of which make up the Rio Grande Project. The dams actively aide in supplying water to the states of Texas and New Mexico…
New Mexico: Caballo Dam
The Caballo Dam is on the Rio Grande. It stores water to be discharged during the dry season for irrigation. It was built in the 1930s and is about fifteen miles south of Truth of Consequences. This photograph, taken in 1993, shows the damn with…
Loretto Chapel: Mysterious Staircase
A source of controversy, this winding staircase in Loretto Chapel has been called miraculous by some, a hoax by others. A local legend suggests that the staircase was built by St. Joseph himself, while recently Mary Jean Straw has published a book…
St Louis: Gateway Arch, Gateway One Building
This photograph looks east on Market St. in St. Louis toward the Gateway Arch. The Gateway Arch was completed in 1965 and was built as a monument to western expansion in the United States.
To the left is the Gateway Mall, an area of open space…
East Providence: Aerial
This photograph shows industrial and commercial developments in East Providence along state highway 114. Just barely visible on the horizon is Narragansett bay. The containers on the bay have since been torn down and the area has largely returned…