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| raymark industries, inc. this division of the raybestos-manhatten was responsible for the manufacturing of specialized friction products, including automotive brake linings and clutch facings. when the plant went out of business it left a staggering legacy of pollution; on-site dumping of asbestos and lead had contaminated the groundwater. shortly before the compound was razed i managed to get access to the enormous complex and its fascinating art deco laboratory buildings. in 2007, a park was built in memory of the hundreds of residents who lost their lives to asbestos exposure. added 4/06 |
| astorville quarry flooded by hurricane agnes, this quarry was abandoned shortly thereafter when pumping the water out of the shafts was no longer cost-effective. while the underwater tunnels and shafts are inaccessible and most of what comprised the once enormous operation has vanished, several large buildings remain, filled with odd miscellania from the not-too-distant past. added 4/06 |
| fincher inc. a series of old buildings and rusty machines lay hidden along a forested hillside, culminating with a colossal collapsing construction crane. very little is known about this site, although part of it is located near an active industrial facility. added 4/06 |
| wisteria glass factory the wisteria glass company, founded in 1887, relocated to this factory in 1892 and became one of the "most prolific and versatile" producers of glass. wisteria produced stemware, lamps, etched and blown pressed wares, entire crystal dinner services, and even supplied presidents from eisenhower through reagan with glass products bearing the official government seal. closed in 1986, this amazing site has since been demolished. added 4/06 |
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| brookline power plant little is known about this mid-sized power plant, save that it closed in 1972 and since has been a haven for the homeless and vandals. a former plant boss recently plead guilty to running a team of thieves who stole and sold copper from the plant. while it lacks the scale of cambria or portside, brookline has a certain charm despite the years of abuse heaped on it. added 10/06 |
| gallilee steel once the second biggest steel manufacturer in the united states, gallilee steel was one of the world's largest shipbuilders, the provider of the steel that fueled the skyscraper boom, and a proud icon of american industrial might. this was their flagship plant, with furnaces dating as far back as 1861. gallilee became a town unto itself, but it was driven to bankruptcy in 2001 when shifts in construction methods made high grade steel obsolete. added 10/06 |
| cambria gas and electric once the largest reinforced concrete power plant in the world, cambria supplied a major metropolis with energy for years after it was built in 1906. high above the rest of the building, a suspension railway system dumped coal into the silos below. cambria gas and electric was demolished in 2008 to make way for a waterfront housing development. added 11/06 |
| portside power plant built in 1915 and opened in 1925, portside power plant is a neoclassical cathedral to the might of industry. the vaulted, crumbling roof of the main turbine hall soars 130 feet over what were once the largest turbines in the world. this coal burning power plant has festered in its own corrosive chemical stew since 1985, the year it was abandoned. nonetheless, it is perhaps the most amazing and awe-inspiring building i have ever seen. added 1/07 |
| bakersfield quarry nestled into the side of a hill near a flooded quarry pit, this series of spacious industrial buildings filled with massive pipes and furnaces was slowly being overtaken by vines and brambles. sadly, it was torn down shortly after i found it, and there is little indication as to its origins except that is was used for processing limestone. added 2/07 |
| hollely bros. children's clothing factory it is extremely rare to find a site that has been untouched for over a decade. hollely bros. once was an economic tentpole of its region, employing 800-1000 people, until cheaper labor to the south forced it out of business. with the workers' personal items still up and their projects still in their workstations, pigeons are the only visitors this site has had since it closed. added 7/07 |
| tedford power station slated for demolition sometime this year, tedford power station is an imposing, polluted mess of mercury, PCBs, lead paint, and other industrial contaminants. while the turbine hall was underwhelming, an intriguing basement that had been submerged in filthy water for years was recently revealed during a pumping procedure done during asbestos abatement. added 4/08 |
| dannelston steel the original forge that would become dannelston steel was built in 1740 and provided pig iron for the revolutionary war, armaments used in the war of 1812, and the plowshares used to settle the midwest. later it would produce iron used by the union in the civil war and the railroads that crossed the country. in the end, an extended strike and rising steel imports shut dannelston for good in 1988. currently being used as a car graveyard, dannelston steel was being torn down while i was photographing it - a sad end to such an important historical site. added 8/08 |