d e s o l a t e | m e t r o p o l i s: Miscellaneous Archives

Abandonment Ξ Miscellaneous

6th Precinct

The 6th precinct was a small police station on the edge of where the Detroit riots took place.

Arnold Home

An abandoned convalescent home.

Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects

These Brush Park housing projects were home to many notable people including Diana Ross and Smokey Robinson. They were also the inspiration for the claymation series "The PJ's". I had my reservations about visiting the Brewster projects and the drive through the neighborhood up to them did little to allay my fears.

Brooklyn Subway Tunnel

The tunnel was built in 1844 and rediscovered in 1980 by Bob Diamond, pictured here in the orange vest leading one of the tours. According to Bob, the tunnel was the subject of many rumors and urban legends over the years, and pretty much everyone had disregarded it's existence as a fairy tale.

Calf Pasture Pumping Station

Constructed in 1883 this Romanesque style pumping station is one of the more ornate public works buildings I have come across. The station pumped raw sewage out of Boston neighborhoods and into storage tanks on Moon island, where it was released into the ocean. The pumping station was in operation until the opening of the Deer Island sewage treatment plant in 1968.

Clinton Train Tunnel

An abandoned train tunnel in western Massachusetts.

Eastern State Penitentiary

Opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary is a prison in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. The prison ceased operations in 1971 and sat abandoned until it was converted into a tourist attraction in 1994. The prison was, debatably, the first penitentiary in the world and the revolutionary design served as a blueprint for many other prisons around the world.

Lincoln Park

This abandoned Southern Massachusetts amusement park has seen better days. The wooden roller coaster still offers compelling photo opportunities for those who venture there.

Paradise City

This dirty Philly squat's main hazard was poop on the floor...

Philadelphia Apartment Building

This empty apartment building turned out to hold some special memories for an exploring buddy of mine. He actually met his wife in this building, many years before I got to visit.

Pleasure Beach

Pleasure Beach is an abandoned neighborhood of former summer homes. The only bridge to the area was set alight by arsonists in the late 90's, leaving the area stranded by 2 1/2 miles of beach. The residents of the area waged a valiant legal fight to try to hang on to their property, but were ultimately unsuccessful.