Back Again…Naturally
One must understand the urge to return to one’s old stomping grounds when the semester turns a new leaf and begins the next academic year. After spending a summer as a college graduate in downtown Pittsburgh one must realize the desire and need to return home. The purpose of traveling back to Grove City was not only to walk along the sidewalk and take photos of the architecture but also to engage in conversation with the friends that are still students there at the college. The drive was somewhat long, especially with all the construction in and around the city of Pittsburgh. Despite the difficulties of vehicular travel I was still able to arrive by car promptly at 10:30am where I was met my colleague and friend Jacob Shirk along with Samuel and Elanor Montijo to help move them into the colonial hall apartments. Once the move in was completed I then traveled to Upper Campus.
Grove City College was founded in 1876 by Issac Ketler and has been dedicated to academic excellence while keeping costs low enough for the everyday middle class
citizen. Grove City College is a christian liberal arts college I graduated with a Political Science degree and I learned that the college has vast connections within the political spectrum with both the state and National level. While I was there I benefited greatly from the connections within the political spectrum that surrounds Washington DC. I was ableto make connections within various think tanks and non-profit organizations that are directly connected to the GOP. The college is recognized as a very academically challenging college and together with the connections in DC makes graduate and law school acceptances very easy if one were to pursue that route. I arrived on campus and was greeted by some friends that serve on the Orientation Board, and after we had some quick conversation I went off to write my blog post “beacon of hope” which focuses on the history and cultural significance of the CN tower in Toronto. Once my blog was written I went to go ride my skateboard, and much to my surprise I fell, put a nasty gash in my elbow, and retired any further activities on wheels for the night. I spent some time with my friends mending the wound and I ended up deciding to use some superglue in
order to prevent any trips to the Emergency Room. Once blue hour rolled around I was able to get some photos of my favorite buildings on campus. The Grove City College Campus was built by the Olmsted Brothers, the very same family that also built places like: Central Park, Boston’s Emerald Necklace, The US Capitol Grounds, Stanford, Cornell, The Montreal Metropolitan Park System and Toronto’s Waterfront. A track record like that of the Olmsted family/firm makes Grove City College is a great location to see regardless of whether you decide to pursue a degree. The gothic architecture with the brick facia makes every building bounce off of its intricately designed landscape. My personal recommendation is Harbison Chapel, built during the great depression by Dean Samuel Harbison’s sons. The Harrison brothers were able to cut expenses in their own lives and then use the money to avoid getting a construction loan. The dedication that the Harbison brothers showed during the Great Depression is a core value that the college still holds today; everything on the campus is built debt free and without cutting corners in the integrity of any new construction. Between the sentimental value, the
dedication to keeping the college out of debt, and the sheer beauty of the campus itself makes it one of the best photo locations if you are looking for amazing architecture. I set out with my wounded arm using live view to capture some of the best parts of the college during the evening blue hour. I always try to layer my photographs so that there is some sort of foreground and background with my subject well lit in the upper-right third of the photograph. I went around Photographing the amazing towers and structures until my sensor could no longer pick up enough light for a clean image. I spent some more time with some friends that evening and then headed back to my apartment after an eventful, enjoyable and somewhat painful day at one of my favorite homes in life.