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EsseXploreR
Location: New Jersey Gender: Male Total Likes: 1172 likes
| | | | The 2019 Demolition Thread < on 11/21/2019 2:24 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | I meant to get started on this way earlier in the year, but better late than never. Every year we lose more and more historic buildings, and as explorers we are often the only ones who take the time to document these structures. I would like this thread to serve as a collective epitaph for buildings lost in 2019. Mookster mentioned something like this a while ago and I figured I would run with it and see where it goes. I've intentionally left out buildings that are being renovated, and just in case demo should stall I also didn't include large projects that have just begun. I encourage anyone else who lost something significant this year to jump in, and if anyone else has more photos of something I mentioned I would love to see them. Doctors Hospital; Perry Heights, Ohio This small modern medical center didn't have too much to offer aside from the small mortuary room which was surprisingly cool. Before closing the morgue was used by Stark County. We visited a few months before the hospital was abruptly demolished. Doctors Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: https://www.whbc.c...-doctors-hospital/ Muhlenburg Hospital; Plainfield, New Jersey I wrote a pretty extensive post about Muhlenburg after driving by and seeing it decimated. That post can be found here: http://www.uer.ca/...=1&threadid=129987 Westboro Hospital; Westborough, Massachusetts This was one of those staple New England asylums that I felt would never go away. I visited the place many times over the last few years, usually with nothing more than a cup of coffee in my hand. Now that the complex is gone I seriously regret not taking more photos of the place. Thankfully many others did, so there's no shortage of great pictures of the old asylum. Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Westboro State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital; Worcester, Massachusetts Not far from Westborough is the old Worcester State Hospital complex. Most know it for the gorgeous former Kirkbride Building that used to stand on the grounds. It also had a massive modern building for criminally insane patients which sat abandoned for the better part of a decade. The 380,000 square foot building was demolished to make room for a biomanufacturing facility. Criminal State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Worcester State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: https://www.telegr...%3ftemplate=ampart The Cenecle; Mount Kisco, New York Built for showman Billy Rose in 1928, this beautiful former mansion was converted into a monastery retreat home before being shuttered several years ago. The estate was valued at $29.5 million in 2015. It was demolished between June and July. Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Rose Hill Mansion/ The Cenacle Retreat House by EXR, on Flickr Clairmont; Villanova, Pennsylvania Horace Trumbaur designed this former estate for the Clothier family, who were wealthy department store magnates. It was used for years as an islamic center before being demolished to make way for a school. Clairmont Manor by EXR, on Flickr Mosque Mansion by EXR, on Flickr Clairmont Manor by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: http://www.mainlin...-6bb6ea62fab7.html Mt Carmel Church; Worcester, Massachusetts
A classic basillica style roman catholic church built in 1929. The demolition of this beautiful structure wrapped up in September. Church of the Basics by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: https://www.telegr...%3ftemplate=ampart Our Lady Help of Christians Church; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania This old domed landmark stood tall in the Larimer neighborhood for 113 years. A photo showed up on Discord a few weeks ago that showed only the front doors of the building were still there. Behind them was a pile of rubble. Orthodox Church by EXR, on Flickr St Marks Church; Rahway, New Jersey This small former Roman Catholic church had been vacant since 2010. It was built in 1885 and was leveled in April St. Marks Church by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: http://www.rahwayr...ilding-demolished/ Cromby Generating Station; Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Exelon company declared in 2009 that they intended to retire the Cromby Generating Station. While everybody ran train on Philadelphia's Delaware and Richmond generating stations, Cromby sat silently and saw few visitors by comparison over the last decade. Demolition was swift and the grounds are now mostly bare. Cromby Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Brayton Point Generating Station; Somerset, Massachusetts The first time I ever saw Brayton in person it was belching out massive clouds of steam. I said to my co-pilot "damn, imagine that thing gets shut down?". Well, a few months later it did. The massive facility only sat idle for a little over a year before demolition started. We barely got to scrape the surface of this one. After a 4 hour drive from NJ last year we got to the plant as the sun was rising. We proceeded anyway and made it inside the building just as light was filling the property. After finding the turbines we began to see light and hear very deliberate loud talking from inside the plant with us. It became clear that these were not fellow explorers, so we made a hasty, quiet exit. We didnt have a chance to visit again before demolition began. Brayton Point Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Brayton Point Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Brayton Point Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Sunbury Generating Station; Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania Sunbury was one of the most unique generating stations I've had the pleasure of visiting. A new power plant was built alongside the old building in 2014 and the old coal burning units sat disused ever since. One day earlier in this year we drove past and saw the turbine hall was mostly gone. Demolition took months, and at the time I'm writing this only a small section of boilerhouse remains. Sunbury Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Moonrise Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Crawford Generating Station; Chicago, Illinois This Little Village landmark came crashing down over the course of several months. The beautiful turbine hall was massive, and lined with white glazed tile. The building also had many other interesting spaces that I didn't photograph. As usual I got carried away admiring the place and forgot to document most of it. Thankfully a few others were able to. Sunflower Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr Girard Theater; Philadlephia, Pennsylvania The Girard Theater was designed by John Bailey McElfatrick, who was a significant North American theater architect. While his son's masterpiece on Broad Street (the Metropolitan Opera House) was lovingly restored the Girard was destroyed. It will be replaced by some hideous residential building. We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the building twice. The first was in 2017 after we had been bugging the owner for weeks. He operated a grocery store out of the first floor. A false ceiling was constructed below the balcony level, leaving everything above abandoned for decades. We drove by one day recently and saw the entire lobby building was demolished and the auditorium was standing alone among a pile of rubble. A few weeks later the building was entirely razed. The Liberty Theater by EXR, on Flickr Girard Theater by EXR, on Flickr Summit Resort; Tannersville, Pennsylvania This legendary Pocono Honeymoon resort was a popular place for urban explorers to visit. Over the years the buildings fell into disrepair as a result of neglect and vandalism. Demolition work quietly started in November. Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartlands Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr Riegel Paper Mill; Milford, New Jersey This massive historic mill has been being dismantled for years now. The complex made the news last year when a teenager fell to her death from the chimney. Demolition has mostly wrapped up. Riegal Paper Mill by EXR, on Flickr Riegal Paper Mill by EXR, on Flickr Riegal Paper Mill by EXR, on Flickr Riegal Paper Mill by EXR, on Flickr Further reading: https://www.nj.com...es-demolition.html
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| uLiveAndYouBurn
Location: Beyond Total Likes: 851 likes
Anarchocommunist
| | | Re: The 2019 Demolition Thread < Reply # 8 on 11/21/2019 8:55 PM > | Reply with Quote
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| "Aint nothin' to it but to do it" |
| mookster
Location: Oxford, UK Gender: Male Total Likes: 2377 likes
| | | Re: The 2019 Demolition Thread < Reply # 13 on 11/22/2019 4:32 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Great idea for a thread - although I can't remember the exact conversation we had! 2019 has been a bad year for losing stuff in the UK, a lot of the old favourites have now vanished and others are edging closer to their fate be it renovation/demolition or whatever. It's a struggle for me to sometimes keep up with what happens over here, most of the time I just hear things on the grapevine so out of the places I've visited over the years I'm gonna try and remember the ones I visited that I know have gone in 2019! Perhaps the easiest one that comes to mind is La Porte Earthworks, Redhill, more commonly known by it's alternate name Fullers Earth (after the product they quarried). The hulking former factory produced cat litter from the special red 'Fullers Earth' quarried from the site next door until the company closed the plant in the late 1990s. Parts of it were stripped out and demolished a couple of years back, and total demolition happened early this year. It was one of my first explores a decade ago and hung on getting more and more bashed and battered until it finally gave up the fight. I was lucky enough to go back last year and have one last visit for old times sake. Hartford Mill, Oldham Oldham was a centre of textile production in the UK, a former cotton mill city with handsome brick mills dotting it's skyline. Hartford Mill closed in the 1990s and was a blot on the landscape ever since, while other structures were converted and reused Hartford sat there decaying, a real death trap. Demolition started a few months ago and is around halfway there. George Barnsley's Cornish Works, Sheffield George Barnsley's was one of the most well known, well loved explores in the UK for numerous years - and for good reason, it was one of the best industrial explores the country had seen for a long time. It was a perfect encapsulation of decay and a bygone era of the UK's steel city - George Barnsley's was a specialist file and tool manufacturer for the shoe industry. Stripping out began at the beginning of the year and now it sits waiting for conversion. St. Paul's Church, Denholme For once this is a story with a happy ending, the long-derelict church is now undergoing a conversion into a residential property. Fison's Fertiliser Factory, Ipswich Oh how this one stung. The Fison's plant was the world's first fertiliser factory, constructed entirely from wood and iron. It was an absolutely beautiful building until one night in August some total fuckheads decided to burn it down, with the structure being completely destroyed. Royal Victoria Hospital, Folkestone Another surprise redevelopment. The hospital was constructed in 1846, and operated under various names but was known as the Royal Victoria Hospital from 1910 until it's part closure in 2009. Half the hospital remained in use however half of the site remained abandoned until redevelopment began this year. Besselsleigh School/Parklands Campus, Oxford A very local one to me, and I believe I was the only person to actually get inside. The school closed down in the late 00s and it was then reopened by a charity organisation as a school/training centre. It was covered in cameras both inside and out and so my visit was a pretty sketchy affair, which ended abruptly when a loudspeaker installed next to one of the internal cameras crackled into life and told us to GTFO - no recorded voice either, it was an actual live human speaking to us. It is currently being converted into apartments. The Showboat Building, Maidenhead Another fairly local one to me - The Showboat was an art deco leisure attraction along the old Reading to London road prior to the introduction of motorways. When it opened it featured a large ballroom, outdoor pool and all sorts of other activities attractive to the passing motorist. During the Second World War it was commandeered and it went from being a public attraction to a secret factory manufacturing parts for Spitfire planes, and after the war it remained in industrial use, it's final occupier was a craft supplier. When the use changed the outdoor pool was concreted over and built on, and very little of it's original beautiful Art Deco design remained however there were still some hints as to it's past glory. It was demolished at the start of the year. Alcan High Duty Alloy Extrusions, Lillyhall A huge former aluminium plant, which manufactured parts for the aerospace industry (including Concorde) since it was built in the 1940s. It closed down in 2007 and demolition work got underway in the springtime. The large manufacturing halls were all completely empty but the gem here were the labs and offices, full of beautiful decay if you could look past how battered it was. Last but not least, probably the biggest loss this year was Beehive Spinning Co., or simply Beehive Mills, Bolton. The enormous Victorian cotton mill complex stopped manufacturing textiles many many years ago and in later life was used as a furniture company's distribution centre. A couple of years back they left the premises and an application was made to demolish the entire structure, despite it being a Grade II listed (protected) building. The local council shamefully approved the demolition which was carried out in the springtime, despite the mill being an absolutely perfect candidate for conversion into apartments with construction of the shitty box homes behind it. Now you'd never even know this majestic, beautiful building was there. I think thats about it - of course there are other places lost this year I didn't visit, it was a tough year for sure.
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| Cfourexplore
Location: North Carolina Gender: Male Total Likes: 583 likes
Never a dull moment in Midworld.
| | | Re: The 2019 Demolition Thread < Reply # 16 on 11/23/2019 5:08 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | As promised, here are some pics from Doctor's Hospital...I was able to explore some of it in October of '18, and headed back for a second, more thorough explore a couple weeks later (which ended up being on Halloween). These are a few of my favorites from both trips. 1. Always nice to find an encouraging message upon entering (and a wheelchair!) 2. I think this was in the ER... 3. The cafeteria. 4. Not sure what this was...incubator, maybe? 5. The morgue! 6. 7. This walk-in freezer was obviously used for overflow bodies...the leftover note was darkly amusing... 8. 9. Inside the nursery. 10. Labor room scrub sinks...aside from the crap on the floor, this area was surprisingly clean, and suffered little vandalism. 11. Another cool surprise I found...labor room 1. On that whiteboard someone had written "deliver us from evil". Most signs of vandalism I found in the hospital were restricted to the many white/chalkboards throughout. 12. 13. The one patient room I found that had a bed in it. 14. 15. Thanks for looking...sad to know this site, and all these others are gone. I like Aran's idea for a dedicated Demolished/R.I.P. thread; maybe something like our "In Memoriam" thread for those explorers we've lost. Thank you Essex, for this thread, and thanks to all who are contributing...and condolences as well.
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