In 2014, Street Photographer, Michael Penn set out to capture the area of Center City Philadelphia known as Market East. Market East was home to the Reading Terminal, The Gallery, a sprawling urban mall, the original Strawbridge & Clothier, John Wanamaker's, Lit Brothers, and Gimbels department stores. Market East spanned from Philadelphia's City Hall to Independence Mall at 6th street. Gentrification plans included demolition and renovations to the seven block corridor. The area was swiftly rebranded as "Jefferson Station," once the barricades went up and heavy machinery moved in. Penn's intention for "Welcome To Market East," was to document urban decay, homelessness, the drug addicted, and troubled inhabitants that called the sidewalks, alleys, and entryways of Market East "home" since the area began its decline in the early 1990's. Today, the corridor is winding down from a massive billion-dollar makeover, making this street photography book a must-have for any historian.
About the Author: Michael Penn (Philadelphia, PA, born 1969) is a street photographer whose images are moody and intense. His black and white work is high contrast and timeless. The epic and highly dramatic aura in his color work lend the photographs a sense of humanity. In 2005, Penn made a conscious decision to leave his career in hospitality after finding his father's 35mm camera. Focused on his historic Old City Philadelphia neighborhood that he's called home for the last 23 years, one image kept peeking through, between the brick facades of Georgian style homes and artist loft-style cast-iron buildings. It was The Benjamin Franklin Bridge, a structure that made ferryboat captains, of which his fraternal grandfather was one, obsolete. The completion of the Ben Franklin Bridge led Penn's grandfather into a new direction and it inadvertently became responsible for the launch of Michael's new career. A long exposure night shot, taken under the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, caught the attention of a curator and led to Penn's 2007 solo show at The Silicon Gallery. The show featured his architecture photos with his new Benjamin Franklin Bridge series and began five years of representation by InLiquid and The Print Center of Philadelphia. Michael continued to play an active role in self-representation and inclusion in a number of national and global group shows around Philadelphia, New York City, and Santiago Chile. Inspired by the Japanese Provoke Movement, Penn's street photography projects include the 1000 photo collection The Philadelphia Project, Out of New York, and Welcome to Market East. More info: http: //www.michaelpennphotography.com