Tag Archives: Urbex

Call for Interviews

Hey there urban explorers! It is time to expand American Urbex beyond the scope of my own adventures. I’d like to hear from you!

Answer these following short questions in the comments or via email ( americanurbex / at / gmail . com ). I will select a few of you to follow up with for future American Urbex posts. I’d love to highlight other urbexers’ work here.

Who are you?
How did you get involved in urbex?
What gear do you take with you when you go urban exploring?
What is your favorite type of urbex location?
Where do you publish your urbex photos?

Thanks,
Ken

Audio Urbex

Music recommendations to amplify your urbex experience.

Clint Mansell – Sacrifice

Zack Hemsey – Mind Heist

J Ralph – One Million Miles

Philip Glass – Pruit Igoe

Metal Gear Solid – Intruder

Six Flags – New Orleans

Teddy Smith has created this incredibly eerie video montage of the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park. The park was boarded up for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The level of devastation brought on by the storm destroyed the park. It has been closed ever since.

Abandoned Post Office

Photo: The abandoned United States Post Office in Gary, Indiana.

Information on the abandoned Post Office in downtown Gary, Indiana is sparse. The building was erected in 1936 as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal program aimed at ameliorating the Great Depression. Architect Howard Lovewell Cheney, who worked for the Public Buildings Branch of the US Treasury Department, designed the building. This branch of the USPS supposedly closed in the 1970’s, though sources confirming this have not been located by American Urbex.

Photo: Postcard depicting the Post Office in its splendor. (Source: Chicagoist)

Photo: The sorting room floor is covered in moss and new growth. Those are not bricks on the ground. Those are individually cut wood blocks that comprised the floor.

Photo: The main stairwell to the second floor is awfully moody.

Visiting the post office in Gary was the first time that I have ever infiltrated at federal government building. Well, maybe “infiltrated” isn’t the right verb. I had the expectation in my head that getting in would be a little bit difficult. It wasn’t in the slightest. The main entrances to the building were all wide open for anyone off the street to wander in. This urbex location was just as populated with photographers as the City Methodist Church a stonesthrow down the block. You will be hard pressed to find any post office ephemera at this place though. The rooms are devoid of anything but trash brought in by recent visitors. For an abandoned New Deal building, though, the few surprises inside make the visit worthwhile.

Resources:

My Flickr Set – Gary Post Office

El Tidy Flickr Set – US Federal Post Office

Webshots Gallery – Abandoned Post Office

Union Station

Photo: Taken by Nick Forslund.

Photo: Taken from the Union Station Wikipedia entry.

From afar the Gary Union Station would blend into the background. Its stylish concrete molded exterior has held up extremely well for a building that is now over 100 years old. It is a bit hard to believe from the outside that the building has been completely abandoned now since the 1950s. An burgeoning educated middle class after World War II could afford to own a vehicle and travel the American highway system. Passenger railways were unable to compete and Union Station closed its doors.

According to The Encyclopedia Americana the station cost Gary $250,000 to build in 1908. (That would be about $5.9 million today adjusting for inflation.) Funding came from the city’s namesake and US Steel Corporation founder Judge Elbert H. Gary. At the beginning of the 20th century Chicago and Detroit were major centers of commerce and railroads ran around the bottom of Lake Michigan right where Gary was geographically situated. Union Station was built to serve an area of 500,000 residents.

Photo: A lone chair sits in the main hall.

The interior of Union Station has not fared as well as the steel reinforced concrete façade. Although there are large boards blocking the main entrance, large gaps allow anyone off the street to wander in. It is hard to imagine what the interior may have looked like in its heyday. Large parts of the roof loom precariously overhead waiting to fall. The main hall is littered with soda bottles, old bibles, and other debris. The stairwell leading up to the second floor has a few loose steps. Fire damage lines the walls near the roof. The tunnel that goes underneath the railroad lines on the north side is completely barricaded.

Photo: Graffiti in the freight building painted by epyon5. Who will save us now?

There is a freight building separate from the station on the east side. While passenger trains would stop amenities would be reloaded. There is not much left of this building either.

Gary Union Station is the perfect place for the beginning urban explorer. It is a well known location that is easily accessible. Should anything occur help is not too far away. Even for the seasoned urban explorer Union Station is a must stop. The building played an influential roll in Gary’s early prosperity. It also is a silent testament to the history of American industry.

Resources:

My Flickr Set – Gary Union Station

Wikipedia – Gary Union Station

Lost Indiana – Article on Union Station

John C. Dahl’s description of Union Station

Preserve Indiana – Gary Postcards

Abandoned Gary, IN Train Station Gallery

The Encyclopedia Americana – Search for Gary Union Station

Weird Indiana – Article on Union Station

Grand Central Terminal und Pampenbahnhof (Deutsch)

City Methodist Church

Photo: City United Methodist Church around 1955 (source).

Photo: Current view of City Methodist Church.

Gary City Methodist is described in it’s own history as an imperfect house of God. The cornerstone was laid in 1925, but rising building costs caused plans to change during construction. The US Steel corporation donated 50% of the $650,000 price tag for construction. ($650,000 in 1925 would be ~$7.8 million today adjusting for inflation.) To alleviate costs the windows were not entirely completed with stained glass. Measurement errors also prevented the church from being as large as originally planned. The large pillars supporting the balcony decrease the amount of floor space available for pews. The rest of the columns built after this oversight are smaller. (Source: How Our Church Began)

Photo: View of the church Sanctuary (where the altar is) in 1967 (source).

Photo: The Sanctuary still whispers of God’s glory.

City Methodist’s flock of worshippers were graced with a progressive pastor who held that people of any color were God’s Creation. Pastor William Seaman invited African-Americans into his congregation at a time where blacks where not welcome in “white churches.” Pastor Seaman took also public stand against racism in Indiana and was able to prevent the screening of Birth of a Nation, a film that glorifies to Ku Klux Klan.

Photo: Taken by Nick Forslund.

At its height the church had about 3000 members, but by 1973 it only had 300. In 1975 the church closed its doors to the congregation and the property was sold to Indiana University. IU did not utilize the property and today it is owned by the city of Gary. The church was populated briefly by another congregation in the 1980’s. The Great Gary Arson of 1997 destroyed much of the building, in particular the third floor gymnasium roof. In 2009 the building was used to film the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. The church was also used in August 2010 as a location for Transformers 3. Demolition efforts sporadically arise and immediately fizzle out as the city of Gary struggles to find funds.

Photo: Take a seat and have a long chat with God.

We arrived at City Methodist first thing in the morning on a Saturday and the church was already populated with photographers. There were even professional photographers using the church as a backdrop for wedding photos. The entire wedding party mulled about as the bride and groom captured the moment. The bride even climbed several flights of dirt covered stairs and through tight spaces with her wedding dress hiked up. The whole experience was quite surreal. I had become accustomed to the isolation that urbex provides in densely populated cities. City Methodist Church was originally built to be a community center with its large auditorium, storefronts, gymnasium and school. Despite being closed the church was still very much an active community center.

Photo: Seating in the auditorium balcony.

Photo: Taken by slworking2.

The other photographers who were there talked about how the next week the location was going to be used to shoot Transformers 3. There was concern that after the shoot the filmmakers would finance the demolition of the building. The city of Gary was paid a grand total of $1,550 for the rights to shoot at City Methodist… I don’t think demolition is going to happen any time soon. Given the volume of off the street visitors to this location it is only a matter of time before statistically someone seriously hurts themselves. I am glad I had a chance to visit it before its inevitable demise. It really was a beautiful building, but something about it’s popularity did not sit right with me.

Resources:

1967 City Methodist Church Directory has photos of church members.

Fantastic gallery of b&w photos of City Methodist in its prime.

Information about the Skinner Organ at City Methodist.

Historic Buildings of Gary, Indiana has some great winter photos.

Video taken inside of City Methodist.

Mention on io9.com.

Transformers 3 article on nwi.com.

Nightmare on Elm Street article on nwi.com.

Brad Gillete’s Flickr Set

Slworking2’s Flickr Set

The Trip To Gary

The urbex trip to Gary, Indiana over the past weekend was funded entirely by American Urbex contributors. Although the heat was at times stifling, it was very refreshing to be surrounded by two more talented photographers. Starting early on Saturday we hit up as many well known urbex locations as possible. On Sunday two of us contorted our bodies to make it into an otherwise inaccessible location and spent the next six and half hours there.

The total expenditures for the trip are as follows. Some items are approximated until all locations report their debit transactions.

Hotel: $156 for two nights at Quality Inn in Hammond, IN
Food: $30 for Subway, KFC, other food items
Gas: $26 full tank from Whitewater, WI to Gary, IN
Tolls: $16 for the upkeep of Illinois and Indiana’s highways
Gloves: $5 for protection
SD Reader: $2 to transfer photos

Some of the total cost was offset by Brett, who has a nice dinner coming his way some day in the future. Nick also deserves credit for pitching in for gas on the return trip and other miscellaneous costs. What remains of the funds contributed will go towards fulfilling contributor incentives. Extra funds will go towards future urbex adventures.

The trip was a smashing success. Thanks and keep an eye out for more Gary urbex updates than you can wave a stick at over the next few weeks.

American Urbex: THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to the generous contributions of American Urbex readers I will be headed to Gary, Indiana. Their contributions to date have totaled $400! ($240 via IndieGoGo and $160 cash.) This trip would not have happened without your support. Between grad school, a new puppy, and bills there is little spare change for travel. I’m looking forward to the adventure with a few other urbex friends. Rest assured our fascinating discoveries will be posted.

This couldn’t have happened without your help. Thank you.

American Urbex will continue to raise funds for future urbex adventures. So please, if you have a few bucks, it would be greatly appreciated!

-Ken

Urbex Photo Award

The above photo won the Best of Category for Animals in the Fiskum Art Gallery – Summer Scenes Photo Contest at UW-Whitewater today. When I explain what urbex is to some, they just can’t see how it could be more than just exploring decaying abandoned buildings. Animals are not a subject I normally photograph. Sometimes, though, these abandoned buildings become home to the surrounding fauna. When I show people this example they look like they just opened a copy of National Geographic. Then urbex seems to make a whole lot more sense. There isn’t only beauty in decay, but also beauty in the living breathing things that now call the building home.

This photo was taken in the Armour Meat Packing Plant north of East St. Louis, Illinois.

Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik

American Urbex focuses largely on urbex locations located in… you guessed it… America. However, the diverse urbex community is not limited to just the United States. All over the globe there are wonderful sites explored by thrill seeking photographers, both professional and amateur alike. To borrow some comic-geek parlance, this American Urbex entry is an “origin story.” It explains how I got my start in the urbex community while living in Germany.

A long time ago in a country far, far away…

In 2007 I participated in the Hessen Exchange, which permits Wisconsin UW System college students to study abroad in the German federal state of Hessen. While studying at Philipps-Universität in Marburg an der Lahn, I would sometimes commute to Frankfurt on the weekends. Near the end of my semester abroad I was running out of cash, which meant I was left to my own devices for entertainment. Fortunately I had purchased a Kettler Alu-Rad 2600 (oh how I still miss that bicycle), and with my Philipps ID could ride anywhere in Hessen for free on the Deutsche Bahn. One of the stops between Frankfurt and Marburg was a place my father had been stationed in the military decades prior, Butzbach. One day, on a whim, I decided I would get off the train and ride around. I spent most of the day in the sweltering summer sun riding around without aim or purpose until I had my fill. When it was time to leave I made my way back to the train station, only to discover the next ride home would depart in well over a half hour. I decided to get back on my bike and ride across the tracks and there it was.

The front office building had broken windows. A large portion of the property had been demolished, but it looked as though it hadn’t been touched in a long time. The fences surrounding the complex were wide open. What the hell, I thought to myself, what do I have to lose? I locked my bike up and made my way into the sprawling Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik.

Over the next few hours I cautiously made my way through the complex buildings. The enormity of it all ramped up my adrenaline levels. I wanted to see it all, but didn’t know where to begin. Luckily I had enough presence of mind to take out my diminutive Sony DSC-L1 camera and start snapping away. Something snapped the right synapses in my head and made a connection between adventure, aesthetic beauty, and decay. Up to this point I had no prior knowledge that there was a name for this sort of thing: urban exploration.

There were so many different and varied environments at the Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik and each individual one told a story. At the forefront of complex were the offices. Rummaging through old invoices I was able to discern that the factory made heavy farm implements. The most recent dates were in the mid-1990’s. Phone directories, internal memos, backups of what I assume were important data files were littered in a single corner. This was all that remained of whatever administrative activities occurred at this place.

Behind the administration areas were even large buildings that stood mostly empty. All that remained here were massive steel machines too heavy to move. The behemoths stood like dormant monuments to the sweat poured by numerous laborers that toiled beneath them.

The stacks on the second floor had a dense wood musk to them. Among the rows I found a number of identification cards for an American soldier. It made me realize that although this place had been long abandoned, there were others just like me who explored this place.

When going through the factory I tried to snap as many photos as I possibly could to document everything. There was no way I’d be returning to this place in the near future. I managed to fill up my camera’s 1gb flash card rather quickly.

While wandering the empty factory I lost complete track of time. I had spent many hours around Frankfurt’s Museumsinsel, an area of the city densely packed with all kinds of museums. But the Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik enraptured me like nothing else. Eventually though, my camera batteries ran out and it was time to leave. I boarded the Deutsche Bahn back to Marburg an der Lahn, took the bus home, put my bike away, and fell into bed.

Translation: Grinding without protective eyewear is forbidden!

When I awoke the only thing I could think about was processing the pictures and getting them uploaded to Flickr. Once they were up there the response was immediate.

How did you find this place?
What made you want to go in there?
What if you got hurt?
Are you crazy?

It was then I learned that there is a social component to urbex. There is the urbex community which find this subject matter engaging. Then there is average person who is oddly repulsed, but simultaneously attracted to the photos that urbexers create.

We live in a time where safety and security has been taken to extremes. Playgrounds in America cannot have wood chips because a kid might get a splinter. Working in a college environment I have to deal with “helicopter parents” hover over their adult children. Schools have begun to ban soda because for fear of diabetes, obesity, and caffeinated kids. Cities have health ordinances that prevent enterprising children from running a lemonade stand. Toys are constantly recalled because children manage to somehow hurt themselves. Our society is constantly reengineering public and private spaces to minimize the risk of potential injury.

I think that urbex photography is attractive to the viewer because it is so taboo. Entering abandoned property is a dangerous activity that contradicts societal rules for safety that we grow up with. We’re taught to stay away from such places. That’s not to say urbexers do not take safety seriously. On the contrary, SAFETY is taken very serious by urbexers. Urbexers must practice safety methods in order to experience these places and get out in one piece.

With that my English explanation of how I got involved in urbex comes to an end. For you German speakers there is this little bit more.

Es würde mich freuen, nach diesen Ort nochmals zu reisen. Ich habe ein kleines Teil meines Harz in Deutschland zurückgelassen. Meine Urbex-Passion wachst mit jedem verlassenen Gebäude, dass ich fotografiere. Und jedes Mal, denke ich an die Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik. Die inspiriert mich.

My Flickr Set: Hassia Landmaschinenfabrik