The Russell Industrial Center is perched atop an interstate of passing cars...and it remembers.

Its seven buildings and 2.2 million square feet of solid concrete and old fashioned steel-framed windows reminisce the once upon a time home of a viral auto body supplier whose clients included the likes of Ford and Lincoln. Now, no trace of assembly line can be found, rather an overwhelming number of artists' studios. Now, I sit quietly in the 1000 square foot studio space of the Silent Giants, where concert posters for the likes of Fleet Foxes and Sonic Youth have been meticulously crafted and screen-printed; I wait.

I pause here to ponder how strange it is to have come from a city that has been stamped "auto capital of the world", and to feel so very much disassociated from it; to stand in the remnants of what was once a thriving economy, and to see art and culture sprout from it like a beautiful weed that can't be killed - regardless of all efforts.

From a second story window I see the band arrive; its seven members standing tall, outnumbered only by the arsenal of exotic instruments they've brought along for the quest. As they begin to warm up in the cemented courtyard, as the violins resonate to the highest points of the giant water tower above I laugh to myself: Prussia.

Once inside... a playground for the taking. The freight elevator seems like a logical spot. An echoing chamber, drum beats bouncing, never settling; a feeling of Claustrophobia replaced by an overwhelming sense that something special is happening.

In the bathroom, singer Ryan Spencer nests himself atop the stalls and manages to find some room over the stinging autoharp and guttural percussion. The sun sets beyond the window there.

And an evening performance with friends. A vigil goodbye to the band's closest fans and friends before soon embarking on a summer tour.

"I'll see you in the new year. I'll be right here." A fitting last line to segue the mini concert into the boxed-wine-chugging extreme-wheel-chair-spinning evening that pursues. And in the background, into the early hours of a Detroit morning, the Silent Giants finish printing their newest achievement for the upcoming Animal Collective show.

The Russell Industrial Center. What once stood for the progress of an entire metropolis and its industry... still stands.

- Jared Groth
1600 Clay St, Detroit

Construction on the seven building complex now known as The Russell Industrial Center (RIC) began in 1915 and was completed in 1925. Designed by famed architect Albert Kahn, its structure is made from nearly indestructible concrete and has bountiful natural light with its classic steel framed factory windows. It was originally home to the Murray Mfg. Company, an auto body supplier. Customers included the Dodge brothers, Ford, Lincoln, Crosley, Willys, Hudson, Hupmobile, King and Studebaker.

During the 1960's and 1970's many printing companies moved in. Eventually, approximately 130 printers occupied the building, triggering Detroit's reputation as the "Printing Capital of the Midwest." The giant industrial complex, which abutted Russell Street, began to be called "the Russell Industrial Center". The name stuck.

In 1970, Harry and Leona Helmsly assumed ownership of the building. Boydell Development Company (owners of Niki's Pizza) manage the RIC today.

Russell Industrial Center is quickly becoming the largest Art Mecca/Small Business Haven in the midwest. With over 125 commercial tenants from all different creative backgrounds, it is an ideal place to create and work. Architects, painters, clothing designers, glass blowers, wood craftsman, metal sculptors, graphic designers and the like find the R.I.C. an ideal place to network and exhibit.

From www.ricdetroit.org
Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Jeremy Franchi Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb Photo by Nick Zeb
Though Super-Violent, We Chewed With Our Mouths Shut

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Great Lakes

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We Would Need a Place to Hide, Wouldn't We? Men Who'd Seen Miracles Did.

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Supreme Being

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Lady Lady

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To a Southern Drawl, I Sing a Lullaby

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Director
Katie Barkel
Edits
Katie Barkel
Assistant Editor
Exteriors
Nick Jukowski
Marc Krauter