Being bored lately I was flicking through my photo albums, or as close as you can get to that on a computer and thought I had more stuff stashed away from my foreign jaunts that isn't necessarily 'epic' or 'amazing' but certainly worthy of being seen. Much like my attitude over here, I am happy to see pretty much anything within reason when over there as many times its the little bonus places and smaller explores that add something else to the journey.
Union Carbide - Niagara Falls NY.
Union Carbide is a name synonymous with one catastrophic tragedy - Bhopal. The chemical company's facility in the industrialised area of Niagara Falls closed many years ago, and although nowadays the large warehouses off to one side are back in use, part of the old plant remains as a battered ruined shell. At some point in the past, post closure, persons unknown dumped a number of huge barge-like pump machines inside, and it's these which are the main point of interest.
Abandoned Theater
Quite a back story associated with this one however I will save that for the meet up probably - This theater along with two others practically on the same block closed decades ago and has slowly been falling apart ever since. At the time of my visit snow melting and falling through the roof into the auditorium was condensing into a dense mist inside the building which was pretty special to see. A very difficult place to shoot, but I loved being in here, it was a rare jaw-on-the-floor moment for me.
Gompers School, Baltimore MD
A historic high school located within a shady area of Baltimore. The roof over the auditorium collapsed at some point after closure which is quite surreal to see. The school is a classic whole city block type deal with the hall in the centre arranged around corridors with classrooms at the outer edges, and a staircase in each corner.
Shortly before exiting the building through the not-at-all-subtle access point a car crash occurred on one of the junctions directly outside the building, so our clamber out was performed right in front of many police officers who thankfully were preoccupied with sorting out the crash...
Spring Garden School, Philadelphia PA
One of the most famous and widely shot abandonments in Philly, the caged rooftop playground is an iconic shot of Philly dereliction. It's not unique, in a city where outside space in the suburbs can be limited a playground on the roof is an easy option. Due to it's location and how well known it is it's trashed to within an inch of it's life.
German Masonic Home, Tappan NY
Constructed in 1909, it's purpose was to house infirm Masons, their widows and orphaned children. It closed it's doors in 1996 and has sat in limbo ever since, although the roof was replaced a few years ago to try and stabilise the structure as the old roof lost all of it's lead and had more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese, which had the knock on effect of doing a real number on the interior. The floors in here aren't just bad, they are flat out lethal, some of the worst I've ever seen. The lower floors are also in almost total darkness due to heavy boarding which doesn't help navigating your way around the floors either.
Coal Conveyor, Western NY
I can't even remember where this place is, all I can remember is that it stretched from a river dock where a large crane would unload coal from barges, across a long stretch of land to a long-demolished industrial site. The conveyor has been left to decay, sadly the crane had recently been fenced off and motion alarms placed along said fence.
Abandoned Bank, PA
One of many abandoned buildings in a small town near Pittsburgh, this bank closed years ago but not before they managed to put an awful suspended ceiling inside. The lighting was utterly woeful in here so I ended up with only a small handful of photos.
Another Abandoned Bank, PA
Situated - no joke - only two properties down from the first bank sits another one, this one was much lighter inside thanks to the large gaping hole in the rear wall. Sadly the vault was securely closed, and there wasn't a huge amount to see inside as it was sort of a one room wonder.
'Mudslide' Mansion, Piscataway MD
To call this a mansion is a disservice really, as it's just a very large modern house that was abandoned after a small mudslide partially knocked it off it's foundations. Inside is a gutted mess with an incredibly spongy floor in the centre below the psychedelic skylight. I can't even begin to imagine how gaudy and in your face this place must have been back when it was lived in, with the skylight, mirrored columns, indoor water feature and narrow double height windows it's a bizarre place.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed reminiscing about times gone
Union Carbide - Niagara Falls NY.
Union Carbide is a name synonymous with one catastrophic tragedy - Bhopal. The chemical company's facility in the industrialised area of Niagara Falls closed many years ago, and although nowadays the large warehouses off to one side are back in use, part of the old plant remains as a battered ruined shell. At some point in the past, post closure, persons unknown dumped a number of huge barge-like pump machines inside, and it's these which are the main point of interest.
Abandoned Theater
Quite a back story associated with this one however I will save that for the meet up probably - This theater along with two others practically on the same block closed decades ago and has slowly been falling apart ever since. At the time of my visit snow melting and falling through the roof into the auditorium was condensing into a dense mist inside the building which was pretty special to see. A very difficult place to shoot, but I loved being in here, it was a rare jaw-on-the-floor moment for me.
Gompers School, Baltimore MD
A historic high school located within a shady area of Baltimore. The roof over the auditorium collapsed at some point after closure which is quite surreal to see. The school is a classic whole city block type deal with the hall in the centre arranged around corridors with classrooms at the outer edges, and a staircase in each corner.
Shortly before exiting the building through the not-at-all-subtle access point a car crash occurred on one of the junctions directly outside the building, so our clamber out was performed right in front of many police officers who thankfully were preoccupied with sorting out the crash...
Spring Garden School, Philadelphia PA
One of the most famous and widely shot abandonments in Philly, the caged rooftop playground is an iconic shot of Philly dereliction. It's not unique, in a city where outside space in the suburbs can be limited a playground on the roof is an easy option. Due to it's location and how well known it is it's trashed to within an inch of it's life.
German Masonic Home, Tappan NY
Constructed in 1909, it's purpose was to house infirm Masons, their widows and orphaned children. It closed it's doors in 1996 and has sat in limbo ever since, although the roof was replaced a few years ago to try and stabilise the structure as the old roof lost all of it's lead and had more holes in it than a piece of Swiss cheese, which had the knock on effect of doing a real number on the interior. The floors in here aren't just bad, they are flat out lethal, some of the worst I've ever seen. The lower floors are also in almost total darkness due to heavy boarding which doesn't help navigating your way around the floors either.
Coal Conveyor, Western NY
I can't even remember where this place is, all I can remember is that it stretched from a river dock where a large crane would unload coal from barges, across a long stretch of land to a long-demolished industrial site. The conveyor has been left to decay, sadly the crane had recently been fenced off and motion alarms placed along said fence.
Abandoned Bank, PA
One of many abandoned buildings in a small town near Pittsburgh, this bank closed years ago but not before they managed to put an awful suspended ceiling inside. The lighting was utterly woeful in here so I ended up with only a small handful of photos.
Another Abandoned Bank, PA
Situated - no joke - only two properties down from the first bank sits another one, this one was much lighter inside thanks to the large gaping hole in the rear wall. Sadly the vault was securely closed, and there wasn't a huge amount to see inside as it was sort of a one room wonder.
'Mudslide' Mansion, Piscataway MD
To call this a mansion is a disservice really, as it's just a very large modern house that was abandoned after a small mudslide partially knocked it off it's foundations. Inside is a gutted mess with an incredibly spongy floor in the centre below the psychedelic skylight. I can't even begin to imagine how gaudy and in your face this place must have been back when it was lived in, with the skylight, mirrored columns, indoor water feature and narrow double height windows it's a bizarre place.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed reminiscing about times gone
