Another one from the back catalogue. I spend quite a lot of time in Binghamton on my trips over there as I have many friends in the city, and I think I've explored pretty much everything that is doable in the city. Binghamton's most famous abandonment, the stunning New York State Inebriate Asylum - the first building of it's kind to treat alcoholism as a mental disorder - is alarmed to the high heavens and as some of my friends found out when attempting it setting them off swiftly results in getting arrested. Most of the NY and PA explorers know it's a no-go yet a few still try it! Other than the asylum there is plenty to see in the city, as like many industrial cities it's littered with reminders of formerly good economic times. It's a strange city to be in, as it's one of the greyest, rainiest cities in the north-eastern states area and in the top ten most dangerous cities in the north-east as well with it's main claim to fame other than the railroads, the invention of the glued together staple and Rod Serling (creator of The Twilight Zone) being a mass shooting in the DMV office. On the subject of the railroads, it was a huge railroad city yet lacks any public railway stations!
Renaissance Plaza was a former retirement home located in a prominent position overlooking the river at 50 Front Street, Binghamton in upstate NY. It was constructed in the 1950s and was originally a large six-storey Sheraton Hotel before being turned into a retirement home in it's final years. In converting it into a retirement home it looked as if the company in charge did pretty much the bare minimum, keeping almost all the original hotel furniture and fittings and simply replacing every mattress with a 'wipe clean' one. The basement areas housed a local radio station studio and conference facilities.
It closed in 2011 and the basement areas were torn apart by the devastating floods that hit Binghamton later that year. In 2012 the county took ownership of the building due to unpaid taxes and it was demolished in 2017. Architecturally the building was a boring 1950s-era turd but it had a load of stuff left inside which made it a lot more interesting. It also had the original vacuum tube mail system still installed which I have never seen before.
The basement/storage areas were cool but unfortunately either caked in black mould from the floods or covered in a fine choking dust that was over everything and so bad I could only take that one photo before bailing.
Thanks for looking
Renaissance Plaza was a former retirement home located in a prominent position overlooking the river at 50 Front Street, Binghamton in upstate NY. It was constructed in the 1950s and was originally a large six-storey Sheraton Hotel before being turned into a retirement home in it's final years. In converting it into a retirement home it looked as if the company in charge did pretty much the bare minimum, keeping almost all the original hotel furniture and fittings and simply replacing every mattress with a 'wipe clean' one. The basement areas housed a local radio station studio and conference facilities.
It closed in 2011 and the basement areas were torn apart by the devastating floods that hit Binghamton later that year. In 2012 the county took ownership of the building due to unpaid taxes and it was demolished in 2017. Architecturally the building was a boring 1950s-era turd but it had a load of stuff left inside which made it a lot more interesting. It also had the original vacuum tube mail system still installed which I have never seen before.
The basement/storage areas were cool but unfortunately either caked in black mould from the floods or covered in a fine choking dust that was over everything and so bad I could only take that one photo before bailing.
Thanks for looking
