On my way to the gym three or four days a week through the winter months, I drive past an old house just at the edge of the urban boundary in Hamilton Ontario. I still call it Ancaster, which it was and still is to most who live here, before it was amalgamated into the city. Behind this house to the south is mostly farmland. Across the street to the north is the built up urban area.
I’ve admired that run down old house for years. It’s nothing fancy at all. Just interesting. Mysterious. The bushes at its front door are overgrown. Ivy grows up its walls where it shouldn’t. What was at one time a balcony of sorts, is a wreck. Its stucco exterior is cracked and spalling. Paint is peeling. What’s not to like! Up until a couple of years ago someone still lived there. I saw lights on the occasional evening when I drove by later in the day.
I often wondered about its history. Who had lived there? What was it like inside? When was it built? It looked like circa 1930’s or so to me. I wanted to take some photographs, so one day, taking a chance that no one was around, I parked the car got out and took a series of photos. I did this on a number of occasions and was never satisfied with the results I was getting. I’ve probably visited the property four or more times.
During the early spring of 2024 I noticed something about the house. It appeared to be getting some attention. A few weeks later – in May I saw a pickup truck parked outside and some workers going in and out of the place. I speculated that as with many homes of this vintage, it was soon to be demolished.
That’s when I got a little more determined about capturing a more satisfying and compelling image on film. A few weeks earlier I had acquired a Hasselblad 500 C/M that came equipped with a 80mm f2.8 Planar lens. I loaded it with Kodak TMax and went to work hoping to finally get a good shot. I pulled right in to the driveway and walked around the house. I knew that workers were coming and going throughout the day. As it happened, I tried one of the side doors – it was open. I stepped inside, took a brief look about and not wanting to risk getting caught trespassing by the returning workers, I left. I felt quite OK romping around the exterior though. The place is well exposed and close to the road so there would be no suspicion of my intentions – just trespassing . So I was able to take my time sizing up the light and composition possibilities.
The five photos below are the best I could do.
And as it turns out, it seems I can go back for more! The house after all these months still stands! It looks like a renovation rather than a demolition. Good for all of us.
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