A thread on UrbanPlanet proved popular, so I thought I'd get the guns running here. Input your own abandonment photography!

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky High School (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=231): Abandoned in the 1990s, I received permission to conduct interior photography of this historic structure. Unfortunately, the owner has no plans for the building, so it remains neglected and open to the elements. There are currently 16 photographs at Abandoned.

1. Auditorium
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070530/photos/3_232_861.jpg

2. Auditorium: If you can't see it, there are people in the photo :)
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070530/photos/3_232_550.jpg

3. Hallway: Much of the school is in disarray, as portrayed in this photograph.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070530/photos/3_232_363.jpg

4.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070530/photos/3_232_278.jpg

--

Mt. Sterling, Kentucky Baptist Church (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=233): Closed only a few years ago, the active congregation relocated to 'greener' pastures on the outskirts of the city. I will soon upload some photographs, including a rendering, to the site soon. There are currently 16 photographs at Abandoned.

5. Chapel
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070531/photos/3_234_746.jpg

6. Offices
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070531/photos/3_234_645.jpg

7.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070531/photos/3_234_493.jpg

8. Preaching: Jay is preaching to... no one! :)
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070531/photos/3_234_970.jpg

Enjoy!

Nice little set. I'm always fascinated by these types of shots.

4.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070530/photos/3_232_278.jpg

That's a great shot!:)

Located in the heart of a major city, the Tennessee State Penitentiary (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=301) was closed to all prisoners due to its unsafe housing conditions and general lack of maintenance. Today, several film production companies utilize it, along with other smaller industrial businesses.

1. Administration building
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_304_537.jpg

Constructed of 800 single-occupancy cells in two cell-blocks, it also housed an administration building, offices, warehouses, and two factory structures. Outside of the prison walls was a working farm. Upon its opening in 1898, it housed 1,403 inmates, creating instant overcrowding issues.

2. "Chaos" in a cell block. This is five stories high.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_303_376.jpg

Throughout the prison's life, it was the home of numerous staged mass escapes and riots, the last being in 1985. Mass overcrowding, inadequate facilities, poor ventilation, and "hellish" conditions earned it a class action lawsuit. The suit (Grubbs v. Bradley - 1983) stated that the Department of Correction was to never admit any new prisoner into the walls of that state prison due to its severe overcrowding, inadequate facilities, and non-existent ventilation.

3. Health clinic's isolation ward
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_305_219.jpg

In 1989, the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution opened its doors to house incoming inmates. The state prison, once hailed for its hellish and barren conditions, closed its doors in June of 1992.

4. Unknown building at the rear. It may have been a medical facility at one point (this prison housed the hospital for the entire state prison system), or a minimum security attachment. Some rooms were decorated in paint, while one had an elaborate "fireplace."
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_238_518.jpg

5. Power plant
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_239_642.jpg

6. Death row (that's not me)
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070701/photos/3_302_268.jpg

I would like to thank the Tennessee Department of Corrections for showing us around the facilities and allowing us access to their buildings, and the Tennessee Film, Music and Entertainment Commission for helping coordinate the day-long trip! It was very much worth it. You can find many more photographs from this trip and prior trips at my entry (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=301) on Abandoned!

Hope you enjoyed this photoset!

Looks like Chernobyl!

No, the photos I will post in a minute resemble more of that.

Disclaimer: Do not even attempt to trespass or venture wayward into the sprawling facility. It is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by armed guards! We entered through the Army Corps. of Engineers, and the process was very laborous... but well worth it.

On July 1, we were allowed access into the Indiana Army Ammunitions Plant (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=153). Tours are not given, and general media are not allowed inside, since one government contractor still produces black powder on-site. It took nearly three years of calling and persistence, but it was well worth it! Over a span of five hours, we did a quick run-through of four buildings -- a power house, power plant, laboratory, and a sulfuric acid concentration house -- out of approximately 400 structures, and hundreds of igloos. Sprawling out over 10,000 acres, the complex housed a smokeless powder plant, a rocket-propellant plant, and a bag-manufacturing/loading facility. A rocket-propellant plant was never completed.

1. Igloo 4801. Hundreds of igloos, many of them still active, store black powder.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_240_781.jpg

2. Igniter line area. These structures were extremely contaminated and were burned in 2006. Only six buildings could be burned on a given weekend and only if the wind conditions were favorable.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_422_243.jpg

3. This was once the main shipping and receiving hub for the ordnance works.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_425_1000.jpg

4. Power Plant (Building 2541). This was a smaller power house for the shipping and receiving area.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_426_17.jpg

5. Shipping house area. These World War II-era shipping carts feature full rubber wheels. This is to reduce sparks that may come from contact, especially when working around black powder.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_427_599.jpg

6. A shipping house is visible in the distance.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_427_833.jpg

Part II, covering the Propellant and Explosives district, will be forthcoming! Enjoy this photo set! As always, you can see hundreds more with a full, detailed history at my entry (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=153).

Disclaimer: Do not even attempt to trespass or venture wayward into the sprawling facility. It is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by armed guards! We entered through the Army Corps. of Engineers, and the process was very laborous... but well worth it. See more photographs and history at my entry (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=153).

Part II: Propellant and explosives area

7. These unmodified World War II-era flatcars are in excellent shape!
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_505.jpg

8. One power plant... we didn't enter this one.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_441.jpg

9. Sprouting buildings up like weeds.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_110.jpg

10. From the interior access roads, you really could not see much for the heavy vegetation. But from the roof of a power plant...
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_899.jpg

11. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_270.jpg

12. The pump house is immediately visible.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_167_355.jpg

13. Laboratory (Building 706-3). Although mostly empty, this fantastic building is akin to walking into a time portal. Vintage signs, equipment, and papers lay scattered about. The building itself is in excellent condition, given that it has been closed for nearly 40 years!
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_423_761.jpg

14. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_423_367.jpg

15. Change House (Building 707-29). The triple X's indicate that black powder may be present -- on anything from clothes to shoes and even hair. The plant took the safety of the workers very seriously.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_424_247.jpg

16. Sulfuric Acid Concentration House (Building 303-2). I have no idea on the purpose of this four-story building, but I'm pretty sure it involved sulfuric acid and wasn't too pleasant.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_429_626.jpg

17. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_429_467.jpg

18. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_429_512.jpg

19. Pump House (Building 402-3). Cooling Tower Chlorinator...
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_430_181.jpg

20. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_430_791.jpg

21. ^
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_430_738.jpg

22. Power Plant (Building 401-1). Chemox Gas Mask.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_719.jpg

23. ^. Holy light.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_19.jpg

24. ^.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_997.jpg

25. ^. Cart.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_54.jpg

26. ^. Going higher.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_613.jpg

27. ^. At the top interior floor. Don't look down. I'm very much afraid of heights, and I was literally taking baby steps all around the upper floors!
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_609.jpg

28. ^. Peering up.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_674.jpg

29. ^. Peering down at the top interior floor.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_792.jpg

30. ^. I couldn't resist.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070702/photos/3_431_345.jpg

Pshew! You can see all the photographs from the propellant and explosives area here (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=167&photos=1), and view hundreds of more photographs and history at the main article here (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=153). Comments/questions welcome. Enjoy!

Wow, interesting! Nice thread. :)

WONDERFUL THREAD IDEA! I'm afraid I don't have any abandoned building pics right now, but I'm sure I could find some or [take some] in the near future and post them on this thread.

The Gibraltar mansion, Wilmington
Full thread here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=473796)

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6409/dscf7860giz6.jpg

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/3598/dscf7847glo8.jpg

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/1747/dscf7865gba1.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/6155/dscf8009gah3.jpg

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2787/dscf7794gxk3.jpg

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9292/dscf7789gjv3.jpg

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/1161/dscf7851gxf1.jpg

Not terribly urban, but an abandoned ghost town, Bodie, California, now a state park.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/rural%20photos/Bodie4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/rural%20photos/Bodie3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/rural%20photos/Bodie1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/rural%20photos/bodie2.jpg

I love that second photo...what a nice place for photos. Did Willie Nelson try to sell you pot? :lol:

lakeview power plant

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m83/cross_eyes/abandon_1.jpg

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m83/cross_eyes/abandon_2.jpg

on june 28, of this year this coal generating power plant turned to dust and debris for good.

The Bridger Building, on the left, has been abandoned for about a decade. Reportedly it replaced a classical building designed by Frederick de Longchamps, but I have not been able to find historical photos of that yet.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/WMC3.jpg

The Lady Luck hotel was gutted for renovation and then the developer promptly ran out of money and it has sat abandoned for the past couple years.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/ll.jpg

A fire at the Stardust hotel a few weeks before demolition.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v120/mdiederi/buildings/sdf.jpg

Bodie, California: Are the buildings being maintained? At Thurmond, West Virginia (pop. 7), the remaining structures are being saved but most are not in use. Exterior restorations, but interiors remain gutted or bare.... money issues.

Bridger Building: I can only imagine what the interior must look like. Great 1960s architecture right there! :P

Bodie, California: Are the buildings being maintained?
No, they are being allowed to decay naturally and all the interiors are exactly as they were when the people left. But there are Park Rangers protecting the place from vandalism and stealing. It's 13 miles up a dirt road to get to it north of Mono Lake. In 1880 it had a population of 10,000 with 65 saloons. The population decline started in 1892 after the first major fire and the second major fire destroyed all but what is now left.

Bridger Building: I can only imagine what the interior must look like. Great 1960s architecture right there! :P
I haven't seen the inside, but there was a major aspestos removal project years ago and it's slated for demolition but they keep putting it off.

Here are a bunch of randoms that I've uploaded to Abandoned over the past week. I've almost gone through my 2007 photograph collection, which means that I can start going through some 2006 directories! :)

1. Kentucky School for the Deaf (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=432&photos=1): No real information here, just that some buildings are abandoned.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070718/photos/3_433_150.jpg

2. Exteriors (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=434&photos=1) at the Mt. Sterling High School (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=231) in Kentucky.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070718/photos/3_434_463.jpg

3. Raccoon Furnace (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=435): Constructed in 1833 along what is today Kentucky Route 2, it closed in the late 1800s.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070718/photos/3_436_0.jpg

4. Along the road (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=437&photos=1) next to the Old Taylor Distillery.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070720/photos/3_437_889.jpg
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20070722/photos/3_437_928.jpg

What an awesome thread! Thanks for starting it. I have nothing to share other than my compliments!

AWESOME THREAD ABOUT EMPTY BUILDINGS. HOPE U POST MORE VERY SOON :banana::banana::banana::banana:

not mine but still coo....
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/zerot001/architecture/ghetto.jpg

Interesting pics :cheers:

Trikala town, Greece:
http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo124/chris-the-007/DSC01912.jpg

coo pic

Kanawha Hotel, Ice House, Russell Railyards YMCA, Ro-Na Theater (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php#43)
Expanded blog post
Authored by Sherman Cahal at Abandoned on December 24, 2008

It's always enjoyable to be able to sit around a computer during the evenings, enjoy hot chocolate and listen to classical music while typing out updates to Abandoned. Neglecting my holiday shopping as usual, I have completed major site upgrades and updates to Abandoned. The first is in regards to the now-demolished Kanawha Hotel (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=69). Constructed in 1903, the hotel served as Charleston's premier hotel until 1965. It once housed three sitting presidents, and was the headquarters of John F. Kennedy's 1960 primary campaign, later being used from the 1960s to 1997 as the site of West Virginia's Job Corps. Post-closure, the hotel was slated to be restored into a boutique hotel, however, after five years, funding for the plan failed and the former Kanawha Hotel (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=69) was demolished. An extensive history of the hotel, along with some postcard images, have been added.

http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20081211/photos/full_3_1682.jpg

Heading westward, the Russell Railyards YMCA (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=27) once stood as a symbol of the Chesapeake and Ohio's once illustrious history in Russell, Kentucky. Adjacent to the then-largest railyard in the United States, the YMCA (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=27) was once an important overnight stop for many railroad workers that included a restaurant and lounges, along with clean and affordable rooms. It was later shuttered as a result of modernization and the downsizing of the railroad industry, and was reopened for other uses before being abandoned in 1992. A brief history has been added to this location, which also contains numerous photographs of the interior.

Across the river, in Ironton, Ohio, was the former art-deco Ro-Na Theater (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=481). Opened in 1949, the theater lasted only a few brief seasons before it was closed and converted into storefronts. Abandoned for over a decade, the theater is the focus of renewed attention and redevelopment efforts.

http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/70/photos/2004_07_09_0009.jpg

Going even further west along the Ohio River is the former Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=70) in Portsmouth, Ohio. I first stumbled upon this site when I was much younger, and was fascinated by a large, abandoned brick structure. It was seemingly impossible to get inside, and it appeared that it had no roof or much of an interior that remained, yet it was intriguing. I assumed that it was an ice house, and after a little research, my assumptions were proven to be true. This rather unusual structure is a remnant of the pre-refrigerator era, when ice blocks were carved from the Ohio River and stored in a structure.

It just happens that this ice house served Portsmouth's first commercial brewery. In 1892, the brewery merged with a local ice company, and it was incorporated as The Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=70). During Prohibition, however, the company failed and it was reorganized into the Portsmouth Ice and Fuel Company, which also failed. Further attempts to revive the brewery in the decades ensued were also met with dismal results, and eventually, the ice house was abandoned. Some historical images and an expanded history has been added to the article.

Lastly, I have completed major site upgrades to Abandoned, cumulating with the revamping of the photograph galleries. Sub-categories have been migrated to the left-hand navigation of the site within a dynamic, scroll box for less clutter, which lays on top of the thumbnails for the photographs that now load much quicker.

Enjoy the holiday season!

--

Check out the respective URL's above for more photographs and histories.

Kanawha Hotel

1 Kanawha Hotel, photograph taken by Cornerstone Architects.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20081211/photos/full_3_1682.jpg

2 Being demolished...
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/69/photos/1072203_1.jpg

3 It was once a very grand hotel.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20081211/photos/full_3_1181.jpg

Russell Railyards YMCA

4 These are OLD photos...
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/29/photos/1051703_34.jpg

5
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/30/photos/1051703_81.jpg

6 Finally, some newer ones!
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/364/photos/3_364_626.jpg

7 Contrast I: Same floor...
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/364/photos/3_364_185.jpg

8 Contrast II: ...different hallways.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/364/photos/3_364_793.jpg

9
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/364/photos/3_364_441.jpg

The Portsmouth Brewing and Ice Company

10 A very early view prior to the ice house.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20081212/photos/full_3_2431.jpg

11 The ice house, which so captured my imagination back when I was a young lad! I had no idea there was so much history behind this rather bland building.
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/70/photos/2004_07_09_0009.jpg

Enjoy these updates and have a safe and warm holiday season everyone!

How has Michigan Central Station not been Mentioned??

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3294/3017457614_416cd55262_b.jpg
http://flickr.com/photos/mushrie/3017457614/

I plan on visiting that in a few weeks, myself. It was sad to see the building go literally to hell in only a matter of years after Amtrak left :(

Hudepohl Brewing Company (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129)

The Hudepohl Brewing Company (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) was founded in 1885 by Ludwig Hudepohl II and George Kotte in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio during a time when a heavy influx of German immigrants fueled the development of a brewing industry that at one time, included more than 40 breweries in nearly every city neighborhood.

1
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_406.jpg

Just ten years later, Cincinnati had become known as the beer capital of the world, and residents at the time drank more beer per capita than residents of any other U.S. city, an average of 40 gallons a year. Nearly 95% of that beer was brewed in Cincinnati.

It's original location in Over-the-Rhine soon gave way to a larger facility in on 5th Street in Queensgate, which was originally operated by the Herman Leckman Brewing Company. The Queensgate site dated to 1860.

2
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_1235.jpg

In 1946, Hudepohl (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) constructed a new brewery along Sixth Street to replace its aging facilities. It was designed by Felsberg & Gillepsie Architects. Several decades later, in 1982, Hudepohl purchased the Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, one of the nation's largest. Four years later, Hudepohl (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) merged with the Schoenling Brewing Company to form Hudepohl-Schoenling.

3
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_616.jpg

Schoenling Brewing had opened on Central Avenue in 1933. The brewery at 1625 Central Parkway was constructed by the Schoenling and Lichtendahl families for their respective breweries.

In 1987, Hudepohl-Schoenling (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) closed Hudepohl's brewery at Sixth Street in favor of expanding the Central Parkway location. The iconic plant, located in the Queensgate district, featured a 170-foot smokestack bearing Hudepohl's name.

4
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_1282.jpg

Since then, Hudepohl-Schoenling (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) sold their Central Parkway location to Samuel Adams. I know that some in Cincinnati sincerely regret this, and will disavow any Samuel Adams products, but there is a bit of local ties in with this. Heading the purchase of the Central Parkway brewery was Boston Beer President Jim Koch, a Cincinnati native whose father in 1946 was a brewing apprentice for Hudepohl, and whose recipe for Samuel Adams Boston Lager came from Cincinnati. The recipe for the Boston Lager belonged originally to Koch's great great grandfather, who made it in a brewery in St. Louis and called it Louis Koch Lager. The recipe was discovered in 1983 in an attic at the Indian Hill residence of Koch's father when the younger Koch came home for Christmas.

5
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_1905.jpg

Hudepohl (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) later exited the beer industry and focused on the Tradewinds Beverage Company, selling iced teas and juices.

In 2002, the original home of Hudepohl (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) along 6th Street, was sold at a sheriff's sale to Pete Bigelow, part of a group of investors known as the Keene Group. They began looking for a developer for possible conversion into offices and loft apartments. After not being able to obtain financing for the project, the property was sold in October 2004 to Hudepohl Square.

6
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_535.jpg

Hudepohl Square announced intentions to restore the site into a mixed-use office, light industrial and residential complex, and selective demolition began on the property soon after. To generate buzz for the project, Hudepohl Square listed the building's 17-story smokestack up for auction on eBay, but it drew no offers.

Plans for the redevelopment were put on hold by the proposed rerouting of Interstate 75 in conjunction with the replacement of the Brent Spence Bridge.

In January 2007, the deteriorated condition of the Hudepohl brewery (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129) drew the ire of the Buildings and Inspections Department, who condemned the complex, stating that it was in "a partial state of demolition and excessive deterioration." It has sat in this condition since.

7
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_165.jpg

Goodbye!
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090108/photos/full_3_1220.jpg

You can find more history and photographs at my article on Abandoned (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=129).

Michigan Central Station (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php#48)
Michigan Central Station (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=515), located in the Corktown district of Detroit, Michigan, was constructed in mid-1913 for the Michigan Central Railroad at a cost of $15 million. It replaced an earlier passenger rail depot that had burned.

1
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090115/photos/full_3_307.jpg

At the time of its construction, it was the tallest railroad structure in the world at eighteen floors, and was began earlier as part of a much larger project that involved the Michigan Central Railway Tunnel under the Detroit River. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts Classical style, and was designed by the same firm who had designed New York City's Grand Central Terminal. The depot opened before the building was even completed, due to a fire at the older depot.

2 Waiting room
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_1356.jpg

The eighteen-story tower was rumored to have been designed for a hotel, although it was only used as offices for the Michigan Central. It was underused, for the most part, and the uppermost floor was not even fitted for occupancy.

3 Uppermost floor
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_323.jpg

The main waiting room was modeled after an ancient Roman bathhouse, and contained walls of marble that was adorned with Guastavino archies and Corinthian columns. The concourse featured brick walls and a large copper skylight. From the concourse, passengers would walk down a ramp to the departing train platforms, which contained eleven tracks.

4 Waiting room
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_9.jpg

It's location, two miles southwest of downtown, was important because it was hoped that the station would serve as a catalyst for major development. An edge city, if you will. Had it been successful, it would have beaten New Center by a decade. The boom never came.

The majority of the passengers would leave or arrive from the station via interurban or streetcar service, and not as pedestrians, when the station was in its early years. However, in 1938, interurban and streetcar service was discontinued in Detroit. The station was effectively isolated.

5
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_2967.jpg

During World War II, the station saw heavy military usage. Like most railroad depots, however, passenger declined post-war as automobile ownership increased. Lines to Chicago were reduced, and other routes were eliminated as cars were more frequently used for shorter trips to outlying cities and communities. The station was put up for sale in 1956 for a third of the original building cost, and again in 1963.

6 Waiting room in 1921
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090115/photos/full_3_980.jpg

In 1967, the restaurant, arcade shops and the main entrance were closed. Passengers now entered through the rear, and huddled in the concourse; the central waiting room had also been marked off-limits.

Four years later, Amtrak took over the United State's passenger rail service. The main waiting room and entrance were reopened in 1975, which was followed by inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The depot was given a $1.25 million renovation three years later that added a bus terminal. In 1984, Michigan Central Station was sold for a transportation center project that never materialized. Finally, on January 6, 1988, the last train departed from the station. In 2000, the passenger platforms were demolished for an intermodal freight yard.

6
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_1425.jpg

7
http://www.abandonedonline.net/content/20090114/photos/full_3_2454.jpg

Check out my article at Abandoned (http://www.abandonedonline.net/index.php?catid=515) for more history and trivia, and of course, photographs. Thanks to Ian for the tour of the station and to ColDayMan for the drive! It was well worth the trip to see this in person.

Great Thread! :cheers:

A few of mine :) Old ABN AMRO office building (now demolished).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1576911973_f4afba3573_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2315/1577783546_3d91cbadd0_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/1576895029_c64dff4a24_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/1577799360_b6cc49ae28_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/1577802188_70bd09ea02_o.jpg