CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A local photographer has a new book highlighting abandoned buildings in Chicago.
Self-taught photographer Alison Doshen has spent the past six years exploring lost and forgotten buildings in the Chicago area. Her photography offers a glimpse beyond the boarded-up windows that dot the city.
Lost and forgotten churches, prisons, medical facilities, restaurants, and offices are all over the Chicago area. These decaying buildings are considered eyesores by some, but for Doshen, they're a muse.
"There's just something about these buildings that are still so beautiful even though they are decaying or falling apart. And some of them still hold so many memories for some people," she said.
The striking juxtaposition of natural light through stained glass next to debris and graffiti makes you wonder how these places were left so suddenly.
"Usually it's foreclosure, or the state closed them up. A lot of the churches in Chicago are closed, because the archdiocese merged parishes."
Furniture, tools, and machinery are often left behind.
"I personally prefer to photograph places that are decaying naturally...where greenery is coming in through broken windows, or a ceiling starts to collapse because the roof hasn't been kept up with," she said.
Doshen's book titled Abandoned Chicago: Decay in the Windy City will be released on Nov. 22.
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