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The San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper that primarily serves the San Francisco Bay Area.
It was founded in 1865 as "The Daily Dramatic Chronicle" by two teenage brothers, Charles and Michael de Young.
The paper benefitted from the growth of San Francisco and was the largest circulation newspaper on the West Coast by 1880.
It has experienced a rapid fall in circulation in the early 21st century, and was ranked 24th by circulation nationally for the six months to March 2010.
This plant was opened in 1982 and was the last to close of the three printing plants that the paper had operated earlier this decade
200 union workers lost their jobs due to the plant's closure.
Paper signs were taped beside the front entrance, telling workers to turn in their badges to security.
Chronicle pressroom workers were given generous severance payments
with most of them receiving two weeks pay for every year of service with the newspaper.
July 4th 2009's paper marked the last planned run on the Union City presses.
"Stop the presses" was announced for the final time and the machines, at last,
ground to a halt....forever.
I would like to thank "Insainly Sound" for sending us here a year ago.
We kept an eye on it like the dutiful lackeys we are  and once we visited a few times & met the resident scrapper (disguised as a construction worker), we decided it was safe enough for a larger group.
"May the 4th be with you" turned up a group of 12.
We visited this location first and spent a good 3 hours there.
It was fun running into each other in the pitch black areas and seeing random flashlights everywhere.
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A San Diego-based investor just bought the abandoned property with plans to build a new 300,000-square-foot facility. They plan to tear down the 163,221-square-foot plant to make room for a manufacturing and distribution building on the 16.5-acre property.
This is a "now or never" situation.
Within the last week, they have added porta-potties and on Monday the 5th, there were worker trucks onsite so night time/Sunday explores are recommended from this point on.
We had a blast and I want to thank every one of you that came out!
Everyone else, thanks for reading 
(lotsa cell pics from multiple trips)
The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us?
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Badass. I love the window walkway.
[last edit 5/6/2014 5:31 AM by Phobia - edited 1 times]
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Whoa! That's some impressive stuff--sad I missed it. Thanks for the writeup!
#13 is great!
For some completely random info, Michael de Young is the namesake of the de Young Museum in SF. At one point, he was shot by irate businessman Adolph Spreckels, but survives. Spreckels' wife Alma (who is Victory on that column in Union Square) later creates the other big art museum in SF, the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
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A huge thanks to B&C for sharing this dope location with the rest of us. Even with 12 of us inside the place was large enough that there were times when it was so quiet that it seemed as though everyone must have left. I can see how it could easily take 2 or 3 trips to really explore the whole place. Hope it survives long enough for a few others to take a look.
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Damn I always wondered about this place I work less than 5 minutes away. Interesting timing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/510ue/
https://www.facebook.com/FFPUrbex |
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Posted by partime wanderer
A huge thanks to B&C for sharing this dope location with the rest of us. Even with 12 of us inside the place was large enough that there were times when it was so quiet that it seemed as though everyone must have left. I can see how it could easily take 2 or 3 trips to really explore the whole place. Hope it survives long enough for a few others to take a look.
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Thanks partime! It was a pleasure meeting you again! So much fun!
phobia, Clostridium, and Evilbunny
Thanks guys, and that's an interesting bit of trivia on the de Young guy.
I figured he was connected to the museum but didn't know the rest.
Bunny....you should check it out one night after work!
The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us?
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So this is the post you alluded to, B&C. This is fantastic. The place is in near-pristine condition, and you've done a wonderful job of capturing it from some great angles.
From what you say, it sounds like this place is coming down pretty soon. That's a shame. I don't think I'll be able to come back up to SF before it vanishes. But it was a pleasure visiting the place vicariously.
[last edit 5/7/2014 5:04 AM by SurlySilverback - edited 1 times]
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Thanks so much for the tour you guys! I had lotsa fun!
www.flickr.com/photos/brokenobelisk |
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I'll be revisiting this place Saturday as well as a couple of other places. If anyone is interested in tagging along feel free to message me.
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Posted by SurlySilverback
So this is the post you alluded to, B&C. This is fantastic. The place is in near-pristine condition, and you've done a wonderful job of capturing it from some great angles.
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Thanks Surly and yeah this is what I mentioned to you.
Very pristine and lots left behind.
Next time you're up this way let us know!
Zorak……it was our pleasure
The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us?
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HOLY MCCrap that was fun to see from this distance. Several years ago I was leaving a town that had the paper DIE, and I was edging around but didn't find it safe enuf yet, and never made it. This looks like a glorious romp, and everyone of you deserves a night of all out crazy sex for it.
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FUCK YEAH!
56 FYW!
[last edit 5/8/2014 1:42 AM by cdevon - edited 1 times]
When I say I'm 'clean and sober', it means I've showered and I'm headed to the liquor store. |
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awesome. #53 is weird and great.
[last edit 5/8/2014 2:30 AM by General Zod - edited 1 times]
Rise before Zod
Kneel before Zod
www.mycophagia.com |
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That was the sickness. Every second. Thanks insain/b&c, good stuff.
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this is awesome! So cool! But whats the deal with the watermark on some photos and then not on others? Just seems kinda odd to me.
My Blog; https://historyindecay.blogspot.com/ |
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Posted by denvereen
HOLY MCCrap that was fun to see from this distance. Several years ago I was leaving a town that had the paper DIE, and I was edging around but didn't find it safe enuf yet, and never made it. This looks like a glorious romp, and everyone of you deserves a night of all out crazy sex for it.
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Thx Denvereen....we actually had a huge orgy afterwards!
CDevon love the enthusiasm! Thanks
General Zod Thanks and yeah I rolled around in those for fun til I realized they were dirty filters hahaha!
Yuichi The pleasure was all ours! You're our fave exploring pal! Road dawgs 4lyfe!
Skye Thx! The watermark is from an app....you would have HATED this place. There was a ROOF!!!!!
The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us?
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A few hooligans and I ran into some other hooligans out here. The place is pretty big but hard to photograph, not much light at all.
#1
#2
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Lol that wooden ladder. All bad.
Did you guys open the roll ups?
We found those offices last when viewing that room from the roof and noticing a drinking fountain mounted on the wall 12 feet up.
The question is not when are we gonna stop, It's who's gonna stop us?
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Posted by bonnie&clyde
a drinking fountain mounted on the wall 12 feet up.
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wtf
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Went around last Sunday with Evilbunny. Probably ran into the resident scrapper (heard him around) and spent way too much time hiding/avoiding him; think he avoided us as well.
Didn't get any really good shots; Boosted wasn't kidding about it being dark in there and both of us were too paranoid to use tripods.
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Thanks again B&C!
Sorry I missed your meet Urbanbuck.
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