Kevin LeDuc
Kevin LeDuc
An American Photographer

factory windows are Always broken

Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931)

Factory windows are always broken.

Somebody's always throwing bricks,

Somebody's always heaving cinders,

Playing ugly Yahoo tricks.

Factory windows are always broken.

Other windows are let alone.

No one throws through the chapel-window

The bitter, snarling, derisive stone.

Factory windows are always broken.

Something or other is going wrong.

Something is rotten—I think, in Denmark.

End of factory-window song

THE CONGO AND OTHER POEMS

Macmillan Company, New York, 1914, pp.105

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Broken Windows

Cathedrals, Ashes of Dreams

Cathedrals, Ashes of Dreams captures the grandeur, grit, and quiet decay of America’s industrial heart. From soaring steel mills to hushed textile factories, each photograph tells the story of families who built homes, forged communities, and pursued the American dream of independence, hard work, and hope. These images honor the hands, hearts, and perseverance of those whose labor and family lives were inseparably intertwined, shaping an era that defined a nation. The photographs trace the rhythm of daily life—the clang of steel, the hum of looms, and the warmth of Mom-and-Pop stores that served as the lifeblood of countless towns. In every frame, Cathedrals, Ashes of Dreams evokes the poetry of resilience, the weight of legacy, and the lingering shadows of lost dreams—reminders of ambitions, lives, and communities that once breathed vitality into these industrial landscapes. It is a meditation on creation and decline, on hope and impermanence, and on the enduring spirit of the people whose stories remain etched into the steel, brick, and memory of a vanished world.

Broken Windows storyline centers on the heartbreaking phenomenon of manufacturers abandoning their factories and mills, leaving behind structures that once thrived with life and productivity. As these industrial sites fall into decay, the echoes of machinery and the industrious hum of workers fade into silence. The once-bustling communities that relied on these businesses for their livelihoods face economic decline and social fragmentation, as families struggle to adapt to the loss of jobs and the decline of local infrastructure. Places that once thrived with activity — parks, shops, and gathering places—are now empty or in disrepair. Neighborhoods that were once vibrant and interconnected have become isolated, residents are forced to leave in search of work. Amid this turmoil, the decline of local businesses leads to a loss of identity and erodes the very fabric of community life.

“In 1977 the glow of the furnaces had already begun to dim. The 50,000 steel jobs in the valley from post WWII had shrunk to 30,000. Steel Companies were being merged, the local mills were antiquated compared to the new modern facilities overseas, which were taking an ever-increasing share of the international market. But, instead of limiting imports our government made it even more costly for American companies to compete by imposing stricter air and water pollution standards.”
— CBS WKBN27 NEWS, 1978