Last Friday, I had the chance to tour and photograph the Worcester Memorial Auditorium with a small group of fellow photogs. I live just a couple blocks away and walk by it daily, always amazed by its front steps and art deco details. But I’d never been inside. Not many people have lately- it’s been closed since 1998- so this was a very unusual opportunity. Many thanks to our tour guide Erin Williams for showing us around.
Photographing inside abandoned buildings is usually right up my alley, but having no model actually wound up being a challenge. Even when TJ and I didn’t use models, we still photographed people. I normally wouldn’t even share these, but the architecture is so unusual and sadly unseen, keeping the photos hidden didn’t feel right. I just hope that one day I can go back and give the location a proper photoshoot…
*****Kayt
The Worcester Memorial Auditorium or “AUD” was built in 1933 as a WWI memorial and multi-purpose hall, and until 1941 was home to the largest interior mural in the United States. Today, it seems because most of the building cannot be brought to meet ADA standards, plans for development continue to stall. There are occasional events hosted there in the main hall- it’s worth checking them out.