OR, RATHER, A CEMETERY. Back in early March, Toni and I set out for a wander. A couple of days before, I had spotted a new (to me) gate at Spring Grove Cemetery, which we could shoot from both outside the cemetery on the street and inside on the winding paths inside the cemetery. We agreed to take a quick flyer at that (not venturing onto the cemetery grounds more than necessary to capture the gate) and then wander off somewhere nearby to seek ghosts and rust and decay — as one does.
The gate is off Crawford Avenue in neighboring Northside and is one of the older (I presume original) gates from back in a more elegant era when most folk visiting Spring Grove came on foot or in horse-drawn conveyances. Most of these gates are of wrought metal (iron or bronze, one guesses), patinaed green, and set in stone or brick walls on the perimeter of the cemetery. If you’ve visited or even driven by Spring Grove you will recognize them — broad vehicle gates and discreet pedestrian gates of singular beauty at various intervals around the place. This one I am coming to think of as the lower Crawford Avenue vehicle gate — the upper one being farther back up Crawford away from spring Grove Avenue, paired with a pedestrian gate in the lone surviving brick or stone wall on the west side of the cemetery.
I don’t remember whence we approached the area, but I do recall that we stopped first at the main side gate off Spring Grove Avenue, (not the main gate, which generally stands open at all times, but the one beside that which allows entry to a porte cochere of the main building to the side of that one. This is a post construction for that gate. (See below.)
This gate is one that’s fascinated us a little, as it’s pretty approachable and is in a fair situation and condition and is of an attractive shape
The folks beyond the porte cochere were also taking pictures of something over our way. (We were sitting in the car on the apron off Spring Grove Avenue to stay out of traffic, which gets heavy right there.) The gate itself is a bit of a challenge to shoot, depending on the light at the time of day. This image took a bit of post production work to get the metalwork to stand out from the building in the background.
Right next to this gate, on both sides, between here and the main gate and on the other side (to the left in this image) is a stretch of what I believe to be a remnant of the original fence that is still in somewhat good condition. Over the years, I think that the original wrought iron/bronze fencing has been replaced by chain link which the management has painted black, and which forms most of the perimiter of the grounds.
That done, we went over to Crawford to shoot my discovery. First the outside:
And the end posts to the brick segments to the left here. (Note the black chain link terminating at the older brick post.)
Here the chain link is green. I don’t pretend to have given it enough thought to figure out why. Could be a whim of the grounds crew.
Then we went back inside the grounds through the gate by the funeral home off Spring Grove Avenue to shoot from inside the grounds. This spot is not really (I don’t think) intended as a place to wander. It’s more of a behind-the-scenes kind of place.
The building in the background is a commercial plant at the corner of Crawford and Ellis, which should tell you about where the gate is. After this, we went up Crawford to Springlawn, where we shot the famous ghost sign on the side of the house at the traffic light on Hamilton Avenue. Then we went down into Camp Washington to shoot urban ruins and ghost signs, but that’s another post.