Abandoned structures photographs

[Mobuchu]

I was lucky enough to get inside this building before it was torn down to make way for new development. I was there for work purposes so unfortunetly I didn't get to run around to take pics and I only had a point and shoot with me. But the gentleman escorting me was nice enough to show me a couple things.

Charlotte has a bad rap for tearing down its old buildings for new developments. This block is now the future site of a 27 story condo tower, ~35 story condo/hotel tower, ~17 story office tower, a parking deck, and street retail. What do you think? Should this building have been saved???

The Power building, built in the 1920's.

The basement

The security guard who was with me said there was once tracks leading into the building on these columns, and was later built over. I dont really know if thats true or not?

Back outside:

And finally, here's a "before and after" from about the same angle......RIP

[seicer]

^ I'm not for sure what to think. There isn't a huge amount of street accessibility as shown from your latter photographs, but the ornate nature of the building is something that isn't replicated today. It needed some gut rehabilitation, but it was salvageable.

The tracks would have been on top and coal dumped to the bottom. Since it is a fairly large building, it would have required a massive boiler... and lots of coal.

[tombarnes]

Seems a bit of a waste to me. Nice details over the entrance. There was no protest whatsoever over its demolition? I'd think that at least parts of it might have been worth the trouble of preservation. BTW, I'm most impressed with your thread here Sherman. Outstanding work you've done.

[seicer]

Ammunitions Depot: The self-sustaining factory, containing residential communities, power plants, offices, and much more, made artillery charges but was closed in 1992.

Nitrating House (Building 105-3)

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2.

Knife Grinding & Die Shop (Building 217-2): What was a relatively unassuming building provided to bear its fruit, with intact machinery, tools, spare parts and more lying about in a slowly decaying structure.

3. You only see these places in the old World War II movies.

4.

5. There were relatively few incidents at the facility over the years.

More coming!

[seicer]

Power Pack House (Building 221-3): These linear structures were served by a rail siding, and were connected to multi-story cylinder-shaped "rotation" houses via a conveyor.

6. These smaller carts collected whatever product came off of the conveyor, and were dumped into giant hoppers that were loaded onto the rail cars.

7.

Box Store House (Building 223-8): Nothing more than warehouses with conveyor belts, the contents inside ranged from items labelled "Explosives" to "Radioactive." Sounds nifty!

8. Don't smoke!

9. Note the power lines. In some areas, the wires are dead -- cut, down, etc. In others, they are live. But looks can be deceiving. A maintenance man, who presumed several lines to be dead, was quite literally shocked when the lines were live... he survived thankfully, but you can't trust anything inside!

More to come!

[seicer]

Vertical Dress House (Building 234-2): This was once used in the manufacture of black powder.

10. Vintage. There were some very nice handpainted signs elsewhere.

Sulfuric Acid Concentration House (Building 303-2):

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Prepared for winter: thick coat and a radiator.

Main Laboratory (Building 706-1)

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Laboratory (Building 706-3)

16. It's no wonder why the grounds at the plant are so contaminated...

More to come!

[seicer]

Air Test House: I'm not for sure why some buildings are given crazy, off-the-wall names like "Air Test House," but this small wooden structure held many vintage Plymouth locomotives!

17. Plymouth locomotives rest in excellent condition. These were constructed in Plymouth, Ohio by the Plymouth Locomotive Works.

18. ?????

Firehouse: This was used until recently as a Charlestown fire station.

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Power Plant (Building 401-)

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Propellent and Explosives area (new photos at bottom of gallery)

22. Power Plant (Building 401-1)

23. Cotton Dry House (Building 104-3): Used in the manufacture of black powder.

24. Nitrate houses on the left.

Enjoy these photo sets! Main page of the ammunitions plant.

[seicer]

River Valley Hospital will soon be demolished. A ceremony celebrating its long life as a hospital drew several hundred Sunday, and it will soon make way for upscale housing, which Ironton currently lacks a lot of. Read on about its great history and its expansion plans that were brought to a sudden halt.

1. Newer entrance, stocked full of copiers, equipment and furniture draped in black mold and other nasty toxins.

2. Original entrance from 1937. An ambulance business is in front, blocking portions of it. Several small extensions and renovations were underway when the facility abruptly closed.

Southeastern Kentucky Baptist Hospital: Constructed in 1951 and expanded in the 1970s, this will soon be torn down thanks to money provided by Governor Ernie Fletcher. It's already a total loss in some areas, with the only restoration remedy being a total gut and rehabilitate -- which is unlikely given its condition. I poked my foot through the roof while climbing around. I added a lot of history relating to the building, and photos under "Last Chance."

3. Morgue.

4. The hospital was pretty much like this throughout.

5. Surgery.

Enjoy these photos!

[ZachariahDaMan]

I have ton of photos I can post. However I won't be giving building names or history. I don't really want these places to be ruined for explorers by people going there to get drunk and trash crap. If you know Detroit very well you will know them anyways.

Next one

[gs3]

5. Surgery.

Enjoy these photos!

Really cool photo.

[seicer]

This is probably the last trip into the ammunitions facility because of new military regulations as a result of copper thieves. There have been almost daily copper thefts or attempts on portions of the site and some buildings are now locked down. In addition, one small power house has now been demolished and the modern Black Powder Manufacturing Facility is being demolished in stages. Future updates will be in regard to the history of the facility and include archival photographs from the local historical society and library.

But there are still hundreds and hundreds of photographs and a boatload of text regarding the ammunitions facility at Abandoned. Look for more updates in the future!

1. Construction on this modern black powder manufacturing facility began in 1978. Debugging began later that year into 1979, where it was followed by proveout, where 2,300 pounds of live black powder were produced. It was decommissioned in 1983 with the facility having never seen operation. Government spending at its best! Unfortunately, several of the buildings are being demolished; some will stay for storage since they are so massive in size. These buildings are owned by a state park, and there have been almost-daily copper thefts; locks on the gates are being replaced on an almost daily basis.

Ironically, there is a new black powder manufacturing plant elsewhere on the site, operated by a defense contractor.

2. Power Plant (Building 2541) was used to power up the Shipping Area, where black powder and bags were sent off to the troops during World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and partially during the Gulf War. It's now been demolished.

3. After...

4. Pump House (Building 402-3) (more photos)

5. Power Plant (Building 401-1) (more photos)

6. This is a view inside one of the tanks surrounding the power plant. Later, a friend discovered an archival photograph from the initial construction of the facility that shows an almost identical photograph.

7. Sulfuric Acid Concentration House (Building 303-2) (more photos). This is a view of the cooling racks in the adjoining Tank Farm Acid Area (305-2).

8. Belden brick from Canton, Ohio.

Some general photos from the Propellent and Explosives Area (more photos; newest at bottom).

9. XXX signifies that the building may have black powder or residue that could cause explosions. When the facility was in operation, it boasted the world's best safety records.

10. Vats of acids were stored here.

11. Laboratory (Building 706-3) in the foreground, and a power plant in the background.

12. Laboratory (Building 706-3) in the foreground, and a power plant in the background.

Enjoy this (last?) modern set of the munitions plant!

[hagetaka]

nice photos, all of them were good....

[seicer]

John Graves Ford Memorial Hospital

This was one of the first abandonments I stumbled upon when I first came to the University of Kentucky in Lexington. The hospital stood abandoned for many years near the center of Georgetown, and it was a pretty stark derelict. Broken windows were galore, and boards lay on the ground, ripped by vandalizing teenagers looking for a cheap thrill of potentially finding ghosts and goblins. And the infamous homeless rapist that was so scrawled on the walls.

Inside, infant incubators lay about in an orderly fashion, along with pill dispensing equipment, stoves and patient records. It's all gone now, along with the original 1917 front, the 1952 north wing, and the 1972 west wing.

Nothing stands in its place today.

I updated the essay today, copied below, and added two scans from a document retried from the Scott County and Georgetown Historical Museum.

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In 1916, John Graves Ford, a grandson of Mrs. John B. Graves, was stricken with appendicitis, He was taken to a hospital in Lexington where he later died after a brief illness. To forestall the possibility of future occurrences, Mrs. Graves jump started funding for a new hospital by donating $35,000 [3] that would serve as a memorial to her grandson. [4][3] Construction on the new hospital began later that year and was finished by 1917. [3]

^ Shortly before demolition.

In 1952, a new addition was constructed north of the existing facility. The two-story structure featured a full basement, a new oil-based boiler system, numerous patient rooms and a emergency room. [5] Another expansion occurred in 1972, when a western wing opened with twenty patient rooms, two nurses' stations, and a family room. [4] It was designed by Donald B. Shelton and was constructed for $150,000.

^ 1972 expansion plans, which included two floors with a total of twenty patient rooms.

During this time, however, the financial situation of the hospital was put into question. [3] Patients would enter the hospital and not be able to pay their bills and over the run of several decades, the hospital became a drain to the county. Several attempts were made to sell the hospital to a private organization but these efforts failed.

In 1984, the hospital closed its doors after it was purchased by a regional healthcare provider and reopened in a larger, more spacious location outside of the city. [3]

^ A used baby incubator.

In the following year, Edmund Karam of Lexington purchased the former hospital site. [3] The new owner attempted to diversify the hospital site into offices, eventually hosting the Edward D. Jones & Company in the original 1916 structure, but this would only last a few years. In 1999, with minimal upkeep and major water damage overtaking the structure, the city of Georgetown condemned the property in 1999.

^ Pull dispensing machine.

During this time, an Indiana company and a Louisville firm requested permission from the city to convert the former hospital to an assisted living community for senior citizens. [3] Once considered a likely deal, renovations were expected to take one-year to complete. Each apartment would have included a bedroom, living room, a small kitchenette and a bathroom, with larger common rooms being scattered about. The total cost of renovations would have been $1.8 million, but due to deteriorating conditions at the property site, the firms withdrew their plans in 2003.

^ Rooms were filled with various equipment and implements.

In 2005, the city took up condemnation efforts against the owners. Karam and his son, Abe, had failed to pay the fines which had been levied by the city. [1][2] The owners had until July 21, 2005 to review their financial situations before the fate of the hospital went before the Georgetown City Council. The city had been going through with condemnation and demolition proceedings at the site, but at a council meeting July 7, the owners requested for a 90-day extension before filing financial paperwork as numerous people were interested in buying the property for renovation. These efforts failed and the Georgetown Board of Adjustment voted to allow the demolition. [3] Georgetown Mayor Everette Varney said the town had received several inquiries about renovating the building, but the extent of the damage it had sustained made restoration no longer feasible.

'I made a stand for quite some time that it should be saved, both for the meaning it conveyed to the community and for the excellent architecture, especially in the front part.'

--Scott County historian Ann Bevins

Asbestos abatement began in April 2006. When the hospital was demolished in May, it put to death a building that had 90-years of history. [3]

[seicer]

William Tarr House

Resting along a major two-lane highway that snakes through the mammoth horse farms of central Kentucky, this imposing two-story Federal-style mansion was constructed before the Civil War and had improvements conducted after the war in the way of additions and Italianate trim throughout. It has been abandoned since 1987 and it has been deteriorating quite steadily. The second floor is approximately 40% traversable, whereas most of the first floor is in good condition.

See the URL above for the history and for even more photos!

one

This room features classic 1970s faux wood panelling, black satin doors with white porcelain door knobs, and a vintage hanging light fixture.

two

An exterior porch that connected one side of the house to another. It slopes downward so it is unsafe to continue through. A room to the right offers interior passage but it slopes downward by about five feet at its midpoint.

three

These are safe for now, although a deteriorated exterior cornice has all but rotted away and one can see the outside.

four

Entry hall. The evening sun came out long enough to allow me to capture this shot.

five

Not seen is the impressive plaster molding on the ceiling and rich woods that still adorn the rooms.

six

Player piano.

Enjoy!

[hagetaka]

Old Baton Rouge Municipal Dock

[seicer]

Old St. George had a devasting fire on February 1 that destroyed the two iconic steeples. I am also mixing in the set with photos from Stearns and Foster. Enjoy!

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11 The street was open to traffic. This really doesn't look like a very safe (or proper) demolition.

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Hope you enjoyed my perspective on these places!

[Winston]

I'll post just one from my various urban exploration trips, this is a control room I stumbled upon in an abandoned power station, it was relatively intact but still featured some vandalism:

Winston.

[seicer]

South Point Ammunitions Plant

I remembered passing by the old munitions plant when I was a kid. Hell, I played soccer in the fields across the street from the main entrance. Although it had been reused in its later years, many original buildings remained -- including the administrative buildings. In abandoned condition, all original.

I only photographed a few of them by the time I made it up there. More are in the URL above (I've shared these once before), but the newest, from June 27, are posted below. More has been demolished and redeveloped, and only one large structure is left to explore.

1 Disconnected

2 More buildings were around this, but have since been demolished. This reinforced concrete building is used by a Biofuel company.

3 Sign facing a railroad track.

4 There was once a large foreground building. Demolished in 2007.

5 End of the line.

6 The building once connected to the lone smokestack (now isolated) and a very large baghouse (now demolished).

[tombarnes]

Good to see you back again Sherman! Fascinating pictures as always!

[InitialD]

Abandoned building in the Condado beach area, San Juan, PR. I think it was about 10 to 12 floors.

[seicer]

Cincinnati Mills

Authored by Sherman Cahal at Abandoned on November 13, 2008

Seemingly doomed from its start, Forest Fair Mall was completed in stages from 1988 to 1989, and featured nearly 200 stores and four anchors. Located in northwest Cincinnati, it was one of the state's largest malls, and most impressive. That was one of its only positive highlights, however. The shopping center was completed for $50 million over budget and left the owner saddled with debt.

Not surprisingly, the builder, L.J. Hooker, declared bankruptcy only months after the complex was completed. In the years ahead, the mall was bought and sold, positioned and repositioned, and remodeled and shuttered. It was a high-end regional mall, and outlet center, and a retail and entertainment complex, although it it neither of those descriptors today. Today, it is known simply as Cincinnati Mills.

The mall struggles despite having several some successful outlots and several thriving stores, including Bass Pro Shops. For example, one of its last tenants in the eastern wing, Guitar Center, is departing. This leaves only two minor shops to fend for themselves in the most remote location of the shopping center, and it is doubtful that they will remain there for much longer.

What does the future hold for Cincinnati Mills? Not so much. It features two major tenants that are departing: Guitar Center and Steve and Berry's, and one entire wing that will essentially become vacant. Major redevelopment is needed at this site, although with the ever struggling economy, this may prove to be a bit of a challenge.

Here are some photographs from Cincinnati Mills, taken only several days ago:

The wing of the mall closest to Bass Pro Shops has considerably more stores than the remainder of the center.

Center Concourse

The concourse leading to Kohl's was entirely empty of any pedestrian activity.

The oldest segment of the mall is also the most empty. A Guitar Center store will soon close, leaving only two minor businesses remaining in one entire concourse.

Food Court

Be sure to check out the Cincinnati Mills page for a full text writeup and for more photographs!

[seicer]

Rural Ohio

[seicer]

Hillside Nursing Home

Hillside Nursing Home in Avondale consisted of Parkside and Oakside Nursing Homes. Parkside was located in a decrepit cinder block brick-faced two-story structure, whereas Oakside resided a very old former residence. The nursing home featured 67 certified and licensed beds spread amongst two structures, and both locations were very much wide open and accessible.

The last document with a date that we found was a certificate of inspection that dated to March 16, 1999 and was set to expire on March 1, 2000.

Parkside was a disgusting 1960s-era nursing home. The furniture that existed was very dated and probably original. The main activity room had cheap chandeliers and mirrors. And the rooms were all of a depressingly white color that overlooked either a very narrow and small courtyard, or crap.

Oakside was much nicer, in that handprints of varying colors were imprinted on the first floor walls; in the dark, they were creepy. Some rooms had peeling white wallpaper that revealed hues of dark green and red. Light switches were actually light buttons. Rooms featured a solitary florescent-tube unit. It had to be depressing.

And it is of no shock that the nursing home received a "D" grade.

Parkside Nursing Home

Although the image quality is questionable, the pattern of radiating mold is quite interesting.

Oakside Nursing Home

Enjoy this little slice of Avondale!

[seicer]

Kanawha Hotel, Ice House, Russell Railyards YMCA, Ro-Na Theater

Expanded blog post

Authored by Sherman Cahal at Abandoned on December 24, 2008

It's always enjoyable to be able to sit around a computer during the evenings, enjoy hot chocolate and listen to classical music while typing out updates to Abandoned. Neglecting my holiday shopping as usual, I have completed major site upgrades and updates to Abandoned. The first is in regards to the now-demolished Kanawha Hotel. Constructed in 1903, the hotel served as Charleston's premier hotel until 1965. It once housed three sitting presidents, and was the headquarters of John F. Kennedy's 1960 primary campaign, later being used from the 1960s to 1997 as the site of West Virginia's Job Corps. Post-closure, the hotel was slated to be restored into a boutique hotel, however, after five years, funding for the plan failed and the former Kanawha Hotel was demolished. An extensive history of the hotel, along with some postcard images, have been added.

Heading westward, the Russell Railyards YMCA once stood as a symbol of the Chesapeake and Ohio's once illustrious history in Russell, Kentucky. Adjacent to the then-largest railyard in the United States, the YMCA was once an important overnight stop for many railroad workers that included a restaurant and lounges, along with clean and affordable rooms. It was later shuttered as a result of modernization and the downsizing of the railroad industry, and was reopened for other uses before being abandoned in 1992. A brief history has been added to this location, which also contains numerous photographs of the interior.

Across the river, in Ironton, Ohio, was the former art-deco Ro-Na Theater. Opened in 1949, the theater lasted only a few brief seasons before it was closed and converted into storefronts. Abandoned for over a decade, the theater is the focus of renewed attention and redevelopment efforts.

Going even further west along the Ohio River is the former Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company in Portsmouth, Ohio. I first stumbled upon this site when I was much younger, and was fascinated by a large, abandoned brick structure. It was seemingly impossible to get inside, and it appeared that it had no roof or much of an interior that remained, yet it was intriguing. I assumed that it was an ice house, and after a little research, my assumptions were proven to be true. This rather unusual structure is a remnant of the pre-refrigerator era, when ice blocks were carved from the Ohio River and stored in a structure.

It just happens that this ice house served Portsmouth's first commercial brewery. In 1892, the brewery merged with a local ice company, and it was incorporated as The Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company. During Prohibition, however, the company failed and it was reorganized into the Portsmouth Ice and Fuel Company, which also failed. Further attempts to revive the brewery in the decades ensued were also met with dismal results, and eventually, the ice house was abandoned. Some historical images and an expanded history has been added to the article.

Lastly, I have completed major site upgrades to Abandoned, cumulating with the revamping of the photograph galleries. Sub-categories have been migrated to the left-hand navigation of the site within a dynamic, scroll box for less clutter, which lays on top of the thumbnails for the photographs that now load much quicker.

Enjoy the holiday season!

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Check out the respective URL's above for more photographs and histories.

Kanawha Hotel

1 Kanawha Hotel, photograph taken by Cornerstone Architects.

2 Being demolished...

3 It was once a very grand hotel.

Russell Railyards YMCA

4 These are OLD photos...

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6 Finally, some newer ones!

7 Contrast I: Same floor...

8 Contrast II: ...different hallways.

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The Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company

10 A very early view prior to the ice house.

11 The ice house, which so captured my imagination back when I was a young lad! I had no idea there was so much history behind this rather bland building.

Enjoy these updates and have a safe and warm holiday season everyone!

[seicer]

Hudepohl Brewing Company

The Hudepohl Brewing Company was founded in 1885 by Ludwig Hudepohl II and George Kotte in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio during a time when a heavy influx of German immigrants fueled the development of a brewing industry that at one time, included more than 40 breweries in nearly every city neighborhood.

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Just ten years later, Cincinnati had become known as the beer capital of the world, and residents at the time drank more beer per capita than residents of any other U.S. city, an average of 40 gallons a year. Nearly 95% of that beer was brewed in Cincinnati.

It's original location in Over-the-Rhine soon gave way to a larger facility in on 5th Street in Queensgate, which was originally operated by the Herman Leckman Brewing Company. The Queensgate site dated to 1860.

2

In 1946, Hudepohl constructed a new brewery along Sixth Street to replace its aging facilities. It was designed by Felsberg & Gillepsie Architects. Several decades later, in 1982, Hudepohl purchased the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, one of the nation's largest. Four years later, Hudepohl merged with the Schoenling Brewing Company to form Hudepohl-Schoenling.

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Schoenling Brewing had opened on Central Avenue in 1933. The brewery at 1625 Central Parkway was constructed by the Schoenling and Lichtendahl families for their respective breweries.

In 1987, Hudepohl-Schoenling closed Hudepohl's brewery at Sixth Street in favor of expanding the Central Parkway location. The iconic plant, located in the Queensgate district, featured a 170-foot smokestack bearing Hudepohl's name.

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Since then, Hudepohl-Schoenling sold their Central Parkway location to Samuel Adams. I know that some in Cincinnati sincerely regret this, and will disavow any Samuel Adams products, but there is a bit of local ties in with this. Heading the purchase of the Central Parkway brewery was Boston Beer President Jim Koch, a Cincinnati native whose father in 1946 was a brewing apprentice for Hudepohl, and whose recipe for Samuel Adams Boston Lager came from Cincinnati. The recipe for the Boston Lager belonged originally to Koch's great great grandfather, who made it in a brewery in St. Louis and called it Louis Koch Lager. The recipe was discovered in 1983 in an attic at the Indian Hill residence of Koch's father when the younger Koch came home for Christmas.

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Hudepohl later exited the beer industry and focused on the Tradewinds Beverage Company, selling iced teas and juices.

In 2002, the original home of Hudepohl along 6th Street, was sold at a sheriff's sale to Pete Bigelow, part of a group of investors known as the Keene Group. They began looking for a developer for possible conversion into offices and loft apartments. After not being able to obtain financing for the project, the property was sold in October 2004 to Hudepohl Square.

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Hudepohl Square announced intentions to restore the site into a mixed-use office, light industrial and residential complex, and selective demolition began on the property soon after. To generate buzz for the project, Hudepohl Square listed the building's 17-story smokestack up for auction on eBay, but it drew no offers.

Plans for the redevelopment were put on hold by the proposed rerouting of Interstate 75 in conjunction with the replacement of the Brent Spence Bridge.

In January 2007, the deteriorated condition of the Hudepohl brewery drew the ire of the Buildings and Inspections Department, who condemned the complex, stating that it was in "a partial state of demolition and excessive deterioration." It has sat in this condition since.

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Goodbye!

You can find more history and photographs at my article on Abandoned.