Editor’s Note: There are precious few places in America like Wilde Yarn, with a building that dates back to 1884 and machinery that clattered away from the 1930s until just a few years ago. The mill was finally dismantled this summer, another missed opportunity to preserve the legacy of Philadelphia’s once-mighty textile industry. This wasn’t the fault of the new owners, Peter Bloomfield and Scott Janzen; there is no textile museum, nor even a nascent movement to create one. Bloomfield and Janzen did the next best thing, though: they opened the doors to photographers both amateur and professional. Here then is the work of eight of them: Brendan Clinch, Steven Bley, Ethan Wallace, King Krush, Noel Relyea, Thomas Troutman, Matthew Christopher, and Jenissa Wilson. We chose just three images from each person. You can see more of their work by clicking on their names, which link to their websites. For our story on Janzen and Bloomfield’s project to convert the mill to apartments, click HERE.
Photo: Brendan Clinch
Photo: Brendan Clinch
Photo: Brendan Clinch
Photo: Steven Bley
Photo: Steven Bley
Photo: Steven Bley
Photo: Ethan Wallace
Photo: Ethan Wallace
Photo: Ethan Wallace
Photo: King Krush
Photo: King Krush
Photo: King Krush
Photo: Noel Relyea
Photo: Noel Relyea
Photo: Noel Relyea
Photo: Thomas Troutman
Photo: Thomas Troutman
Photo: Thomas Troutman
Photo: Matthew Christopher
Photo: Matthew Christopher
Photo: Matthew Christopher
Photo: Jenissa Wilson
Photo: Jenissa Wilson
Photo: Jenissa Wilson
great that they open there business to these photographers . sad to see the textile industry fading away from phila . a lost industry
The photos are stunning. So wish I could have visited this place! Keep up the great journalism. And glad to see you hit the $20k goal!
I got to walk through this building back in August. The thing that really impressed me was the floors. Walking on hardwood that had seen 120+ years of heavy industrial traffic was amazing, they felt soft under your feet. It’s a really impressive building.
Here’s a link to a 360 degree panorama of the third floor:
http://www.abandonedamerica.us/panoramas
Ok, that’s pretty amazing!!!!
Thank you for these beautiful and informative photographs!