NYC specific explorations
When we first entered the former locker room areas of McCarren Pool, I was most pleased at this discovery. It is and was probably the most impressive graffiti discovery of 2010, period. While I know that is a huge, huge statement to make, you really must understand what we have here in these photos to truly appreciate the extent of the situation.
All of these photos were taken in 2010. All of the graffiti you see here (well, with one or two exceptions) was done inside the locker rooms of the pool during the 1980s. The date range of these tags runs from 1983 to approximately 1987. It is rather easy to conclude that during the years immediately after the pool was closed, the entire site was completely abandoned – doors left open, and vandals taking full advantage. At some point in the late 80s the buildings were sealed up with concrete and reinforced iron. From that point on, even while the exterior of the building became an illegal graffiti haven, no other graffiti artists gained access to the locker rooms.
This is most likely the last graffiti find of this variety in NYC to have survived until 2010. I can say this with a high regard of authority, having been in nearly every abandoned building within NYC over the last 20 years. The stock of abandoned buildings here was decimated during this time. Out of hundreds of such buildings the only intact walls of pure 1980s graffiti I ever found was the Graffiti Room in Greenpoint Terminal Market.
These photos represent a small portion of the dozens I took of this amazing graffiti find. Sadly, as of this last month, the locker rooms at McCarren Pool have been completely gutted. No trace remains of nearly all of this graffiti. These photos are the only proof it ever survived this long. I am of course, most pleased to be able to present them to you. Enjoy.
Stay tuned for tomorrows episode, where we go deep into the tunnels (!!!) and expose even more amazing finds.
During a day long return visit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, we came across an oddly placed viewing stand erected on the side of a hill in the southwest corner of the property, which contains the boarded up old abandoned hospital buildings you can see driving by on the BQE. This viewing stand was completely out of place, thus it warranted a closer inspection.
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Bah! Well, I didn’t bother to go there, but I will bother to go here, again and again for years to come, until they finally get rid of this ridiculous building and make it into condos once and for all.
Did you know that humans have been chewing gum for at least 3000 years, and that modern day chewing gum was invented on Staten Island? If not, it’s time to learn about the abandoned Wrigley Gum factory in Rosebank.
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At the time of my writing this, the final bricks of the former Brooklyn Navy Yard Power Plant are coming down.
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2008 seems like a lifetime ago on Kent Ave. Back then I used to drive up this road often – it was two way, had little traffic, and even fewer traffic lights. Nearly every building along it was abandoned, including this, the former DSNY Brooklyn North Garage.
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2004: A lot more wear and tear, but it’s still in good looking shape. The lights are still on.
2005: Attempted filming of footage for ridiculous TV show gets nixed due to too much attention from the natives and the crazy white guy that wanted all 20 of us to go back to his place for some V8s.
2008: Associates tell me of this building now having no windows. We all head back out there 2 weeks later and I get a look myself…
…and in that look, i must say, wow. In a short span of time, this place has gone straight to hell.
So far as I can tell a recent fire in the building made it clear to all that it is abandoned. With access holes everywhere, the entire building has been destroyed by locals and scrappers. Halls are tagged to hell, as are apartments. The power is shut off, and whoever was squatting here before has long gone – their apartments completely destroyed.
The penthouse, fully furnished in 2002, is now destroyed. Huge windows have all been blown out. The couches lay in the weeds below.
More has come out about this buildings past. Once a hospital, the property changed hands a few times until someone sold apartments here as condos. Not too long thereafter, the building was in the courts, and all the residents thrown out. It seems whoever sold the apartments was not the actual rightful owner. Hard working people were scammed of their cash.
Today it sits like this, nearly too far gone to be saved. What the next chapter will be, who knows…
Update – 4.27.2013
This post originally ran under the simple title of ‘Azbesty’ – which is the polish translation of Asbestos. Warning signs labeled ‘Azbesty’ were all over the interior of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Power Plant. When we originally published this writeup in 2008, we refrained from naming the exact building for a whole host of reasons that are better answered in our FAQ.
Original Writeup
Me and S head out again looking for trouble. The target of our trip this evening is a large industrial site to maybe be disclosed later. For now I’ll keep it quiet though, in keeping with the grand tradition. Those that know, will, those that don’t, can wait – just like your mom on the corner in her finest short stained dress.
Oh but I digress. Let’s cut to the chase, into the fence, and through the doors – straight into the belly of this asbestos laden beast. The air is thick with the stuff. Far thicker than I’ve smelt it in years. Kings Park steam tunnels smell like a spring day compared to this place. That doesn’t much stop us from doing what needs to be done, and what needs to be done immediately – as this building is going to be wiped from the face of this planet within weeks.
The asbestos abatement work is in full swing, and the trash bags full of the stuff are everywhere in the first section of the building we enter. The complex is really split into 3 practically interconnected buildings. To get to the other two from here, you have to go through the rat-maze area where workers change from their asbestos outfits into normal clothes. This decon area is set up so workers have to shower on the way out. There are no other doors. Everything is sealed up. I’ve seen abatement sites before but nothing this elaborate.
The rest of the building area is all very huge, as expected. It takes a few hours to see everything. But the third building section is already coming down. Huge holes in the walls and ceiling testify this fact. Bobcats on the 6th floor balcony do as well.
Having seen and smelt more than enough, we take our now fireproof selves back out the way we came in, satisfied to have seen what will, in a matter of weeks, most likely be entirely gone.
Another NYC industrial relic bites the big one, following in the footsteps of all the greats. Phelps Dodge, Sucrose, Todd, Harlem Heroin, Typhin Steel, GTW… And so it goes…
