I thought I'd get this going, I know last year EsseXplorer put this up but I'm jumping the gun a bit! I know there are some notable places in the States which were demolished or otherwise destroyed this year so hopefully people can add photos and memories of them in here.

2020 has been a pretty awful year for a lot of reasons, and the terribleness that was 2020 also extended to the loss of a great many sites in the UK. Given how disrupted the year has been you'd have thought many demolition projects would have been put on hold but it doesn't appear to have worked out like that. Many of the places that have now been consigned to the memory books were classic places that had been around for years and were also much loved, which is another sting in the tail too.

Perhaps the biggest loss this year was Cwm Coke, in the town of Beddau in South Wales. The cokeworks was the last of it's kind in the country, it produced low sulphur coke for the nearby steelworks and closed in 2002. It was up there with the most famous and well-loved derelict industrial sites in the UK, and over the years had varying levels of security from apparently non-existent when I went, to full on dogs running around freely with aggressive guards. It's a very sad loss indeed, I only went the one time in 2014 and wished I could have made it back.







Probably the second biggest loss this year, and certainly the biggest loss if we're on about the size of the site, was RAF Upwood. The base closed in the 1990s and was used as an airsoft venue for many years, before they left and the site was abandoned. The modern medical centre building was torn down in 2015, and houses had begun to be built on that part last year, but suddenly this year the rest of the site began to be worked on and is now almost entirely demolished. It was always a walk in, a great place to take newbies as it was a sprawling site with buildings, bunkers, a large water tower, and up until a few years ago a pair of tanks. The buildings were empty shells but it always made for decent photos.










QinetiQ Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern

Another big loss, this place was only on 'the scene' for a year or so before being torn down. The defence research site was previously used for radar development, and featured an entirely complete mock-up control bunker for training purposes as well as many other labs and other buildings. The fact it was sat next to a still active defence research site which heavily overlooked it meant not many people went there!









Staines Tinware Manufacturing Co., Staines

I was very very sad to see this place being cleared out, it closed in 1994 and laid virtually untouched for 25 years. One of the most amazing industrial time capsules I've seen in the UK.







Davro Iron & Steel Co. Ltd, Bridgnorth

Davro was a steel stockholding company, I visited their former premises last year, and it was demolished early this year. The site featured the remains of an old service station and house out front which was rammed full of their old paperwork and records.









Dobroyd Mill, Jackson Bridge

Dobroyd Mill was a very widely regarded mill, and, back when I did it, very difficult to navigate due to there being active parts scattered among the disused areas. The top floor contained a huge room full of dismantled cloth mill machinery which was removed at a later date, the other businesses then left and the mill went to ruin, being demolished back in the summer.







Sir Gilbert Claughton School, Dudley

Well known for 'that' unique feature in the atrium, the school was sadly gutted by a huge fire back in the summer.





Standish Hospital, Stonehouse

One of my favourite hospitals I've ever visited. I paid my first visits back in 2012 when the majority of it was done up tight, alarmed, and had live-in security. At the end of 2019 the alarms were cut, and at the start of 2020 demolition began. Luckily the four oldest buildings are being retained in the development.









Thames Valley University, Slough

Slough is not a nice place to visit, which made the discovery of this place right slap bang in the middle of the town a real shock back in 2018. I think the fact it had an active school attached to part of it put people off!









Silverlands Orphanage, Chertsey

Another exploring mainstay in the UK, although this one has a happy ending. After two decades of abandonment and decay, and security that ranged from absolute fortress full of alarms to totally absent for periods of time, the stunning former orphanage is finally being restored. Renovations began back in the summer, and it'll be converted into many very posh apartments.







There were also some 'lesser' sites that were lost, which may not be as interesting but all are losses to the community and history.

Kettering Town Football Club



Beacon Waste Incinerator, Malvern



Newport Towers Hotel - no great loss, it was a dump and I actually smiled when it was burned down.



Flexlands School, Chobham



Bradfield Water Treatment Works



Hartford Mill, Oldham - another exploring mainstay for many many years.



St. Peter's Hospital, Chertsey - the awful mortuary was demolished first, followed by the rest of the abandoned buildings.





RAF Coningsby Weapons Store - converted into some sort of food production site!





Longlands School, Stourbridge



Cox & Wyman Printworks, Reading - latterly occupied by a stage set dismantling company.





Apologies for the long read, there was a lot to get through this year sadly. The floor is now yours, feel free to add places you know have been demolished or are in some other way not explorable any longer...

Ouch, you folks really saw a lot of destruction this year in the UK. Thanks for kicking things off Mooks. Lets see what happened in the US.

As always, I will not be including anything in the very early stages of demolition as we have all seen countless demolition and rehabilitation projects stall.

1. Allentown State Hospital (Allentown, PA)

Have ya heard? The shuttered Allentown hospital was abruptly demolished after sitting for years with full heat and power. For those who remember the Greystone demolition, this was very similar. In fact, the same politically connected demolition company got the demolition bid. Strange coincidence, no? The place sat for years with very few people visiting, due to the fact that a lot of interior doorways and stairwells were sealed, which is fairly common of closed PA state hospital buildings. We first visited a few years ago, before the insta trash crowd caught on and turned the place into an absolute joke. Of course, they did eventually, and now the place is entirely gone.

Allentown State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr

Loch State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr

Allentown State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr

20180818_162951 by EXR, on Flickr

Allentown State Hospital by EXR, on Flickr

2. Torrance State Hospital (Blairsville, PA)

This is a name I'm sure a lot of folks don't recognize. This large former state hospital campus has had many abandoned buildings over the years. They've been slowly removed one by one, but this year the final two fully abandoned building on the campus were demolished. There is only one partially abandoned building left in which the auditorium is fully active. There is also a prison behind that building, and a campus security guard who was quite honestly a rude prick.

2017-04-18_12.35.25 by EXR, on Flickr


3. Mercer Generating Station (Trenton, NJ)
Demolition began on Mercer in 2019, but it was still way too early for me to include it in the thread. People continued to sneak in all throughout the demolition process, but the building is now in an advanced state of deconstruction.

Clean Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr

20180422_091200 by EXR, on Flickr


4. Hudson Generating Station (Jersey City, NJ)

This was a sister station to Mercer, shut down at the same time in 2017. It was also demolished this year. I only got inside once, just a few weeks after it was shuttered. There was still a skeleton crew and coal pile on site, which was pretty neat. There was no turbine hall, rather the units were on a platform outside the boiler house. Unfortunately I forgot my memory cards at home, so I only took a few quick cell phone shots. I did borrow a camera from one of my cohorts but the photos were no doubt awful so I never really followed up on getting them.

Soft Step Generating Station by EXR, on Flickr

5. Reisman & Knoll Pharmaceuticals (Orange, NJ)

This small pharma company had a long local history and a building with an iconic copula which many locals may remember seeing from Rt 280 westbound. The complex was quietly demolished in September.

Reisman and Knoll/Lycored by EXR, on Flickr

Reisman and Knoll/Lycored by EXR, on Flickr

Reisman and Knoll/Lycored by EXR, on Flickr

I'm sure I must be forgetting a handful, I'll update as I remember more.

Leave it to my dumbass self to forget something I just posted about on Instagram a few days ago... as well as a half dozen other things. Ah well, here we go again.


6. Our Lady Of Pity (Bronx, NY)


The OLOP Church has been empty for ages. I'll never forget dressing up as a construction worker to blend into the busy scene on the street for this one. I was recovering from surgery, and needed to take my time and get into the structure without much effort. I'm glad we went when we did, as not many people had an opportunity to visit this one.

Our Lady of Pity by EXR, on Flickr


7. St. Matthews Lutheran/Victory Baptist Church (Bronx, NY)


This other rarely visited church was just a few blocks from Pity church. It was actually the first spot I did after surgery, so I'm really glad we didn't have any issues with the police. Especially since the building was essentially an island amongst a sea of NYPD cars which filled the parking lot that wrapped around the structure. I only have one NYC source that cites the building being demolished, but it doesn't surprise me since the structure was a wreck.

Broken Windows Church by EXR, on Flickr


8. Arthur Brisbane State Hospital (Wall, NJ)


This small complex was a state operated children's psychiatric center. It was off the radar for a long time, a complete and pleasant surprise for me back in 2015 when I first stumbled upon it. Over the years vandalism picked up, and earlier this year a fire completely decimated the main building, which was the only historically significant structure on the campus. The building was leveled after the fire.

Central State Children's Sanitarium by EXR, on Flickr

Central State Children's Sanitarium by EXR, on Flickr

Central State Children's Sanitarium by EXR, on Flickr

Central State Children's Sanitarium by EXR, on Flickr


9. Randall School (Washington, D.C.)


This school is part of an ongoing renovation project. The non historic wings were demolished earlier this year, while the historic portions of the school are set to be reincorporated into a residential conversion.

Capitol High School by EXR, on Flickr

Capitol High School by EXR, on Flickr

Capitol High School by EXR, on Flickr


10. Summit Resort (Tannersville, PA)


The classic Pocono Mountain honeymoon resort, complete with heart shaped tubs, beds, and even a heart shaped bar. Many drivers likely remember the billboard advertisement along Rt. 80. I was able to visit once back in 2016, when I was on a real resort kick. The main structure was leveled earlier this year, while the cabins continue to be taken down.

Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr

Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr

Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr

Heartland Resort by EXR, on Flickr

Heartlands Resort by EXR, on Flickr


11. Baker Funeral Home (Philadelphia, PA)


If I could describe this location in a concise phrase, it would be "fuck this place". I've never felt so uneasy in a location. I'm not afraid of paranormal stuff, but this place had the absolute worst vibes I've ever experienced. I don't know what it was. I went here a half dozen times (my girlfriend loved it) with a bunch of different people and I never felt right about it. It might be because there were hundreds of unclaimed cremated remains inside, but I didn't know that at the time. The building was demolished fairly early on this year.

Baker Funeral Home by EXR, on Flickr

Baker Funeral Home by EXR, on Flickr

Figured I'd join in on this thread also.

12. Inota Generating Station aka Blade Runner 2049 plant, Hungary. Sections of this plant were used in the movie. Luckily I got here just in time in 2019 since I had heard of a slow demolition process going on in 2020. I'm sure by now most of, if not the entire plant is probably gone.

Blade Runner 2049 by P1aid, on Flickr

Blade Runner 2049 by P1aid, on Flickr


13. Mercer Generating Station, Trenton, NJ. As EsseXplorer said, this place was finally demolished unfortunately. Luckily I managed to get in there while the control room was still set up and full of power/equipment.

Mercer Generating Station by P1aid, on Flickr

Mercer Generating Station by P1aid, on Flickr


14. Hudson Generating Station, Jersey City, NJ. As EsseXplorer said once again, this place was finally demolished in 2020. The work crews apparently did not warn any residents nearby about the planned demolition which took place at 5:30AM. Myself and EsseXplorer managed to get here less than a month after it closed I believe.

Hudson Generating Station by P1aid, on Flickr

Hudson Generating Station by P1aid, on Flickr


15. Baker Funeral Home, Philadelphia, PA. In 2019, Philadelphia Police investigated dozens of boxes of cremated remains left behind at this funeral home. I'm assuming the remains were removed and the place was eventually demolished.

Baker Funeral Home by P1aid, on Flickr

Baker Funeral Home by P1aid, on Flickr


16. Austin State Hospital, Austin, Texas. All of the vacant buildings have either been demolished or repurposed for a college I believe.

Austin State Hospital by P1aid, on Flickr

Austin State Hospital by P1aid, on Flickr


17. Neptune Bath House, Romania. This place is in the process of being renovated by a crew of several people. If you want to watch the process, check it out on IG. @Herculaneproject or herculaneproject.co

Neptune Bath House by P1aid, on Flickr

Neptune Bath House by P1aid, on Flickr


18. Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria. Another location in Eastern Europe that is finally being renovated. After taking a taxi across the border from Romania into Bulgaria, I managed to find someone who spoke English and rent a car. After driving all the way to the monument, I was unable to get inside due to a police officer stationed there 24/7 now to watch over the renovation process. Best part was when I almost couldn't find a taxi to take me back into Romania, but Bulgarian Mr. Bean came through. If you would like to follow the process, check it out on IG. @buzludzha.project

Buzludzha Monument by P1aid, on Flickr


19. Bus depot, Belgium. I had heard that all the buses were removed sometime during 2020 for whatever reason.

Bus depot by P1aid, on Flickr

Bus depot by P1aid, on Flickr


I believe that's all I have for now but I could be missing one or two. I recently did a generating station south of here that is currently being demolished, but it's in the early stages. That will be posted once demo is further along.

20. Summit Resort, Tannersville, PA. Main building demolished 2020. Was able to get here one time in either 2006 or 2007. Managed to find a way into the main building, but quickly stumbled into a small office with full power and noticed a very working alarm panel which luckily wasn't armed. It appeared as if somebody just stepped out to lunch so I didn't hang around very long.

Resort by P1aid, on Flickr

Oh man all of this makes me sad, especially Allentown.

I still can't believe how lucky we got at Torrance that day, the rude security man must have been off for Easter or something!

Sad to see so many great sites go...here's my contributions...the first is a site near and dear to me, as it was one of the first places I explored when I first started getting into this hobby.
While the place was tagged and rather trashed, as well as lived in, it was a neat building with lots to see throughout.

The Williams Building, part of the Bull Street community in Columbia, SC, was built in 1938; designed by architect Robert Mills. This hospital was used primarily for patients suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, as a rehab and recovery center. I don't know what year it closed (guessing mid to late 2000's), but demolition began around the first of this [wretched] year.

From my first explore, in 2018:
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12. This building obviously hosted police training at one point.


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20. View from the rooftop. Unfortunately, the cupola of the nearby well known building suffered its own terrible fate this last September.


21. This was a strange find...


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25. In February 2020, I arrived to find demolition had begun. I couldn't resist one final explore.


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33. By mid summer, this was all that was left. I haven't been back since, but I'm assuming it's all gone now.


34. Goodbye, Williams...Rest in Peace.


And of course, Allentown. A day late and a dollar short, I arrived in early December to find demolition had taken most of this place. But after finding safe parking and making an arduous hike, I found access to what remained of this gorgeous hospital.
Unfortunately, once I got in and started shooting, I noticed 2 police (or security) vehicles out front. I don't know if they knew I was there, or if it was just a random patrol...but I decided it would be best to GTFO; so I'm staying in denial and assuming they were aware of an intruder, and that leaving quickly had been my best option.
Anyway, here are the few pics I managed to get...

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*Edited to add captioning (my computer was being an ass)

Here's a clip I shot in 2020.
Chimney fall starts halfway through the 2 minute long video.

Two more things I forgot...

The last remaining derelict part of West Park Hospital was quietly demolished recently. West Park was one of the all-time great abandoned asylums in the UK up until demolition and conversion began in 2010, after the majority of the site was converted there were a handful of small derelict parts left - the mortuary and staff social club were demolished some time ago and Scott House, a former rehabilitation centre at the rear of the site, was torn down this year.

It wasn't an 'epic' building by any means but it still retained some of the feeling of the enormous abandoned asylum I spent so many days in during the summer of 2009.







And a happy story - Theatre Jeusette in Liege, Belgium has been completely renovated and is now back open to the public as of 2020. I explored it in 2013, and not long after my visit the place began to go seriously downhill and it ended up totally destroyed by morons. However it has now been totally restored and is once more an operational theatre.

Amazing photos and a great read, thanks!

Cfour, that's a shame about that building at SCSH. I never made it to that structure, I'm really glad you were able to document it so thoroughly. Its also lucky you made it to Allentown when ya did. She went down faaaast.

Great clip of the Hazelwood chimney felling Doug.

And finally I'm glad to see that theater saved Mooks! We've lost so many the last few years, good to see one saved.

This masonic lodge is in the process of being demolished. I shot it about 4 years ago. I regrettably didn't go upstairs into the main hall, the alarm was screaming the entire time we were inside and I couldn't find a quick way up. Another part of the building kept my interest though, and that part isn't being demolished so I'll leave that bit out.

Lodge by EXR, on Flickr

Arson burnt down then demolished.
St Vianney's Home of Compassion.

A couple that I can remember for the moment.


Hueytown Elementary School.

Closed cause of covid, then the city decided it was a perfect time to build a new school and demolish this one. Explored this the weekend before it was demolished.

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr




Grede Casting Co.


Got lucky and explored this a few months before demolition started. Digital Cow ended up knowing the guy who bought this and was doing demolition so we spent a few hours one morning shooting some of the demolition and getting to a few places that had been inaccessible before.


Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Untitled by Abandoned Alabama, on Flickr

Thanks for the contributions folks.

Sheavy, very cool that you were able to get permission for that spot. I wish every building that came down had a couple solid photogs to document it properly.

Chiming in here from Ontario, Canada.

RIP Preston Springs

This 100+ year old hotel had been abandoned since the 1990's, being held by developers since the early 2000's... It was finally torn down (while still holding heritage designation status) after an emergency order on New Years Eve (overriding city council who voted no to demolition and wanted to review the issue in April)

An Injunction was filed, but an hour too late - the demolition company started on the original portion of the building rather than the late 90's addition...


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Posted by Skye_Ann Chiming in here from Ontario, Canada. RIP Preston Springs This 100+ year old hotel had been abandoned since the 1990's, being held by developers since the early 2000's... It was finally torn down (while still holding heritage designation status) after an emergency order on New Years Eve (overriding city council who voted no to demolition and wanted to review the issue in April) An Injunction was filed, but an hour too late - the demolition company started on the original portion of the building rather than the late 90's addition... 1. click to view 2. click to view

Wow..... typical fucking scumbag developers. There is no incentive for them to do the right thing. When Greystone Psych was being demolished we got a judges order for them to temporarily stop demo so the case could be reviewed. They went around and clawed stone of the entire front facade of both wings, effectively dooming the building. Then the judge just shrugged and said there was no other option now. It makes me sick. What happened to punitive fines? What about contempt of court? These large demolition companies have politicians in their back pocket, and nothing is going to change.

Thanks for adding this Skye_Anne, guess I'll take this one off my map.