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I spent a very interesting couple of hours this afternoon with a group of fellow Austin HDR enthusiasts shooting inside the now-decommissioned Holly Street Power Plant in east Austin. This is the first image I’ve processed from the visit but there are plenty more to come.

The back story here is actually rather interesting. Mike Connell had been hassled by a security guard outside the plant a couple of months ago and, after blogging about the experience, was very quickly contacted by an apologetic member of Austin Energy’s public information department. To make amends, they offered Mike access to the facility to shoot and invited him to bring along any friends who may also be interested.

The plant was built in 1959 and stopped generating in 2007. When running, it used natural gas or fuel oil to generate 570MW. It is scheduled to be dismantled starting in August or thereabouts.

This image shows one of the huge fans that sits on top of one of the main boilers. The boilers are enormous structures around 6 or 7 stories tall that are actually suspended from the top of the structure by huge spring bearings. If you appreciate enormous examples of mechanical engineering, this is a place you will love.

Thanks to our hosts and guides Bobby Gosey and Carlos Cordova from Austin Energy who showed us round and filled us in on some of the details of the plant.

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Stairs, Holly Street Power Plant, Austin

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