Why America Loves Ruin Porn

Photographer Eric Holubow captured this shot of the Poli Palace in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Eric Holubow

By Kristi Palma

October 31, 2014

2 minutes to read

Ruin Porn. Architecture of Doom. Abandoned buildings.

No matter what they are called, America is fascinated by photos of once-grand buildlings in a state of decay. But why?

According to Eric Holubow, a Chicago-based urban decay photographer and author of this year’s “Abandoned: America’s Vanishing Landscapes,’’ Americans are drawn to the “degree of fatalism’’ in his work because it burnishes the idea that they can stare down death—even though in this case, the dead bodies are old buildings.

People also want to better understand the past, even when it doesn’t quite make sense. “We are sometimes delighted by chaos, especially in the case of something that is highly organized,’’ Holubow told Boston.com.

Holubow, who has an 18-month-old daughter, likened the fascination with broken buildings (the more ornate, the better) to that of a child’s urge to knock down a tower of blocks. “We are drawn to contrasts,’’ he said, “and for buildings that is their deconstruction.’’

Urban decay photography has been a subject of debate lately, according to archdaily.com. Supporters say the photos promote “intellectual disaster tourism’’ and bring artists to areas that would otherwise be devoid of visitors. Critics say romanticizing these run-down buildings may hinder the possibility of redevelopment. Whichever side of the peeled paint you are on, it’s easy to see why these photos are hard to turn away from.

Holubow took this photo inside the chapel at St. Gabriel’s Parish in Brighton:

Fans of crumbling architecture frequent blogs such as Architecture of Doom and Abandoned America. The ruinporn Instagram account, meanwhile, has more than 4,300 people following its photos of crumbling and broken-down buildings, like this one of the former St. Bonaventure Church in Philadelphia:

[fragment number=0]

Photographer Matthew Christopher snapped this shot of the Boston Psychopathic Hospital, which closed in 2003 and was demolished in 2011. His book “Abandoned America: Age of Consequences’’ will be released Dec. 7.

[fragment number=1]

Those who want to walk around ruin porn can visit New York’s Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, which opened to visitors for the first time in 60 years on Oct. 1.

You can now walk through the 750-bed hospital’s infectious and contagious disease wards, the kitchen, and even the autopsy room in all their dilapidated glory. Before it was shuttered in 1954, it treated 1.2 million immigrants.

This Associated Press photo shows the hospital’s morgue.

And this Associated Press photo shows the work of French street artist JR, who installed life-size portraits of immigrant children on window remnants. The exhibit is called “Unframed — Ellis Island.’’