When the LIRR upgraded their diesel fleet, they scrapped a lot of cars. Some were sold off intact. Former LIRR diesel coaches turn up in the oddest of places. Just driving down the road and looking out the window in Northern Wisconsin and there sits an ex-LIRR diesel coach along with some other derelict equipment. If you manage to find your way here, bring tick repellent.
Explored Locations
A Long way from the Island RR
By: GasAxe , Posted on July 7, 2011When the LIRR upgraded their diesel fleet, they scrapped a lot of cars. Some were sold off intact. Former LIRR diesel coaches turn up in the oddest of places. Just driving down the road and looking out the window in Northern Wisconsin and there sits an ex-LIRR diesel coach along with some other derelict equipment. If you manage to find your way here, bring tick repellent.
The end of Hope Street
By: Control , Posted on June 28, 2011
For the better part of a decade, at the east end of Hope street, lay an impressively large industrial building that seemed utterly hopeless.
History:
The exact industrial history of this warehouse is, sadly, a bit of a mystery to me at the moment. What we do know is that in the 1980s it was mostly in use as artists lofts and small businesses.
The lofts were, at the time, on the very fringe. A comment via Brownstoner tells the story well:
I am one of the original tenants who moved into Hope Street in 1993 - after the last real estate crash. Kalamon Dolgin, specifically Neil Dolgin couldn't give it away fast enough. He even put in gas jet heaters so I could live there. No one wanted to live there, and I had been living in Williamsburg since 1988, so this was a step up. I had crack addicted prostitutes passed out on my door, There was incredible drug dealing, murders outside my window and where the gallery is on the corner of Hope and Marcy was a luncheonette where the retired guys would gather, there were scads of feral cats, the first pigeons with West Nile started dying on the roof, and also I watched 9/11 and the Twin Towers go down from that roof. A former porn actress who wound up doing business deals with Dolgin (one slut to another I liked to think) lived there with her homicidal boyfriend. We were terrorized by the super, the former gang leader of the neighborhood who stole our packages, forged our checks and occasionally attacked tenants who did not know-tow to him, My floor was 6000 square feet and over the years we had a gallery, sculptors, artists, actors, writers, notable people. We really, really used the space. The temperature in the winter in the uninsulated building would go down to the 40's. We bundled up in sweaters and dealt with it.
Also, this was one of the staging grounds to rewrite the NY City amended loft law, which almost, but did not quite pass though the bill was written and it went all the way up to what was then was Governor Pataki, Joe Bruno and Sheldon Silver, but in the way of horsetrading, our bill was traded away at the last moment. It was a good fight, we lost but had a number of planning meetings there with the bill's lawyers, and rezoning happened and we all got evicted. The water got turned off, electric, you name it. A huge number of the people in that building left NY, not all, but a lot of them. We did not receive a buy out. We did go on rent strike and that helped pay the legal fees.
The guy who bought it for 26 million for Dolgin (it had been the first building in their empire, as Old Man Dolgin let everyone know he had shoveled coal) was a decent sort who lost his shirt. He was a small time developer who got in over his head. I often wonder how it went for him, because obviously he got bankrupted.
The last line of the comment refers to how often the property changed hands in the last 5 years. With so much money vested, won and lost via these various 'developers', it was a given that sooner or later some kind of residential conversion would happen with this property. We'll get to that in a moment.
Aside from being one of Williamburg's early artist loft spaces, this building also made the news when it was repeated tagged up by then-infamous street artist Neckface.For further reading on that fiasco, and how the gangsta building super wanted to kill him for it, check out this CityNoise post - which saved a copy of the NY Daily News article
The hope street warehouse was also home to the "65 hope st. gallery" - which, if you google, returns loads of results for artists who exhibited their work in this space.
On the business side, I was only able to track down one company that resided in this location: Z & L Trading Corp - which apparently was a tannery (!). As one customer commented: "I have used Z & L Trad Corp. 65 Hope street Brooklyn NY 11211 for tanning bears for rugs. I have had good luck with them as long as the bear is well taken care of in the first place."
As a personal footnote, I have vague memories of attending some party in this building while it was still lofts. The fact that I don't quite recall the details probably tells of what a good time this place must have been during the newly gentrified years, before the evictions.
Adventure:
Located on a previously deserted street, this building was always easy to get into. Completely emptied of everything, this building presented itself as one of the few rare utterly boring locations in NYC. Nothing really interesting to photograph, a decent if not predictable view from the rooftop, and little by way of interesting graffiti (outside of some stuff in the basement). The fact that I came and went from this place numerous times over several years without bothering to post about it show how uninspired this place was from a illegal partying/exploring perspective.
Present:
As of my time in writing this, work has finally begun on the residential conversion. The good news is that this majestic old industrial building will not be torn down. The bad news is that it will soon house 117 one bedroom and studio "apartments". It will also only have 11 parking spaces. I guess they are aiming to rent it onto to unshowered, bicycling riding hipsters. The fact that the community board rubber stamped such a short amount of parking for a building that will probably contain at least 200 residents is a little ridiculous. Basically they're converting it into a dorm. Surely they will need to pack in as many residents as they can to make some money off this building. A few owners and many millions lost in speculation, this building is a sad tribute to the real estate industry in NYC, though with it's exterior still intact, it will also serve as a reminder towards the industrial days of NYC, and the bad old days of the neighborhood - when crack and gangs were king and the white people were either bold or stupid.
Enter the Dragon
By: ShadowBat , Posted on June 27, 2011
Just happened to stumble upon this, while in the general area (alright it was on my radar for a while, but I completely forgot until now). Saw that it could be an easy spot to get into and I kept it in mind for later that night. As my plans for the night fell through as usual, I made the journey back to check it out.
This building will house much needed science labs for a fast growing and renewing college campus anxious to shed it's banal institutional image with a host of new architecturally significant structures. The focal point here will be a full height atrium with a soaring spiral staircase. Should be real impressive when done.
Quatro Concrete
By: Control , Posted on June 24, 2011
There's not really a lot I want to say about this place, in part because the property is owned by a family in the concrete business (the media alledges mob ties, as they do with every family in the concrete business in NYC). The other part is because frankly, I don't know the full history - which seems a little deeper than I've had time to research.
Adventure
One of our minions down at the research department was surfing satellite images and raised questions as to what the hell this place was. It seemed abandoned enough, so it made it onto the to-do list and was picked up along with a few others in the immediate area.
Upon arrival, there's zero people around, and that's not surprising - because there's really nothing else around here. Making our way over concrete blocks and aggregate mountains, eventually we slide down into a lot full of rusting old machines. This stuff hasn't seen any action in decades.
Making out way forward we go towards the real target - a huge abandoned warehouse style building. Having read the report on this dump, My personal assumption would be that it would be empty and boring. Boy was I happily wrong.
Instead we found a large supply of old cement mixers and related parts - and a clue to this buildings deeper history. The windows - the ones still in place that is - are painted in a crazy mix of colors. High on one wall is a painting of kids playing basketball. At the far end of the building, a basketball hoop hangs high. Clearly, this place was once a gym. But for who? and when? There's no schools over here, or churches, or anything else, for that matter.
Upstairs we find a row of battered ancient filing cabinets. All are empty. There's a touch of graffiti, dating back to the 1980s - a very rare archaeological find considering how little original graffiti exists today.
On a desk in the corner is an address book - all hand written. In it there's not just names of business contacts, but where the owner of this book met said people. It seems to be the address book of the owner of the cement company. Curiously I thumb through it looking for older relatives of people I that might have ended up in a book like this - though sadly it seems they never crossed pathes. (Would have been a pretty amazing find on a personal level if there was a connection).
Satisified we had seen it all and shot everything worth shooting, it was off to the next location. Someday we'll get around to getting the exact history of this place - but definitely not today. It's bright and warm out, and there's the ever present to-do list, with 4 more spots to hit before day's end. Such is the weekend grind around here - and so it goes.
The Goss Hotel
By: Control , Posted on June 21, 2011
History
The Goss Hotel opened in 1919 and eventually grew to become a sprawling campus resort. After the original owner died in the 70s, coupled with a lack of interest from younger clientele looking for a different vacation experience than what The Goss offered, the hotel shut down in 1986.
Adventure
Today, this location attracts visitors of a different sort - those looking for a vacation that enters a world of decade and depravity, where destruction and decay are seen not as blight, but an attraction worth traveling hours by car to see.
Located in the middle of nowhere, this is a lawless place. Abandoned and exposed to the elements, some buildings here have collapsed, while others are left for the picking by scrappers and vandals.
Some parts of this property are outright dangerous - piles of crap are everywhere - ceilings falling in, holes in floors. Not a place for the faint of heart.
Other sections are brilliant, and a must see attraction. The pool area is an amazing biology experiment all of it's own - with plants growing across a mossy damp floor. The main lobby is another location of intrigue, as evidence in 'new' walling highlights some of the renovation work done in te 1980s meant to help reopen the hotel. This of course never happened, leaving the sprawling room as an illicit canvas for notorious interior decorators to experiment with styles.
All in all, the Goss is not to be missed. See it now, before it caves in on itself.
Donkey Kong’s Revenge
By: Control , Posted on May 31, 2011
In a nearly forgotten part of queens one can find this tragic concrete cesspool. A true monument to the Bloomberg era of NYC governance. For only under Bloomberg has NYC witnesses an economy that was largely based on one huge 'redevelopment' scheme. Old mom and pop businesses, factories, and assorted buildings were forced to sell out - occasionally under the threat of eminent domain ( the most unamerican law ever passed) - and 'real estate developers' swooped in to tear down the old buildings and replace them with huge ugly condos. This created a temporary bump in jobs, exclusively in the construction field, but eventually crashed. This crash left ridiculous sights such as Donkey Kong's Revenge here a common sight all over NYC.
Current History: This mess of a construction site has sat abandoned now for at least 2 years, and has been stalled for at least another year or 3 before that.
Adventure: This place just attracts people, and the instant someone finally cut a hole in the fence and ripped the lock off the back gate, the people flooded in. Me and Sleazy arrive upon the scene and within 2 minutes find a Mexican sleeping in one of the man plywood construction rooms on ground level. Unimpressed with his insufficient stock of alcohol, we make our way to the next set of construction rooms and find blueprints scattered in the wind. Anything of actual value has already been looted, though I can't say I was expecting to find much here. We head upstairs and find the open exposed mess of the upper floors to be a curious tower over the area. We spot a couple coming through the hole in the fence and wonder if they'll bother coming upstairs. Eventually we move further up, until we reach the upper level, where a Raccoon curiously eyes us from the top of the stairs. Cute but troublesome, we avoid the small beast and head back down to notGreet that couple that came in. We lurk around and manage to give them the piss shivers without even trying. They leave, and we lurk by the entrance in the dark as the male comes back in, then leaves when we hiss at him. Loser. Who's afraid of the dark? We eventually leave, searching for better loot, more alcohol, and more lame people to menace. Because when the abandonment sucks, there's always idiots to fuck with.
IC-32
By: Control , Posted on March 31, 2011
Ok I'll admit it. I have a problem. I can't drive by an old industrial NYC building without going inside and poking around to find awesome old stuff and taking photos from awesome rooftop views that really, everyone should be allowed to openly enjoy.
This place wasn't all that exciting. A lot of locked reinforced doors and not enough reprobates with me to pry them all open. This section of the building, however, was unlocked and inviting. Sure there wasn't too much to see but it's not hard to imagine the possibilities of such spaces.
And that's what exploring is: It's about going where you're not suppose to, and imagining what it was, and what it can be.
BS Hospital
By: Control , Posted on March 14, 2011
History:
Built in the late 1800s, this is a very old NYC building. Sadly, it is one that seems doomed to decay and crumble into dust. It currently sits fenced off on an under utilized campus awaiting an uncertain fate.
To paint a more gloomy picture, some of its neighboring buildings from the same era were landmarked with an eye towards preserving their rich history in medical research. No answer for why this particular building was overlooked could be found online.
Its sturdy walls and construction, along with the fact that it is still very much structurally intact after all these years of neglect, is a true testament to those who build it.
Wandering around the campus, looking from building to building, we couldn't help but to be drawn into this fantastic structure. This building was very much like the hundreds of others I've seen over the years, but it had a certain charm to it. Despite all that has been thrown against it, and the absolute neglect of its owners, it's still standing, firm and tall.
Here's to hoping that someone with half a brain finds a use for this place.
M Fine’s old location
By: Control , Posted on March 3, 2011
This old low rise building has an eventual date with the wrecking ball. Its current ownership seems to be a blurry line between the NYC government and a huge waste management company (aptly named 'Waste Management') who noted on it's demo application:
THIS BUILDING IS OUTDATED AND OUT OF COMMISSION FOR SOME TIME.OWNER WISHES TO DEMOLISH THIS STRUCTURE AND KEEP THE LOT FOR FUTURE EXPANSION AS NEED ARISES.
'Future Expansion'. Print this out and circle those words, for they are the reason this building is vacant and soon to be destroyed.
You see, Trash is NYC's number one export. 6 days per week, some 10-15 freight cars worth of municipal solid waste - the stuff you put in your trash can - departs NYC for landfills down south. Hundreds of tons of rubbish, sent out of town daily.
A significant amount of this rubbish is currently packaged up in the every growing facilities along Varick Ave in Bushwick. In the past few years, Waste Management has converted their facility just south of this location to handle MSW waste. The NY Dept. of Sanitation built a huge new facility directly along side Waste Managements, and WM bought up a lot north of this building - basically surrounding it with trash facilities.
Eventually, the former tenant, M Fine lumber company, relocated to Metropolitan Ave. Can you really blame them? This trash processing facility is part of the reason the city was able to shut down the Staten Island Landfill.
M Fine is, in and of itself, a rather interesting company - here's a blurb on them I found online:
Founded in 1933, M. Fine has been reclaiming lumber from demolished buildings and warehouses across the U.S. for over 77 years. Inside their gates the sight is overwhelming, row upon row of old growth timbers, carefully stacked and bundled waiting for the right designer, architect, or contractor to give them new life. The reclaimed timbers found at M. Fine, including Long Leaf Yellow Pine, Antique Heart Pine and Douglas Fir, exemplify a quality of lumber that is hard to find in your everyday big box lumber store.
Sounds like an interesting operation, one of them great small businesses that have survived in NYC despite all the challenges this town can present. M Fine survives today at their new location a few blocks from this spot. Their old building, however, has seen better days.
Doors have been left wide open or removed complete. The rear wall is basically gone, and the interior is a water damaged moldy mess. Anything left behind was long picked over and looted, and graffiti artists used some walls as their own canvas.
Despite it's limited photographic opportunities, I was quite happy to check this place out. This part of NYC has a very dirty, albeit very thriving future as the toilet of Brooklyn North.
Highest Lowpoint
By: Control , Posted on February 21, 2011
At the highest point in the system lays this lowest layup track, dipping below all others and dead ending. The logic behind this strange structure has long been lost, and the track here was both little used and recently removed during the current viaduct rehabilitation project.
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