As I am writing this post, the Carlton Inn in Winnipeg is being torn down. It might even be completely gone by now.
R426 and I explored it about 3 weeks ago at night time. We weren't really expecting to find a way in, so it was a pleasant surprise. I returned the day after like I usually do with the intention of taking daytime pictures. It's so rare to find abandoned buildings with unboarded windows and great natural light... and I hate using my speedlight unless I really have to, besides people on the street would have seen our flashes.
We managed to get inside through a very small window and from there we explored all three stories quickly since all the rooms were very similar. We were hoping that the reception desk, the restaurant or the bar would still be relatively intact and full of stuff, but there wasn't much left. Just little things here and there..like a lot of 9mm and 5.56mm Simmunition casings lying on the floor from a previous law enforcement training...which is a very common occurence in abandoned buildings. Nothing exciting about that.
Something worth mentioning would be my encounter with the demolition crew...Here's what happened: I had been inside the hotel for less than an hour when I heard some noise on the floor below. I could tell at least two persons were inside the building..so I hid in a room while trying to establish their exact location. Eventually, they got to work...on MY floor a few doors down from where I was! They were taking the doors off their hinges...one by one slowly moving towards my room...After what seemed to be a long time, I decided it was time to face the inevitable...so I put on my casual face then got out of the room pretending I was surprised to see them...They didn't seem to care. They were just curious about what I was doing and how I had gotten inside the building. I told them one of the door wasn't locked properly...I asked them if I could stay and take more pictures, and they said yes.
I wish all the encounters I had in the past with demolition crews ended like that!
Room 101...
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I hate grey skies...
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''Beverage room''
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What's left of the kitchen
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The Paragon restaurant
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When the hotel was still in operation:
Here's a very good article about the history of the hotel with a few old pictures:
http://winnipegdow...ton-motor-inn.html 
