DACS

vergaracj Inventory of the Camilo José Vergara Photographs, 1977-2009 Processed by: Meghan Lyon; machine-readable finding aid created by: Meghan Lyon David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, N.C., USA

Aleph Number: 004279743

Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: April 2010Processed by Meghan Lyon, April 2010; finding aid encoded by Meghan Lyon, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, April 2010 Description is in English Finding aid was prepared using DACS and local Style Guide Inventory of the Camilo José Vergara Photographs, 1977-2009 David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185 USA

Descriptive Summary David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University Vergara, Camilo J. Camilo José Vergara Photographs, 1977-2009 Material in English, and Spanish 5.0 Linear Feet 87 Items For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Camilo J. Vergara is a documentary photographer, focusing on the evolution of urban spaces. Collection of color prints from Vergara's 2009 National Building Museum exhibit Storefront Churches, with photographs of urban churches, pasters, and murals from cities around the United States. This exhibit was part of a larger collection featured in Vergara's book, How the Other Half Worships. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is restricted to educational, non-commercial use.

In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Camilo José Vergara Photographs, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Provenance

The Camilo José Vergara Photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2010.

Processing Information

Processed by Meghan Lyon, April 2010

Encoded by Meghan Lyon, April 2010

This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been arranged and described beyond their original condition.

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2010-0010

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

Camilo José Vergara is a New York-based photographer documenting the changing urban landscape of inner cities throughout the United States. He began focusing on urban neighborhoods in the 1970s, and since then has published numerous photography compilations and essays. Vergara is known for his ability to capture transition within a city and its structures, such as the re-use of buildings and their eventual abandonment and reclamation by nature. His titles include Silent Cities: The Evolution of the American Cemetery, The New American Ghetto, American Ruins, Twin Towers Remembered, and How the Other Half Worships.

Vergara earned a B.A. in sociology from the University of Notre Dame (1968) and a M.A. in sociology from Columbia University (1977). He has received several awards for his work, including a 2002 MacArthur Foundation genius grant.

Collection Overview

Collection consists of 85 color prints, ranging in size from 11x14 inches to 20x24 inches, as well as two 30x30 color transparencies. These images were all part of the National Building Museum's 2009 Vergara exhibit, Storefront Churches, and many are also featured in his recent book, How the Other Half Worships (2005).

Subjects include urban churches in cities throughout the United States, in particular New York City and its neighborhoods (such as Harlem, Brooklyn, and the Bronx), Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Gary, and Camden. Vergara's photographs vary in what part of each church is highlighted: some are simply the church's exterior, offering a glimpse of the neighborhood and condition of the building; other images are taken inside the church, whether it be an abandoned sanctuary or an active praise service. The collection also contains, to a lesser extent, photographs of religious and spiritually-inspired murals and artwork from different urban environments; cemeteries and outdoor worship spaces; and some portraits of different pastors and preachers, including street preachers. Most of the churches represented in the collection are Pentecostal, Baptist, or some other branch of Evangelical Protestant Christianity.

The collection documents the evolution of church structures, such as the series of rephotography of a Chicago building that evolved from the Holy Raiders Revival Church in 1981 to the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in 2009. Vergara rephotographed the building six times during that period, and each time the building's facade and surroundings had changed significantly. Vergara's photographs also offer one-time glimpses of abandoned and decaying buildings, as well as documentation of reclaimed and re-used urban structures, such as the former Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that is now a worship center in Newark.

Collection Arrangement

This collection has been arranged and boxed by the size of the photograph, and is not organized by subject or date. Vergara's captions frequently include the street address for the structures or people he photographed; these addresses are noted when available. In addition, frequently the church's name was not included in Vergara's caption, but is visible in the photograph. In this case, the church name has been added to the description below. The collection's oversize transparencies are undated and unlabeled, and have been boxed separately.

Contents of Collection 11x14 color prints (1 box) 1Greater True Friendship Baptist Church, 2002

1842 W. Vernon, Los Angeles, California

Mount Gaza Baptist Church, 2003

1004 Whitemarsh at Raymond, Compton, California

Iglesia de la Profesia, 2003

11th St. at Linden, Camden, New Jersey

St. Martin Morning Star, 2006

3416 W. 29th St., Gary, Indiana

Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal la Senda Divina, former Kentucky Fried Chicken, 2003

585 Broadway, Newark, New Jersey

Moorish Science Temple of America No. 25, 2008

Grand River Blvd. at Hudson

Gospel Church According to Christ Ministries, 2002

E. Monument Ave. at N. East Ave., Baltimore, Maryland

General Assembly Church/House of Mercy Mission, 2002

Springfield Ave. at Pierce Street, Newark, New Jersey

Pastor Green's church, Rev. Denson by the entrance. Fellowship M.B.C. Church, 2002

410 E. 31st St., Los Angeles, California

Congregation Ahawath Joseph, 1977

Paterson, New Jersey

Pastor Gloria Lawton, New Life in the Great I Am Church, 2004

Bostwick Ave., Jersey City, New Jersey

Mother Downs, House of Blessings, 1991

5440 S. State St., Chicago, Illinois

Evangelista Martin Capeles, 2004

Southern Blvd., Bronx, New York

Church sign with missing letters, 2000

2291 Ersbine St., Detroit, Michigan

Little Widow's Mite B.C. Church sign, 2004

E. 147th St. at Willis Ave., S. Bronx, New York

Home of Life Missionary Baptist Church, 2003

4650 W. Madison St., Chicago, Illinois

Sam preaching, 2003

5th St., Skid Row, Los Angeles, California

Iglesia Evangelica de Jesucristo Betania, 2003

1219 E. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, California

Iglesia Pentacostal Jehova Jreh Inc., 2003

2842 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

St. Martins Spiritual Baptist Church, 2002

162A Utica Ave., Brooklyn, New York

Red building with cross window, 1979

S. Camden, New Jersey

Hermanas Pura y Juara, Dominican, Iglesia Sen da de Bendecion, 2001

506 Brook Ave., S. Bronx, New York

Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 2006

Grand River Blvd. at Dexter, Detroit, Michigan

Jesus Christ Saves, Heals, Delivers truck, 2006

Grant St. at N. 6th St., Camden, New Jersey

Lawrence Moore preaching on the corner, 2004

6th St. at San Pedro, Skid Row, Los Angeles, California

Mision Cristiana Pentacostes el Amor de Cristo, 1999

6419 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, California

Triumph: The Church and Kingdom of God in Christ, 2004

824 W. 25th St., Gary, Indiana

Iglesia Pentacostal Sendero de Luz, 2002

612 Union Ave., Bronx, New York

Pure in Heart, 2000

14849 Livernois Ave., Detroit, Michigan

When Everything Fails Try Prayer sign, 2003

5258 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago, Illinois

If You are Going to the Jail Court or Hospital Call for Prayer sign, 2004

W. Lake St., Chicago, Illinois

God Tabernacle of Faith, 1996

65th St., Los Angeles, California

Sacred Heart Garden, Missionaries of the Charity, 1989

E. 167th St., Bronx, New York

Sacred Heart Seminary, 2003

2701 Chicago Ave., Detroit, Michigan

Zion Lutheran Church wall, 2008

4305 Military St., Detroit, Michigan

Una Luz en el Cavino, 2004

Concord Ave., Bronx, New York

Harvest Crusade billboard, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, 2004

International Ave. at 5th Ave., Oakland, California

Mural by Elliott Pinkney, 1987

Compton Ave. at 36th St., Los Angeles, California

St. Cyril and St. Methodius Church, 2003

St. Cyril St., Detroit, Michigan

Deacon E.M. McGee, New Jerusalem Baptist Church, 1998

3123 Halsted, Chicago, Illinois

Holy Raiders Revival Church, 1981