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Abandoned structures photographs


seicer

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I've explored and photographed hundreds of abandoned buildings in Detroit. Here is a selection of photos. I recently lost about 20,000 photos, so these will have to do for now.

Apartment Hotel Ballroom, Vacant since 1997

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Hotel, Vacant since the early 1990s

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Office Building, Vacant since 2001

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Different Office Building, Vacant since 1985

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Police Station, Vacant since 1999

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Movie Palace, Vacant since 1976

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Train Station, Vacant since 1988

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Yet another office building, Vacant since 2006

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Parker Tobacco Company: Neglect has taken its toll

Neglect has taken its toll at the Parker Tobacco Company

What was once a small tobacco redrying and threshing plant, soon became a large tobacco leaf purchasing, processing, marketing and commercial storage operation. In the 1970s, it expanded with operations in Brazil. It later became incorporated as an international company, exporting tobacco to much of Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. It's downfall began in the early 1990s with the development of financial issues, that was later compounded with the burley cooperative refused to participate with Parker Tobacco due to quality issues. It processed little to no tobacco in 1995 and 1996, and was forced into Chapter 11 in 1997. The facilities were auctioned one year later.

These photographs are from my third exhaustive trip. I hope you enjoy these new images!

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Timeless (rephotographed): I am much more pleased with this take.

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B.C.

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Work

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Old and reliable (rephotographed)

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Signode

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Thanks guys! I wish I'd seen this earlier, but I only have a dial up internet connection, which is agonizingly slow, so I rarely check the photos section.

Detroit has an amazing array of abandoned structures. Detroit is the only place I can think of that has so many large abandoned buildings. Our tallest abandoned building is 34 stories, but there are dozens of smaller buildings that are vacant downtown, and another large 38-story building that is in danger of closing at some point in the near future. Fortunately, the overall trend is reversing itself, and in 5 years, the so-called "skyscraper graveyard" of downtown Detroit will be a thing of the past.

Someone told me once that there were 40,000 vacant structures in Detroit. That number is on the low side, I believe. The vast majority of vacant structures are houses, but there are vacant hotels, churches, office buildings, libraries, ballrooms, schools, apartment buildings, police stations, fire stations, etc. While downtown is revitalizing, the rest of the city is still loosing people. About 1200 houses are abandoned each year, in addition to the apartments, commercial buildings, and other structures that are vacated as people move out of the city.

Urban exploration here is becoming far too common. It used to be that I'd never run into people when I went out shooting photos, but now I run into people more often than not. Apparently now there are groups of people coming in on buses on the weekends to explore our abandoned buildings. <_<

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Wow, these photos are making me go through withdrawls. I haven't been in Michigan Central Station since last October I believe.

Seicer, I've seen a lot of your work on U/O. You really should take a drive on up to Detroit City to check out some amazing buildings and factories

- Hayward

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There are a few other explorers (i.e. red, etc.) that are prolific. It was a great underground interest that has become too exposed and popularised with shows like Urban Explorers (show far from the truth!) and UER that preys on the diminishing quality (the site owner has stated himself he prefers 'quantity over quality' in terms of explorers).

It's one reason (per reply by Allan) that I prefer not to use the term urban exploration. It has far too many connections with trespassing, vandalism, and what have you, that is only glorified on certain television shows and in certain threads that have instructions on how to break into a prison or mental hospital. But I also look at it from a more historical perspective; I'll spend an entire day just sitting at a library doing research -- photography is only one medium I like to choose.

There is more to "urban exploration" than breaking in or trespassing :) Much of the history goes unwritten, stories from the workers are never shared, and glimpses into the past are never shared. I am just one person trying to do this, and I encourage others with respective interests to do the same -- legally, of course :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

January and Wood Company: Once operating as a textile for nearly as long as this river town has existed, it closed its doors in 2003. Demolition began soon after, but was ordered stopped due to improper demolition techniques. Today, the building stands half-demolished, looming over the downtown and becoming quite an eyesore.

Read more about the history in the article; 20 photographs accompany the location. Two photographs were also added to a photo gallery regarding the Parker Tobacco Company.

Enjoy!

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1. She's going!

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2.

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3.

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This scene really surprised me. To the right is a sheer drop-off, where demolition work suddenly came to a halt due to environmental concerns. The new owners of the building attempted to demolish the textile mill without doing any remedial work and was in violation of numerous state and federal laws. And machinery like this still sits, awaiting its final fate.

4.

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This part of the building was surprisingly sheltered. It was collapsing on all three sides.

5.

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Actually just walked through the gaping openings on the east side. There are 10,000 ways into this site ^_^

For the image above, a doorway led into this small opening. Collapsing on all three sides, the ceiling was also sagging considerably. The supports were also tilted and distorted, making this photo set really kind of special :)

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I am absolutely intrigued by this thread... I know of some more interesting structures in my area, some I may be able to get photographs of here soon. Abandoned structures can indeed be a time capsule, one of my most interesting experiences as a child was helping my dad bale hay on an old farm property. The original farmer had lived alone and passed on and my dad had an agreement to work the land. One day, I decided to stop and rest on the old farmhouse porch and realized the front door wasn't shut. The inside of the house was left probably just like the last day the old farmer had lived there. There was still a pot on the stove and a place setting on the small kitchen table. The family had no desire to do anything with his belongings I was told.

I am going to ad a post below of a recently built restaurant that is being considered abandoned by many in the community of Hickory, NC. The parking lot opened up into a sinkhole and swallowed a Corvette whole, the only thing found of the 'Vette' was the bumper. Work has stopped on this site for almost a year, and with the financial albatross this has been for the owner, it may be razed of left to collapse in the sinkhole. The new owner purchased the property for $1 when the previous owner couldn't afford to repair the sinkhole (caused by a inadequate draininage pipe.)

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Mt. Sterling, Kentucky High School: Abandoned in the 1990s, I received permission to conduct interior photography of this historic structure. Unfortunately, the owner has no plans for the building, so it remains neglected and open to the elements. There are currently 16 photographs at Abandoned.

1. Auditorium

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2. Auditorium: If you can't see it, there are people in the photo :)

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3. Hallway: Much of the school is in disarray, as portrayed in this photograph.

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4.

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Mt. Sterling, Kentucky Baptist Church: Closed only a few years ago, the active congregation relocated to 'greener' pastures on the outskirts of the city. I will soon upload some photographs, including a rendering, to the site soon. There are currently 16 photographs at Abandoned.

5. Chapel

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6. Offices

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7.

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8. Preaching: Jay is preaching to... no one! :)

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Enjoy!

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  • 1 month later...

Located in the heart of a major city, the Tennessee State Penitentiary was closed to all prisoners due to its unsafe housing conditions and general lack of maintenance. Today, several film production companies utilize it, along with other smaller industrial businesses.

1. Administration building

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Constructed of 800 single-occupancy cells in two cell-blocks, it also housed an administration building, offices, warehouses, and two factory structures. Outside of the prison walls was a working farm. Upon its opening in 1898, it housed 1,403 inmates, creating instant overcrowding issues.

2. "Chaos" in a cell block. This is five stories high.

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Throughout the prison's life, it was the home of numerous staged mass escapes and riots, the last being in 1985. Mass overcrowding, inadequate facilities, poor ventilation, and "hellish" conditions earned it a class action lawsuit. The suit (Grubbs v. Bradley - 1983) stated that the Department of Correction was to never admit any new prisoner into the walls of that state prison due to its severe overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and non-existent ventilation.

3. Health clinic's isolation ward

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In 1989, the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution opened its doors to house incoming inmates. The state prison, once hailed for its hellish and barren conditions, closed its doors in June of 1992.

4. Unknown building at the rear. It may have been a medical facility at one point (this prison housed the hospital for the entire state prison system), or a minimum security attachment. Some rooms were decorated in paint, while one had an elaborate "fireplace."

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5. Power plant

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6. Death row (that's not me)

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I would like to thank the Tennessee Department of Corrections for showing us around the facilities and allowing us access to their buildings, and the Tennessee Film, Music and Entertainment Commission for helping coordinate the day-long trip! It was very much worth it. You can find many more photographs from this trip and prior trips at my entry on Abandoned!

Hope you enjoyed this photoset!

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Disclaimer: Do not even attempt to trespass or venture wayward into the sprawling facility. It is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by armed guards! We entered through the Army Corps. of Engineers, and the process was very laborous... but well worth it.

On July 1, we were allowed access into the Indiana Army Ammunitions Plant. Tours are not given, and general media are not allowed inside, since one government contractor still produces black powder on-site. It took nearly three years of calling and persistence, but it was well worth it! Over a span of five hours, we did a quick run-through of four buildings -- a power house, power plant, laboratory, and a sulfuric acid concentration house -- out of approximately 400 structures, and hundreds of igloos. Sprawling out over 10,000 acres, the complex housed a smokeless powder plant, a rocket-propellant plant, and a bag-manufacturing/loading facility. A rocket-propellant plant was never completed.

1. Igloo 4801. Hundreds of igloos, many of them still active, store black powder.

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2. Igniter line area. These structures were extremely contaminated and were burned in 2006. Only six buildings could be burned on a given weekend and only if the wind conditions were favorable.

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3. This was once the main shipping and receiving hub for the ordnance works.

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4. Power Plant (Building 2541). This was a smaller power house for the shipping and receiving area.

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5. Shipping house area. These World War II-era shipping carts feature full rubber wheels. This is to reduce sparks that may come from contact, especially when working around black powder.

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6. A shipping house is visible in the distance.

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Part II, covering the Propellant and Explosives district, will be forthcoming! Enjoy this photo set! As always, you can see hundreds more with a full, detailed history at my entry.

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Disclaimer: Do not even attempt to trespass or venture wayward into the sprawling facility. It is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by armed guards! We entered through the Army Corps. of Engineers, and the process was very laborous... but well worth it. See more photographs and history at my entry.

Part II: Propellant and explosives area

7. These unmodified World War II-era flatcars are in excellent shape!

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8. One power plant... we didn't enter this one.

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9. Sprouting buildings up like weeds.

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10. From the interior access roads, you really could not see much for the heavy vegetation. But from the roof of a power plant...

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11. ^

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12. The pump house is immediately visible.

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13. Laboratory (Building 706-3). Although mostly empty, this fantastic building is akin to walking into a time portal. Vintage signs, equipment, and papers lay scattered about. The building itself is in excellent condition, given that it has been closed for nearly 40 years!

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14. ^

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15. Change House (Building 707-29). The triple X's indicate that black powder may be present -- on anything from clothes to shoes and even hair. The plant took the safety of the workers very seriously.

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16. Sulfuric Acid Concentration House (Building 303-2). I have no idea on the purpose of this four-story building, but I'm pretty sure it involved sulfuric acid and wasn't too pleasant.

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17. ^

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18. ^

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19. Pump House (Building 402-3). Cooling Tower Chlorinator...

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20. ^

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21. ^

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22. Power Plant (Building 401-1). Chemox Gas Mask.

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23. ^. Holy light.

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24. ^.

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25. ^. Cart.

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26. ^. Going higher.

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27. ^. At the top interior floor. Don't look down. I'm very much afraid of heights, and I was literally taking baby steps all around the upper floors!

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28. ^. Peering up.

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29. ^. Peering down at the top interior floor.

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30. ^. I couldn't resist.

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Pshew! You can see all the photographs from the propellant and explosives area here, and view hundreds of more photographs and history at the main article here. Comments/questions welcome. Enjoy!

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This is an awesome thread IMO. Of course I am a industry and industrial history fan, so it may just be me. LOL I find these sort of industrial sites and operations, and their histories, fascinating. Most people just forget about such operations, but they usually had a tremendous impact on the economic and urban development of the communities and areas they were located in/by. Also, its cool that your persistance payed off and that you got to get your tour and take your pics. Now you have a very rare and interesting collection of pics that are definitely a conversation starter!

Thanks a lot for taking the time to post this very unique and rare set of pictures. Also, thanks for posting the disclaimer.

-To other mods: I have checked and the author of this thread and he states he has received legal permission from the facility operator for publication of these pictures on terms of the publishing of the disclaimer attached to both posts.-

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here are a bunch of randoms that I've uploaded to Abandoned over the past week. I've almost gone through my 2007 photograph collection, which means that I can start going through some 2006 directories! :)

1. Kentucky School for the Deaf: No real information here, just that some buildings are abandoned.

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2. Exteriors at the Mt. Sterling High School in Kentucky.

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3. Raccoon Furnace: Constructed in 1833 along what is today Kentucky Route 2, it closed in the late 1800s.

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4. Along the road next to the Old Taylor Distillery.

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