Saturday, January 1, 2011

Sugar Building

Looking South at the Sugar Building and the 1500 Wazee Street  block     1984

From the top of the building where "Big Game" restaurant is now located, we are looking at the Sugar Building and the area South.

A dingy cream color from 100 years of auto traffic covers the wonderful, strong design of this prominent Wazee Street building.

Sugar beets was king back in the day, Great Western Sugar built this beauty after the turn of the last century and completed in 1912 with the addition of the top 2 floors. A long and slender design fronting on 16th Street complimented other nearby brick warehouses.

In the bottom left corner of this image, the Jet Hotel now occupies this location. The green colored building on the right is named Henry Lee, and Dixon's restaurant now occupies the bottom floor.

The 16th St. Viaduct is shown in the bottom right corner that brought inbound streetcar and then auto traffic into downtown.

Looking south down the 1500 block of Wazee St. is the 15th St. Viaduct and slightly beyond is the location of the Acme building at 14th Street.

Tivoli Brewery's smokestack can be seen in the distance of this hazy winter day sky.

Essentials of the day, sugar and beer held a place in the community, come to think of it - some things never change.

For additional images and commentary, please refer to the Lower Downtown section.

Denver Photographers

"In camera" double exposure of Downtown Denver 
from 20th Street and Washington Street     1993

A photographer works very hard at a craft and through a long process creates a particular style and large body of work that defines how their contributions will be respected.

To me, once a photographer has reached a high level of quality of images for a lengthy time, they have earned considerable merit.

I will not define any particular photographer as the  best, I do have my favorites however... my opinion is the reflection of what style interests me the most.

Once a photographer reaches a extremely high level of work, I place them individually into a group of very talented artists and leave it at that.

Each photographer has developed a specialty, a particular viewpoint that ultimately transforms from them, to the viewer, a conduit.

Our world is complex, a photographer simply chooses a particular vision and pursues that goal to hopefully create a bond with like minded viewers, add a small creative image into someone's life.

A talented photographer's subject matter can be vast, just as our world. Artistic photographs are created by photojournalist's, human figure photographers, landscape photographers, abstract themed photographers...on and on...

An image can be made from film and lens, pinhole or digital, it just doesn't matter. Quality and longevity earn respect from the community that will ultimately purchase the work!

Grand Opening at the Bluebird Theatre of the movie -
"Things To Do In Denver When Your Dead"     1995

The talented photographers that work for our newspapers have for years done outstanding work. They hit the streets daily and are extremely talented, their work has to fit the rigid and limited confines of a community newspaper. Please do not be fooled, most photojournalists from major cities are very accomplished, their format is not conducive to "art photography".

Camera Obscura Gallery in Denver has long presented some of the best photographers in the world. Hal Gould and Loretta Young Gautier of Camera Obscura have also provided Denver with their own wonderful images, both are extremely well respected photographers.

I will alphabetically list many names of artistic Denver photographers that have been around a long time, produced exceptional work and made it through the mine field of the art world. Please keep in mind these photographers are only my "favorite", my opinion is obviously very subjective...relax.

- Allen Birnbach
- John Bonath
- John Davenport
- Gifford Ewing
- Susan Goldstein
- Gary Isaacs
- Christopher James
- Eric Paddock
- Mark Sink
- Dutch Walla
- Roger Whitacre

I encourage the community to look at the work of all these photographers. Each photographer has distinct talent to contribute to our visual senses.

For additional images and commentary, please refer to the Denver section.

- Kim Allen