DETROIT “IMAGES OF A COLLAPSED CITY”

Michigan Central Station Detroit's main train station, opened in 1913, has not been used since Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

William Livingstone House Constructed in 1893 in the once elegant Brush Park neighborhood, this home, designed by architect Albert Kahn, was moved from its original location several years ago by preservationists who hoped to maintain it. It was demolished last year. Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

St. Margaret Mary School Many of the city's Catholic schools have been closed, though the churches they are affiliated with remain active. Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

David Broderick Tower One of the city's most prominent skyscrapers, this 35-story tower once housed the offices of many doctors, lawyers and dentists. It has been virtually empty since the 1980s. Developers hope to convert the building to residential units by Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

United Artists Theater This spectacular Spanish Gothic theater, built in 1928, was closed in the 1970s. Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Packard Plant Luxury-auto maker Packard produced its last car here in Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Lee Plaza Hotel Once one of the most luxurious residential hotels in Detroit, Lee Plaza closed in the 1990s. Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Lee Plaza Hotel Room Marchand and Meffre found a lot of furniture and appliances left behind. Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Wilbur Wright School This public school closed in Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Remains of a City On their website, the photographers write, "Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes... the volatile result of the change of eras and the fall of empires. This fragility leads us to watch them one very last time: to be dismayed, or to admire, it makes us wonder about the permanence of things." Photographs by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

Michigan Central Station Once the city's primary passenger depot, Central Station has not been used since Photographer Hemmerle sought out Detroit's derelict buildings as part of a project exploring how far America has fallen. "Industry is one of the things that we let go that we need to get back," he says. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Michigan Central Station, Exterior Opened in 1913, the terminal was designed by the architects Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stern, the same firm that designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal. "It's staggering," says Hemmerle, "that such a phenomenal piece of architecture could stand empty for 20 years." Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Fisher Body Plant No. 21 Abandoned in 1991, the Fisher plant was originally built to produce Buick and Cadillac bodies. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Fisher Body Plant No. 21, Interior The pyramid in the middle of the floor was constructed by artist Scott Hocking. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Fisher Body Plant No. 21, Interior The former automotive plant offers a half-million square feet of floor space to prospective developers.

Bellevue Avenue Though Central Detroit still contains many functioning businesses, large portions of the downtown area are occupied by abandoned structures. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

The Michigan Theatre Built in 1926, this glorious building functioned as a performance space until 1976, when it was converted into a parking garage. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Packard Automobile Manufacturing Plant Many of the derelict structures are used by homeless people. Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Former Housing Plots "On many occasions," Hemmerle says, "I had the feeling I was working in a post apocalyptic environment." Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Hastings Street About working in downtown Detroit, Hemmerle comments, "It was odd. Everywhere we went in the Rust Belt, people told us, 'Be careful. Detroit is very dangerous.' But all of the people we met when we were working were really, really kind." Photographs by Sean Hemmerle

Michigan Central Station Hemmerle's project, photographed in March, took on a new resonance once global markets collapsed in the fall. "America was once the standard bearer for quality," he says. "In transitioning from a production economy to a service economy, we gave away something that we didn't understand the importance of." Photographs by Sean Hemmerle