Sparkler Piano – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Long Exposure of an old upright piano illuminated by surrounding streetlight, crowned with a whimsical sparkler heart. Before it was smashed into a woody pulp, this piano sat temporarily on the street that led to Milwaukee’s prized urban exploration playground: Solvay Coke & Gas. The 46-acre plant closed in the early ‘80s, but remained a scourge of the city when it was dubbed a Superfund site. Before anything else could exist there, the EPA mandated a cleanup of the area that was contaminated by arsenic, lead, asbestos, and other toxic chemicals that had seeped into the ground after decades of heavy industrial use (nearby both the Kinnickinnic River and Lake Michigan, mind you!) Almost a decade after this photo was taken, in 2017, an affiliate of We Energies took on the remediation efforts, estimated to cost $16million. Eventually We Energies sold the site to Komatsu Mining who turned the area into their $285million campus, which was honored with LEED Gold, a points-based environmental certification for its use of sustainable technologies and features. To commemorate the opening, owners planted a tree instead of the traditional ribbon-cutting. Even in the destruction left by 19th and 20th century industrialization, hope springs eternal.

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8″ x 10″ Print will have some cropping. | Print frame not included