Ravenswood Generating Station ("Big Allis"), Queens, NYC, 2024.
All the pixels, none of the air pollution, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/53732990785/
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this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2025
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Known locally as "Big Allis" (after Allis-Chalmers, the manufacturer of the largest of the four generators in the plant), Ravenswood is fired by both natural gas (now the primary fuel) and oil, and also has the capability (rarely used, as far as I know) to burn coal.
Ravenswood has been linked to a spike in asthma and other respiratory disorders among local residents. There is pressure to decommission the generators and replace them with battery banks to store renewable energy from upstate.
For industrial subjects especially, I usually end up preferring the most straightforward and boring perspective I can find that just lets the subject speak for itself. The masters of this approach were Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose "Basic Forms" work richly repays your attention if you like this kind of stuff. https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Bernd_and_Hilla_Becher/
(They would have undoubtedly gone for an overcast day to capture Big Allis, but I liked the clouds.)
@mattblaze@federate.social Thank you for all of the interesting details and link. I love photography and taking pictures, but I often feel as though I just got lucky. While this is a level of skill I can only ever aspire to at this point in life
@Star12Mt@masto.nyc Skill is just concentrated luck!
@mattblaze@federate.social
Grew up a few towns further west of West Allis, WI, yes, THAT Allis. Lots of early-stage IC engine manufacturing in WI, some survived after the first half of the 20th C.