UrbEx Barrie

The Waterworks

2011-11-04T14:40:00.007-04:00

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In 1890, the town of Penetanguishene inaugurated a system of waterworks, and to pay for these public works projects, passed a By-law to raise $20,000. This was at the time an expensive venture but Penetanguishene was a prosperous town which had it's own port which meant prosperity. Unfortunately, the demise of the once-booming lumbering business dealt a severe blow not only to Pentanguishene but also to many other similar ports on Georgian Bay such as Victoria Harbour, Collingwood, and nearby Midland.

Even with this major business winding down, the Town did move forward and population steadily increased from 2,391 in 1901 to 4,811 in 1938 - this due mainly to the many new cruiseships plying Georgian Bay as well as well-to-do families from the Toronto vacationing in the area. The Oak Ridge Asylum for the Insane, formerly the boys reformatory and prior to that the naval base, also provided jobs for the local residents.

As a result of this steady growth, the Town had further developed infrastructure and services to meet the public needs. The Penetanguishene volunteer Fire Department earned many accolades following the years after the Great War and of course fire hydrants were now being installed in the entire downtown core. By the early 1920's, the Town required an increased capacity not only for the fire department but also to provide drinking water.

To this end, a new waterworks building was constructed just west of the downtown core. The large well pumps required to fill the water tower were very far from being automatic so the Town had to man the waterworks 24 hours a day.

A small room with a cot and wood stove was constructed in the south-west corner of the waterworks building where staff would keep warm during long winter nights. The staffer would, by an alarm clock, turn on the pumps anticipating normal demand or receive instructions by telephone from fire department to increase supply.

Today, the Heritage Committee is evaluating the structure for designation but it may already be too late and too expensive to save this public building. The foundation has slowly been settling into the ground (light clay and peat), and the structure requires quite a lot of work. Most of the original windows have been smashed out by local a$$-clown vandals.
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Monkton Railway Station

2011-07-19T15:39:00.006-04:00

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Hello again explorers, today, we have a rural exploration post from the small village of Monkton, Ontario, situated in Perth County.

This sleepy hamlet located on the interesection of county roads 55 and 23 caught our attention as it holds a lovely dilapitated railway station.

Monkton owes it genesis to the building of the Logan road in 1857. Mr. T.M. Daly dropped the very first structure, a blacksmith shop and soon after, a variety of other businesses took root such as a cheese factory, match factory, two saw mills, planing mill, shingle mill, tannery, hotel, school, and two churches. Within a year, Edward Greensides was named postmaster - having a post office certainly put a community on a map.

In November of 1906, a rail line was constructed to provide goods and passenger service from Milverton to Guelph and onto Toronto. As a result of this, the Monkton South railway station was built and very little of it's outward appearence has changed since 1907.

As with many other rural Ontario rail lines, the development and improvements of new and existing roads sounded the death knell. We were not able to determine exactly when the last train rolled through this village or when the tracks were pulled up but do know that the building did lay derelict for a period before being reused by a local company, Machan Construction as a warehouse and workshop. Currently, the station is abandoned of all use and is slowly deterioating.

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Midwestern Regional Centre

2011-05-29T11:48:00.014-04:00

Hello again UrbEx peeps,

UrbEx Barrie had the wonderful opportunity to explore the former Midwestern Regional Centre in the middle of cow-country north of Listowell recently. As regular readers and fellow explorers may know, we have a special kink for abandoned institutions. Before we get to the history of this facility, let's have a look at a short video . . .

Midwestern Regional Centre
Built : 1966
Owners :
1966 - 1998 - Ontario Ministry of Health
2006 - 2008 - Village Green Lifestyle Community
2010 - present - Cham Shan Buddhist Temple

1966 - 1998 - Ontario Ministry of Health

Developed by the Ontario Ministry of Public Works, the Property was formerly the Midwestern Regional Children's Centre (opened in 1966), a centre for mentally challenged youth operated by the Ontario Ministry of Health. The Property, approximately 164 acres was developed with a 167,000 square foot main building and several other outer buildings. By the early 1970s the population was mostly comprised of adults. In its hayday, the hospital housed up to 225 patients. Governmental views regarding this containment of the handicapped changed in the '90s and it was decided to eliminate the large institutions in favor of community based care. This led to the Midwestern Regional Centre closing its doors in 1998, after 33 years of operation. Rumours have it that the original plans for the Midwestern Regional Centre at Palmerston were patterned after the Mansfield facility for the mentally handicapped (1860 to 1993) in Connecticut based on plans as it had existed in 1939.

1998 - 2006 - No use.

2006 - 2008 - Village Green Lifestyle Community

Richard Ochnik (and 1464210 Ontario Inc.) purchased the property for use as a retirement community. They had initiated an extensive renovation of the interior and exterior of the structures but had become bankrupt within only several months.

2008 - 2010 - No use.

2010 - present - Cham Shan Buddhist Temple

The Cham Shan Temple, a Buddhist organization from Thornhill, Ontario purchased the property for an estimated $3.1 million with the intention of using it as a Buddhist retreat centre or a seniors retirement home. A number of repairs, which includes fixing a leaky roof were effected shortly after purchase. The construction of new temple in the Peterborough area is a competing interest for the organisation and currently efforts are concentrated in Peterborough as the Palmerston property sits idle.

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We love this facility and wish we had the opportunity to explore it before Village Green had started renovations and conversions. We will likely be back before the season is out and before the new Owners make full use of the property.
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Project Turnaround

2011-04-26T14:28:00.014-04:00

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Hello again explorers,

It's been a while since the last post, but do not fret - I have not yet hung up our flashlight or have decided to take pictures of flowers instead of dead, abandoned buildings . . . I have just simply been busy with kids. As a result of our efforts, I have manufactured three young urban explorers, one of which is now a teenager and ready to partake in the art of exploring one's environment.

To this end, I took the young fella, provided with the temporary nick-name of 'Rat-Stomper' (as a result of his unfortunate step into the messy remains of a rat), and headed out to a location rather familiar with us near Hillsdale, Ontario.

I had first visited Project Turnaround boot-camp for young offenders in August, 2004, just a few months after this privately operated facility closed its doors after the Province of Ontario moth-balled the facility. This facility was closed as a result of several issues including an indoor-mold issue but really was axed as a result in a change of government and with it, a change of views as how society deals with the rehabilitation of high-risk young offenders (between the age of 16 to 18.

Anywhoos, one can see some images obtained during the first few explorations to this facility (link here) and then perhaps follow along with these most recent images to observe what nature does best - return everything to dust and a state of near-zero energy.

That said, Nature has had some assistance . . . ass-clown vandals have found their way into the facility and have certainly made a proper mess of things. I have instructed the newest member of UrbeX Barrie, young 'Rat-Stomper' that should he ever find a vandal or tag-monkey to drop them quicker than a bad habit.

Happy and Safe Exploring everyone,
Expect several more posts from this season's explorations.
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Atherley Narrows

2010-11-16T13:21:00.010-05:00

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The Atherley Narrows which separate Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching is one of those Central Ontario locations steeped in history. Pre-historic fish weirs constructed here fed the local Mnjikaning natives and Samuel de Champlain passed through here way back in 1615. More recently, the Midland Railway constructed a swing bridge in 1873 which is the topic of today's post. Just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, 30th October, 2010 one or more arse-clowns set fire to the historic control building. Having been there a few months ago, I think it à propos to post pics from the day . . .

Here's the story from Jennifer Burden of the Orillia Packet & Times -

The abandoned Canadian National Railway (CN) control building for the Atherley Narrows swing bridge burned down in a suspicious fire on Saturday. Orillia firefighters were dispatched to the site where the Millennium Trail ends at at The Narrows, behind Crate's Lake Country Boats on Atherley Road, just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, 30th October, 2010. Numerous 9-1-1 calls reported a fire in the area, deputy fire chief Jeff Kirk said.

"(Callers) thought it was actually Crate's Marine because of the location of the building," Kirk said.

It took 12 fire fighters approximately three hours to extinguish the fire completely and crews had to return to scene on Sunday to deal with further hot spots. The fire was brought under control quickly, Kirk said, but because the building was so old and dried out, it collapsed shortly after personnel arrived at the scene, making it difficult to extinguish entirely.

"We had a terrible time getting at the timbers underneath all the rubble," he said.

The fire has been deemed suspicious because there were no inhabitants, no power and no utilities of kind at the site, he added.

Frank Kehoe, Orillia native and railway enthusiast, said the structure was built in 1873 by Midland Railway, which later joined the Grand Trunk Railway and then the Canadian National Railway. His great-grandfather, Francis Gaudaur, was a Midland Railway surveyor and one of the swing bridge's first keepers. His childhood home backed onto the railroad tracks close to the swing bridge and he fondly remembers visiting the swing bridge's control building and whoever was operating it "hundreds of times," as a kid, he said. He remembers the historic, two-storey wood tower as being simple, with no wallpaper or drywall, and nothing in it but a wood stove on the main floor and a lookout on the second.

"It's a damn crime because it should have been a historic building to begin with. It's in so many photographs of historic value," Kehoe said. "I hope they catch the kids that did it."

In recent years, there has been talk about restoring the site of the old swing bridge with plans of building a pedestrian bridge in its place connecting the Orillia and Ramara trails. The charred remains of the historic structure have been turned over to the CN Police, owners of the property, whose responsibility it is to clear the debris. Julie Senecal, CN spokesperson, said CN would hire a local contractor to remove the debris in the next few days.

The bridge has been locked in the open position since 1996 when CN abandoned the line into Orillia and lifted the trails.

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Niagara Tour

2010-08-23T11:00:00.015-04:00

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Hey all,

We're back from a weekend touring the Niagara Wine region - wine, cheese, and . . . accidentally getting lost on Winery tours -

Loads of fairly nifty process and piping images were taken but none of them held any real appeal for me until I walked into this area . . .

Yep. Happy times. The next leg into the facility was truly epic as we encountered entire walls constructed of thousands of bottles of wine . . .

All and all, a very good day. There were also quite a few juicy abandonments in the area, mostly residential with a few commercial / industrial sites which beg for further exploration.

If you are thinking of taking a wine tour, we strongly suggest you take an organised tour or at the very least consider hiring a taxi for the day if you plan to try a number of wine tastings.

Safe and Happy Exploring everyone.
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Bolton Camp

2010-06-22T07:06:00.021-04:00

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Hey ya folks,

It's been a while but we've been biding our time, collecting our resources, effecting meticulous planning, and training our crack squad of urban explorer ninjas to bring to you this, our latest exploration. Unfortunately, like any decent Shakespearian play, we get caught by the caretaker or in this particular case, a witch in a Ford Truck posing as a caretaker.

Before we carry on too long, let's watch a short video . . .

A bit of History now on the Bolton Camp

This camp was founded in 1922 as Fresh Air Camp for mothers with small children, boys and girls from low income families by the The Neighborhood Workers Association of Toronto. The camp physically consisted of 92 acres of hillside, wooded glen and the properties adjacent to Cold Creek Stream which had been once used as a local Angler Club. The Association had purchased the property for $11,500 ( a large amount of money back then).

In it's very first year, 160 city children and their mothers travelled from Toronto to Bolton by steam train and then by truck to the 39-hectare camp north of the city. In the 1930's and the great depression had hit many hard in the area and this camp was a bright place for many unfortunate kids to escape the heat and extreme poverty of the city. This camp was available free of charge to many families (on a case by case basis) through the Fresh Air Fund.

In 1928, it cost $8.56 per child for a 12 day program at Bolton Camp, which included food, transportation, medical care, upkeep of buildings, sanitation system and some non-volunteer staff positions such as a resident physician and a few nurses.

The children were weighed on entering and before leaving for home. There are stories that some underweight children at that time gained a pound a day. During the first 17 years of Operation, 17,641 children and mothers enjoyed a holiday at the camp. There were a total of four separate camps which shared property and resources - Rotary, Sherbourne, Hastins and Howell.

In 2000, the Bolton Camp property was sold by the Association (now known as the Family Service Association of Toronto ), when it was decided that collaborative, community-based programs would more effectively engage families at risk due to low income or discrimination. Part of the proceeds from the sale of Bolton Camp were used to fund many needed and worthy projects.

The camp and property was purchased by the Toronto Montessori Schools which had constructed a large modern complex on the north side of the camp which was named the Caledon-King Campus. This campus had closed its doors in just five short years (reasons unknown at the time of posting), and the property is now for sale. The property has an assessed value of approximately 4.6 million (OPAC / MPAC 2005 assessment).

Unfortunately, local a$$-clown vandals have found their way onto the property and smashed just about anything they could lay their paws on. Due to this, the caretakers are now extremely sensitive to anyone coming onto the property and will likely run you over with their truck. (yeah rlly)

Orillia Asylum

2010-04-07T14:41:00.022-04:00

Local businessman Henry Fraser began the construction of a large stone and brick building at this site for use as a hotel in 1858. Only partially complete, the province including many municipal councils in the area acquired the property and building in 1860 and began preparing the site to accommodate mentally handicapped patients from other over-crowded facilities including the nearby Convalescent Lunatic Asylum located in Orillia's Couchiching Beach Park.

Huronia Regional Centre opened in 1876. It was originally called the Orillia Asylum for Idiots but was renamed the Ontario Hospital School for obvious reasons. In 1974, it was renamed the Huronia Regional Centre.

Initial construction included a female residence (opened in November 1887), a male residence (opened in February 1888), a central building serving as a water tower, boiler house and kitchen and, about a quarter mile distant, a small plant to create coal gas for lighting located near the railway tracks. The present Administration Building, added to the front of the existing complex, was opened in April 1891.

There are approximately 1.5 kilometers of tunnels which link most of the structures on the property - some tunnels have been sealed.

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Video time - grab your respirator and bag 'o' popKorn.

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The peak population at one time was approximately 2,800 in 1960.
Beginning in 1987, the Province of Ontario began closing all such facilities and began integration of those with developmental disability into the general community.

The facility closed in March, 2009.

Many buildings now on the formers grounds have found new life such as the Ontario Provincial Police Academy, the family Courthouse and offices for other crown agencies.

Concord Floral

2009-11-14T11:42:00.018-05:00

This is a continuation of the previous post. In this post, we'll cover off the grand adventures had by JuicyFruitKisses, Funky Punky, and yours truly, CopySix.

There's a saying that goes, stop and take time to smell the roses. So - we did. This mischievous trio packed up their bad-a$$ery and dropped in to explore the long abandoned Concord Floral, a massive greenhouse complex which at one time churned out tens of thousands of roses and other flowers to feed the florists in the GTA.

First things first, grab some popcorn and let's watch the vid . . .

It is not presently known the entire history of the site, but this is what we have so far . . . A greenhouse was established sometime here in the early 1980's which was eventually sold in the early 1990's. Concord Floral became the owners of the property in 1992 at which time there were significant expansions effected effectively enlarging the output capacity by at least 10 times.

A multitude of factors are thought to have caused the business operation to collapse and eventually close its doors around 2002. Chief amongst these are thought to have competition of less expensive imported flowers, and the rising cost of fuel for the boiler operation. The massive boilers were required to provided steam heat to the flower beds in order to extend and maximize the efficiency of the growing season.

All in all, a very fun time was had . . . Thanks Concord Floral !

Vaughan Farmstead

2009-11-12T13:53:00.013-05:00

I was finally able to grab my flashlight and camera and head out for an exploration after an unwelcome hiatus from UrbEx. I was joined by the familiar JuicyFruitKisses (aka JFK) as well as UrbEx n00b, Funky Punky who had proved herself rather adept during her premier exploration with UrbEx Barrie.

With several missions on the planning board, our first stop was at Funky Punky's old place of residence. The images her mother had provided clearly showed a property which was shown care in order to provide a home for the young family.

Our exploration however, showed a farmhouse in an advanced state of decomp and a property which had become a dumping ground for area a$$-hats wanting to get rid of old cars, tires, garbage, and construction waste. Both I and David Suzuki frown . . .

Our explorers today . . .

Funky Punky (left) and JFK (right)

And your's truly, CopySix, a man forever driven to photograph a sweet abandonment.

The interior had some 'spongy' floors in some spots and quite a few pieces of furniture which appeared to be ravaged by denizen critters.

This child's teddy-bear appears to be slowly incorporated into the surrounding debris and detritus on the floor here.

There was a very small kitchen located just off the living room. Personally, I've seen larger kitchens in RV's. In other news, I wish my g/f was as dirty as this sink. Some old styl'n curtains just outside the kitchen made my teeth hurt when I looked at it. I remember as a kid having nasty-a$$ curtains like this in the home I grew up in it was tacky as hell back then BUT, if one were to clean it up and match it with appropriate decor, you certainly would be kicking it retro-licous.

Anywhoos, as it is not everyday that one sees a suitcase in a fishtank I thought this may make an interesting shot. Loads of personal effects still in the house and it is all slowly being returned to a zero-energy natural state.

Although, most of you know my UrbEx kink is institutional, insdustrial and commercial (in that order), I do not mind at all exploring a residential or rural abandonment from time to time, especially when said location has a personal connection with a member in the exploration party.

photoXplorers

2009-11-05T15:26:00.003-05:00

For those in the UrbEx community who are wondering . . . No - I did not quite hang up my flashlight just yet. I am still exploring - just not in person. Since my last post in July, I have been somewhat busy (read: hair on fire kind of busy). I know this is just an excuse and I promise to be walking past 'no trespassing' signs and climbing fences very soon.

For the moment though, I am giving you a heads up as to the new show debuting tonight (Thursday, 5th November - Happy Guy Fawkes Day by-the-way) on Bravo! - "photoXplorers". I know all the guys from the DK Photo Group and they are all very good people and excellent explorers. One of these days I really hope to hook up with them for an explore.

Anywhoos - here is the 4.1.1. on tonight's show . . .

linky : http://www.photoxplorers.com
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– Reality series follows a band of photographers as they probe the depths of haunting abandoned structures –

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, Bravo!’s new series photoXplorers is worth a million. photoXplorers follows a daring group of photographers as they put their day jobs on hiatus and travel the world to capture the eerie beauty of forgotten industrial mega-structures, castles, and sanatoriums. photoXplorers follows an adventurous band of guerilla photographers/urban adventurers as they slip behind the barricades to capture haunting images of abandoned buildings and structures from around the world.

The series kicks off as the band of guerilla photographers investigate an abandoned 1860s coal mine in Hasard de Charette, Belgium. photoXplorers premieres Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT on Bravo!. Weekly half-hour episodes air only on Bravo! Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.

photoXplorers reveals beauty in decaying structures, from an abandoned French sanatorium, to a retired power plant in Luxembourg, to a French Revolution-era castle in Belgium. The photoXplorers crew, consisting of members of the DK Photo Group, showcase the splendor of post-modern ghost towns and crawl under barbed-wire fences into the unknown each week.

Directed by Claude Barnes, photoXplorers is produced by Keep It In The Family Productions in association with Bravo!. Keep It In The Family Productions has been producing television for the international market for more than 25 years with Emmy® and Gemini award-nominated producers, writers, editors, directors of production, and directors. Keep It In The Family Productions has diverse program genres including lifestyle, reality, biography, children, documentary, sports, comedy, drama and animation.

BONUS !
- grab some popkorn and pull up a seat to watch the series trailer ->

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2008 POST ARCHIVE

2009-07-14T10:46:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the 2008 Post Archive where all the old posts come to wither and electronically decay.

Bear Essentials

Doors Open Barrie

AstroLand

Hearn Tragedy

Niagara Family Vacation

I get around

Sundial Reloaded 2

Sundial Reloaded 1

The Way is Shut

Admiral's Row

The Cloud Club

UrbEx Documentary Film

Sally Ann Shelter

Apartment Demo

Warehouse Wander

Dunlop Arena

'San Meet 4

Sundial Inn

Foggy Day

UrbEx Time Machine

Sharon Temple

UrbEx FasciNation

Bruce House

2009-07-14T10:18:00.007-04:00

Just a few weeks ago while on company business near the Bruce Nuclear plant (just north of Kincardine, Ontario), I had stumbled upon this very lovely abandonment and subsequently effected some impromptu Urban / Rural exploration. We will call it the 'Bruce House' for now.

At first, I had thought that perhaps the former denizens had left sometime in the late '80s, fearing the proximity to the nuclear power generating plant, but upon further inspection, I now believe that they may have fled the horridly abysmal interior decoration.

I for one never tire of the awkward and fumbling efforts by tag-monkeys who cause great atrocities to the Queen's English resulting in often humourous and / or confusing literal gaffes. This one by the stairs did not quite make the grade but I am certain that the miscreant is well on their way to fail.

You may well know from my previous posts, I like to shoot windows. These portals are akin to a looking glass peering into the soul of the abandonment. Here are just two images I thought appropriate to post.

Very nice structure but certainly in need of less natural ventilation. This issue is best summed by this image below.

Finally, while in the Area, I took some time to visit the nearby Inverhuron cemetery which is still in recent use. Most graves date from the late 1800's but some newer stones indicate newer internments as recent as within the 5 years or so.

Happy & Safe Exploring !

Camp 30

2009-06-07T10:41:00.009-04:00

Camp 30, a collection of 18 buildings on 40 hectares of rural land about 45 minutes east of Toronto, was the only one used by the Allies to house captured high-ranking N@zi officers and accommodated approximately 500 prisoners. It is the only known intact camp for German prisoners of war still left in the world.

A large riot spanning a few short days by the prisoners in October 1942 left many German Prisoners and Canadian army guardsmen injured.

Here is a video - (not my best as I was in a rush) - basically a running inventory of UrbEx highlights for a latter trip.

Great Lakes college spent tens of thousands of dollars to renovate / repair and used this as a summer camp campus in the late 90's. The campus closed but was soon opened again as the Darul Uloom Islamic School.

Student tuition was approximately $400 per month but did not cover food and accommodations. Students who could not afford the tuition were often allowed to attend. The board relied upon donations of Islamic benefactors to maintain and operate the school.

The school closed down 3 years latter in November, 2008. I was unable to determine reason(s) for the closure. One rumour I heard was that the chair for the Darul Uloom Shura, Mufti Yusuf Panchbaya, met with accident in Pakistan while visiting a relative.

Arsehole arsonists set fires to the the school and gymnasium earlier this year on March 28th, 2009.

Steele's China

2009-06-01T11:29:00.008-04:00

Steele's China Shop, located on the corner of Collier and Bayfield streets, was built in 1884 as a carriage shop. It is now behind scaffolding; the city issued a demolition permit two weeks ago and chances may be slim to have this building designated as historically significant by Heritage Barrie.

Steele's China Shop, located on the corner of Collier and Bayfield streets dates back to 1873 when two Barrie residents, James Barr and William Henry, started a company making wooden parts for carriages. By 1881 they had built a two-storey blacksmith shop on Bayfield Street, and just two years later began construction of a three-storey commercial building on the corner of Bayfield and Collier streets.

When completed in 1884, this polychromatic brick building precisely fit the unusually angled corner and was equipped with the most modern carriage-making technology of the time. Its first floor was a showroom and had an office, while the second was where painting and varnishing took place. This was reached by a special elevator that was large enough to hold a wagon or carriage. The third floor contained the trim shop and storage. It was accessible from the second floor of the blacksmith shop built behind 2 Collier St.

Harris Steele, a long-time downtown Barrie businessman, died in December of 2007 at age 76. He was the owner of Steele’s China and Gift Shop, after coming to Barrie in the late 1940s from Newfoundland. His parents, Samuel and Sybil Steele, set up the fine china shop at 2 Collier St., and Harris got into the business right out of Barrie Central Collegiate. Besides his passion for fine china, Steele was a sailor, very involved in the Barrie Yacht Club, the Grey and Simcoe Foresters and with the Rotary Club of Barrie. Steele had a quadruple bypass in early December of 2007 and was on the road to recovery, before suffering a massive stroke in his sleep on Dec. 14. He died two days later in Orillia’s Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, surrounded by family and friends.

NYC Trip

2009-05-11T13:56:00.009-04:00

My sincere apologies for not having posted anything for a while now. The snow is now gone so I fully expect to get back to bad-a$$ery shortly.

In the meantime, here are a few urban exploration-esque pics from my recent weekend trip to Manhattan, New York.

Domino Sugar (Brooklyn)

Domino Sugar had been in business for over 100 years. the Kent Avenue location in Brooklyn opened in 1859 (back then, the company was known as Havemeyers, Townsend & Co. Refinery. Closed January, 2004. The image on the bottom was taken in 2006.

Random Building Roof

Oh dear . . . someone left a window open - let's check it out.

I rather like the various elevator equipment one finds on the top of the building's mechanical room. Unfortunately, this building had very little of interest except for the exceptional roof-top views and this one steam-punked watchyamicallit in the corner.

I wish that I had room in my luggage to bring along my trusty tri-pod - I should think that one could obtain absolutely wonderful long exposure images of the traffic and semi-organised chaos unfolding in the streets below.

I did have a few minutes to explore the beautiful and regal library and did take quite a few images there as well. For the purposes of this blog however, I simply present just one - a vacuum tube device in the staff area.

National Rubber

2009-01-16T15:03:00.014-05:00

National Rubber owned and operated two rubber manufacturing facilities and employed approximately 750 people at the end of 1991. Located in Toronto, the Symington and Cawthra plants together produced over 700 different rubber products.

The National Rubber Technologies corporation shut down and decommissioned the 200,000 square foot Symington Avenue facility in November 2007.

Apparently, back in the day, NRT was a pleasure to work for. A penalty assessment for approximately $500,000 by the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) was laid due to its abysmal safety record. This hefty increase in assessment was in response to National Rubber's extremely poor safety record of 35 lost time injuries in 1991.

Currently, the empty facility attracts Urban Explorers from around the Greater Toronto Area who photographically document this location's decay. As well, several vagrants have been using the former office spaces as temporary overnight accomodations. Just a word of warning - this location has asbestos hazards.

When fellow explorer neX and I dropped by, it appeared that some future demolition work may take place so I was glad to have a chance to explore before this place was razed.

The following is NOT for the 'feint of heart'. This documents the potential Hepatitis hazard you may encounter in a structure that is frequented by vagrants.

Yep - those are Hobo-Droppings and $hit-Tickets covering the floor.

Happy & Safe Exploring !

Holeproof London

2008-12-04T11:10:00.004-05:00

The building located at 203 Bathurst Street in London is known as the "City Centre Storage" building, but only a limited number of Londoners know that this was at one time a textile factory and a very important industry.

In 1919, American industrialist Carl Freschl constructed this 4-storey, 9,000-square-metre structure on the corner of Bathurst and Clarence to house his hosiery business, Holeproof Hosiery Co. This company's flagship factory was in Milwaukee but was expanding by leaps and bounds. Holeproof already had a smaller operation in London from 1911 but needed to expand their production capabilities. As Mr. Freschl needed to received his raw materials and shipped his finished goods for this factory by rail, the location was expertly chosen just south of the rail yards. The business at one time employed 500 Londoners.

Although this was a great location, in 1933, the City of London closed the railroad grade crossing road at Clarence which put a dent into some of the logistics of Holeproof. So much so, Holeproof sued for $ 50,000 which during the depression was no small amount of money. This eventually wormed its way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Textile company Kayser-Roth later bought the company and ran it until 1989 when the factory closed. Approximately a year later, Dick Berdan purchased the building for commercial storage and and is now known as City Centre Storage. Mr. Berdan converted the upper floors to accomodate 770 storage units to self-storage units while the main floor houses an antique furniture store.

Abandoned 3D

2008-11-26T10:02:00.005-05:00

Abandoned virtual reality landscapes . . . The next best thing ?

As my calendar is now beginning to fill up with pre-Holiday get-tog ethers and my region is now blanketed in snow, I find myself now with limited time / opportunities to explore. As it is difficult enough with the accumulation of white cr@p just to get out of the lane-way, it is currently next to impossible to trip out to get to and access some abandonments in my area.

It is typically at this time of year, I begin reviewing the the UrbEx exploits of others. This, although not as satisfying compared to actually being the one with camera in hand and climbing a fence, still does satiate my urban exploration desires somewhat.

While raking 'teh internets' for UrbEx goodness, I did come across something of interest I wish to share with you . . . Virtual 3D abandonments ( ! ).

The site I stumbled across is '3DRT' which is an electronic store-front for all things electronically rendered. I should think that, in large portion, these pieces of work are intended for use in the electronic gaming industry but I still suggest burning some time there as the site does hold a few things of interest for explorers who, like me, may be temporarily denied an opportunity to get out there.

Check out this fly-through of a 3D model of an industrial construct showcasing their vast inventory of buildings, oil tanks, car carcasses, trains, tubes, cranes, concrete blocks, crates, and barrels.

In addition to this, I found several very beautiful images of abandoned urban scenes. The constructs here are reminiscent to the 'Life After People' television show from the History Channel.

St. Pete's Seminary

2008-11-19T10:08:00.007-05:00

St. Peter's Seminary, London, Ontario.

Looking back at a warmer time when I popped around to this beautiful Seminary which is still quite active although I do think that they are operating far from their capacity.

The Seminary was founded by the Right Reverend Michael F. Fallon in 1912 with the present seminary building constructed in the the 1920's and the opening / dedication on September 29th, 1926. To the left is an image of the Seminary's first graduating class in 1912.

The seminary building is designed in the collegiate gothic style and constructed of Credit Valley stone with Tyndall stone decoration. A wing was added to the Seminary in 1957, providing a new auditorium and recreational facilities. The library was also expanded at that time by changing the cloister into a reading room.

The front doors of this structure is just about the most beautiful creation in wood I have ever seen.

This recreational facility added in the late 1950's appears like a time capsule from that era with the garish splash of a 1980's couch standing in stark comparison.

In the same room, is a lovely wood-paneled bar. I can almost imagine students gathered here at the end of the day swigging on soda-pop and singing their fav psalms accompanied by this ancient piano.

I would seriously love to get a guided tour of the absolutely glorious / beautiful Chapel Of St. Thomas Aquinas

Base Edgar 5

2008-11-10T21:36:00.014-05:00

I had last visited the old cold-war era radar base at Edgar back in the autumn of 2007 with UrbEx buddy Jack Morningwood. As it had been some time, it was decided to make a return trip to get a sense of the rate of decay and the progress of a$$-hat vandals and other miscreants.

To this end, we hooked up with our veteran UrbEx buddy neX and newbie cereal83, who we will nick-name 'Heat-Score' for the purpose of this post. The new handle for cereal83 is by no means meant as a slight against him, just a temporary moniker which he has to endure for this post only.

After making our way onto the property, we made our way into the recreation centre which hosts the pool, theatre, canteen, gymnasium and bowling alley. Unfortunately, it appeared that the vandals and wall taggers had been rather busy since my last visit. Inside the gymnasium, the once-beautiful hardwood floor was now buckled and lifted up which looked similar to a miniature cordillera.

There was not much difference noted within the pool area from the last visit. However, within the locker rooms, some destructive imbecile went to town on the remaining ceramics. The same in-DUH-viduals were most likely to blame for the wanton ruination in the canteen and movie theatre.

With the installation of additional plywood over the many shattered windows, photography now became somewhat more unenviable with the tenuous amount of natural light now entering a number of spaces within the buildings on the property. I typically default to a longer exposure in lower light conditions rather than using a flash which more often than not washes out colour and detail.

Anywho, some of the objectives today was the sewage treatment plant, the church / community and the school. As the school is a bit too close for comfort to the guard shack, we settled for the other two.

The Church / Community Centre still had most of it's pews still intact and made for some decent shots. Again, some a$$-Clown tagged the wall in this building expressing an atheistical opinion. Thankfully, the ceramic holy water font by the rear door was still intact.

We were skunked for any interior images at the sewer treatment buildings but did enjoy the scenery in the enlisted personnel married quarters or 'lower town' neighbourhood. Many of the buildings here had seen use by SWAT and other tactical police organisations as witnessed by the numerous targets, simunnition, and blown door locks.

As were we reaching our planned time on location, we started making our way out and decided one more stop and photo-shoot was suitable. To this end, we stopped in to see building #3, a two-storey barracks which was used as the 'Oakwood Residence' by the province. It was at this particular building that cereal83 caught the attention of security while taking a panoramic image of the base on top of the roof.

What followed next was several minutes of high-adrenaline cat-and-mouse with the guard and a rapid retreat off the premises without the embarrassment of being detained / questioned / fined by security or the local constabulary. This may very well be the closest that yours truly had come to being charged an UrbEx admission fee to an abandonment.

As with the simple act of getting out of bed in the morning, there exists an even simpler equation of risk to reward. I am quite certain that I will be returning to the abandoned radar base again in the future to photographically record its decay. The risk of being caught uninvited on the property will always exist but with appropriate mitigation and planning, it can be mitigated or avoided. Remember explorers, always have a safety plan and pack a parachute if things go south of cheese.

Aurora Trinity 2

2008-11-04T19:57:00.014-05:00

"Trinity" . . . Yep - - Please expect a set of three posts here as well another excellent video from yours truly. This is Post #2 of 3 of a recent rural exploration I took in with our most excellent UrbEx buddy neX who acted as local guide in this neck of the woods near Aurora. For the first post, look HERE.

Following, is a video summary of the Aurora Trinity Session . . . Look for some waggish / witty exchanges between neX and myself in the video - I usually leave my captured video mute, but this was too priceless not to share.

Obtaining a POE at this location was as easy as getting laid at a cougar bar. Greeting us in the garage was this lovely antique night-stand, complete with jar 'o' Vaseline - These jars are indigenous to nightstands and only recently their numbers have been declining due to the introduction of newer lubricant species such as KY Jelly and An*l Lube.

This second house was certainly more grand (and modern) than its neighbouring abandonment adjacent to it to the east. The entrance especially so with its two-storey columns.

The front entry hall was no less grand than its outside entrance. The colours here were a refreshing neutral colour but the stair railing perhaps a bit on the ornate side. It appears that subjects unknown had already liberated the railings ringing the hall on the upper floor. I strongly suggest fall arrest equipment for any explorer who may be exposed to a falling hazard of 3 meters or more.

We now move from the grandiose entry hall to the upstairs washroom. The appalling choice of the coloured ceramics left no doubt in my mind that the former occupants had no capacity or sense for interior decoration. The only saving grace for this house was of course the Epic WIN Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. With Jason (Red), Zack (Black), Billy (Blue), and Trini (Yellow), this once mundane wall became a chamber of heroes.

Someone left a perfectly good looking COLOUR television set in one of the rooms upstairs. I was happy to see that a$$-hat vandals did not find their way into here yet. I was also equally happy that the afore-mentioned miscreants did not find these beautifully-croqueted hangers and unravel them.

Anywho, stay tuned for the third and last post in this our Aurora Trinity Session. I will leave you off with this image of CopySix and exploring buddy neX posing living room of House #2 in the for the cam and being all awesome.

Aurora Trinity 1

2008-11-03T13:22:00.018-05:00

"Trinity" . . . Yep - - Please expect a set of three posts here as well another excellent video from yours truly. This is Post #1 of 3 of a recent rural exploration I took in with our most excellent UrbEx buddy neX who acted as local guide in this neck of the woods near Aurora.

This old farmhouse had a very lovely addition to it on the east side (not shown here). Surrounding by residential and commercial development on all sides, this location gave a flavour as to what a working farm looked like here less than a decade ago.

It had appeared that the last time an interior decorator popped around to this place may have been in the late '70's / early '80's. You may call this hideous and want to beat the former owners with a style stick, but I call the shizzle 'retro-licious' !

There is a theme most avian to these two images. One is of a bookshelf in the west living room retro-fitted to house an aviary. The other is a robin, quite dead in the basement . . . or perhaps just asleep / dreaming and pining for the fiords.

Here in the image on the left, my narcissistic side is showing itself in my photographic work. I am also somewhat 'hooked' on this image on the right taken from the front hall . . . (get it - - 'hooked' ! - that was a funny there).

The stairs and arrangement of rooms upstairs were very typical to just about every other farmhouse I had been in dating from this era. The only bit of interest to be had up here was the interior electrical wiring exposed by the removed floor-board (image on right). Unfortunately that image did not really turn out.

I have noted with a casual interest that in many abandonments, I have explored, the previous owners often leave behind toilet plungers and brushes. Although I am rather certain that there is a good reason for this, the answer is presently just beyond my grasp. Also, it was noted that this house was operating with an older version of Windows from which I am sure they had a beautiful rural vista.

This particular barn did not hold much interest for me, that being said in comparison to the wonderful barn neX toured through which will be revealed in our third Aurora Rural-Ex Trinity post.

~Stay tuned kiddies, more to come.
Until next time, Happy + Safe Exploring.

Cities Heating

2008-10-15T08:36:00.008-04:00

A familiar site in downtown London years ago was steam rising from manholes lids and grates. Many pedestrians may have simply thought that vapours from sanitary or storm water sewers were just steaming in cooler air at street level. This may be partially correct but steam would still be visible during warm summer days as well. In fact, minor leaks from miles of underground piping was the direct cause.

A centralized heating system began operating in downtown London in 1880 and may very well have been the first in Canada. Centralized steam plants where boilers provided steam to nearby commercial buildings were very popular in most major North American cities at the turn of the century.

The popularity of such a system was due to the economics of steam plant owners buying bulk fuel (coal) at a discount which was not available to individual building owners in downtown London. With the introduction of relatively inexpensive natural gas, Clients started to move towards retrofitting to their own individual gas-fired heating systems.

Cities Heating, located near Queen's Ave West and was the company which distributed steam heat in downtown London. The company, just like many other business entities evolved over the decades. The old steam supply facility outgrew its usefullness and closed down quite some time ago. A company known as Trigen replaced the function of Cities Heating in 1996 and began planning a new service facility. It is now known as - London District Energy with new modern facilites located at the corner of Bathurst and Colborne. London District Energy currently supplies environmentally considerate heating and cooling to more than a dozen large downtown buildings including London Free Press, Galleria London, City Hall, Federal Buildings, Court House and the Public Library.

Althought the old Cities Heating Building sat derelict for years, the London Ontario Live Arts Festival did use the massive wall of the building as a large artist's canvass in 2007. Visual artist Michelle Gay projected animated images within the building's windows.

The building is currently being converted into apartments.

Woodholme Update

2008-10-08T19:52:00.008-04:00

You may recall this post I had last December on the beautiful and elegant London, Ontario manor called Woodholme castle.

I have been informed by acquaintance in London that development has begun around the Estate. He was very kind to share this recent update and images . . .

Sifton (a London-area property developer) originally proposed two plans - one including Woodholme situated on 1 acre of land, surrounded by 50+ premium single detatched condominums. Essentially, the terms Sifton set out: buy the land (cost was about $400,000) - and the manor itself is yours. The catch was they wanted someone, not just anyone, who had the gusto & funds to restore the mansion - it needs about $1,000,000 worth of work... (by their estimation)
The second plan was to plow the manor, and build a slightly different plan which incorporated a few more condos in the place that the manor stood...

Both plans called to "save as many trees as possible". Apparently it appears that the developer is clearing more trees than most had anticipated...

It sat for a long time "Under Contract". Former Councillor Sandy Levin (he was an amazing councillor, I wish he hadn't "retired" from politics) wrote in the North London Beacon that "Under Contract" meant they found an undisclosed buyer, subject to the terms of approval for the condo properties to surround the manor. Looks like they've proceeded with the first plan, partly as only one application was filed to the city which outlines the condo plan that will surround the Woodholme estate.

One feature to note - the plan that incorporated Woodholme would change the "front door" location. The front door currently faces what was the pool - but under the Sifton plan, it would utilize the western most south facing door as the front door, if that makes sense.

Miggsie Lawson (bless her soul) must be turning in her grave . . .

:-(

A Note on 4Chan

2008-09-18T13:44:00.006-04:00

Not UrbEx related . . .

Looks like the US presidential nominee Sarah Palin just had her Ya-Hoo account broken into . . . (yes we get news up here in Canada-Land).

Apparently the culprit(s) were members of that wonky internet short-bus known as 4Chan. You just have to bless the mischievousness of those /b/-tards over there for keeping teh internets on its toes.

Urban Exploration is a bit like the sport they practice over on 4Chan but we hack buildings instead of computers. Having said that, I'm happy that my particular shadowy hobby is not attracting the sort of attention that those desu weeaboos will be getting right now from the Feds.

Speaking of which, here is a pic of Palin in the 4Chan Party Van . . . so guys - just watch out.

Anyway - to save myself and the blog from being hacked by these miscreants in response to this post, I have decided to do it myself -->

Aha! To be astounded. An army of assholes, an association armed with an arsenal of asinine ambiguously adult anonymii. This ambidextrous armada, no mere attack force is an astounding assembly of articulate aristocrats. assuming the collective affliction has not atrophied, another day of ardent internet argument arises. Under the ambiguous aegis of internet anonymity, all annoying assertations may be announced with reckless abandon. the armored amplifiers of info, The antithesis of approbates, aided and abetted by all things arbitrary. Apology? do not forgive, do not forget. alas I am all aflutter, after the anticipation. You may call me anonymous.

Again, please don't hack my blog . . .

Collier Street United - Doors Open

2008-09-16T21:45:00.009-04:00

My Church is participating in Doors Open Barrie 2008, so here is a little plug. Take some time to visit this site on Sunday 28th September, 2008 from 11:30pm to 4:00pm. For additional information, click HERE.

Services began in 1819, but the present church was erected in 1864. Renovations and remodeling have been fairly constant over the years to make room for a growing congregation. The latest major changes were completed in 1986. The bell tower and steeple have been a big part of the city’s skyline for about 150 years. Lunch available at noon ($).

Collier Street United Church, located in Barrie, Ontario had a humble start in a stable in 1819. Mr. Peter White, a Methodist preacher rowed across Lake Simcoe and conducted the first formal religious service for Barrie's early settlers in a barn owned by Mr. William Mann of Kempenfelt.

The first service in a building set apart for worship in Barrie was held on April 18th, 1836. In 1841, the first Methodist Church was erected but rapidly became inadequate for the growing congregation. The present structure located on 112 Collier Street was constructed in the fall of 1864 and provided seating for 600 persons.

In 1896 a brick parsonage was constructed by George Ball adjacent to the present structure. A parlour and sunday school room with seating for 500 more was accomplished with an addition to the rear of the church in 1905. A further addition was constructed in 1907 to boost total seating in the sanctuary to 1,200. It is beleived that the the large rose windows were installed at this time as well.

Collier Street Methodist Church, along with over 100 families from the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches joined the United Church of Canada on June 10th, 1925 to form the Collier Street United Church.

In 1954, the Church purchased the lot at the north-east corner of Collier and Poyntz and began construction of a new church scholl and gymnasium. The Gryphon Theatre held performances here for 3 years starting in 1970 before moving to their current home on the Georgian College campus.

Contact information . . .

Collier Street United Church
112 Collier Street,
Barrie, Ontario, L4M 1H3
email: collierunited@bellnet.ca
Phone : 726-1511 Fax: 726-0774
www.collierunited.ca

Barrie Arena Demo

2008-09-08T20:54:00.006-04:00

At 74 years old, it really did not come as much of a surprise that the Barrie Arena (aka Dunlop Arena) had its days numbered. Back in March when demolition plans were being discussed, I had provided a bit of history on this old building. Today, I took a look at the demolition site.

For a great article on this buildings history, check out the Thursday Sepember 4th Barrie Advance by local historian Andrew Hind. As Andrew did all the leg work here, I will just highlight a few of the interesting tid-bits.

In 1934, William Wright (founder of today's Globe & Mail) provided the lion's share of the money to fund the construction of the Dunlop Arena which was of course no small feat considering that the country was in the depths of a major recession.

The Barrie Arena, used natural ice for the first decade of operation when it was proposed that an artificial ice system be installed. As this was an expensive venture as well, City council placed the decision on the municipal ballot. By September 1945, municipal pride had won and the artificial ice system was installed.

The 3,000 seat facility served its community well over the years. It is not mortar between those bricks, its memories.

:-(

Huntsville Explore

2008-09-05T09:51:00.010-04:00

I had spent several days over the course of the summer camping in the wilds of Muskoka near Huntsville. One day feeling the UrbEx itch, I headed out in search of abandonments and adventure . . I found neither but do have these few images I snapped along the way on my sunny afternoon out exploring.

First Stop : Dyer Memorial just north of Huntsville. Access to this unique outdoor point of interest is accessible by a treacherous and dangerous road, no more than an widened goat-path, which winds it's way high above the East River. A brief lapse of attention while on the road could plumet the vehcile down a rocky face into the East River 100 feet below.

The Dyer Memorial is a stone monument where the cremated remains of noted Detroit lawyer Clifton Dyer and his wife Betsy Brown rest. Clifton and Betsy Brown honeymooned in Muskoka in 1916 and loved the area. Twenty years later, they retired to the area and lived in a small cabin on the riverside.

After almost forty years after her marriage to Clifton, Betsy died in 1956. Clifton immediately commissioned the construction of the Memorial as the final resting place for her ashes constructed near their cabin. The memorial took one year to complete and Betsy's ashes were then encased in a stonewall near the peak of the Memorial.

Clifton then spent two more years overseeing the clearing and landscaping of the Memorial grounds. Clifton passed away a year after this was completed in 1959 and according to his wishes, his cremated ashes were placed within the monument next to his wife's.

Second Stop : Deerhurst Private Airport. I had heard rumours of an abandonned airstrip near huntsville. Some tiime researching only provided one possible location just east of Huntsville. Upon arriving, it was discovered that the small airstrip was still active and being used by the Deerhurst resort across the road for guests arriving by air.

This location was by no means busy and I essentially had a free run of the place once inside the gates / fencing. A quick peak inside the office and maintainance building showed several large dog food bowls obviously placed there for use by an even larger dog or dogs. Any thoughts of entry into this building for exploration was immediately dismissed. I quit the property after snapping a few images of the runway.

Summary : Not much to see in and around Huntsville if you are an Urban Explorer but quite a bit to see if you are a tourist. There is an interesting old hotel / bar now converted into apartments near the train station which appears to be close to shutting it's doors for good so perhaps we will wait this this hatches and return before demolition.

Seven Mile Island

2008-08-23T14:07:00.024-04:00

Earlier this month, I headed over to the derelict Lake Scugog summer retreat with 'Simmorill' and 'SurMom'. At first, I was somewhat hesitant of a purely outdoors exploration but within moments of stepping onto the property, it was very well worth the drive.

Before I get into history and stills from the exploration, we have a very lovely video for you . . . Enjoy !

Seven Mile Island is a 26 acre estate property and is joined to the mainland (Scugog Island) via a 1,650 foot causeway. The island had witnessed a parade owners since the 1880's who had built hunting campsites, cottages and then houses on the property.

The property at Seven Mile came into its own when cigar baron Alex Wilson began developing a magnificent estate there in 1919. If you visit, you will note that the stone pillars along the property line at the front gate look like cigars. Several lovely cottages were added by the Wilsons as well but the gem of the island are the gardens.

Alex Wilson and his wife Mary constructing numerous floral gardens, a swimming pool, a stone tea house, reflecting pool and an elaborate boathouse with a dance hall on the upper level. The property boasted beautifully manicured lawns, rose gardens, bridges, ponds and an elaborate pergola leading to the magnificent 26 room mansion.

In my opinion, the best features of the property include the 62'x14' reflecting pool featuring the bronze statue of the Greek God Mercury, the stone tea house and the absolutely beautifully ornate pergola. If I had a ticket back to time, I may consider visiting the property in the 1920's during one of the many parties held in the dance hall above the boathouse where visitors and neighbours from around Lake Scugog.

According to the best information I have, the Artis Orbus group now own the property with a mind to restore it and provide a venue for an art school or retreat. The very best of luck to them.
For more fascinating history, visit Scugog Heritage.

Quick Note : My other Blog, Lorwyn Unleashed has moved to
www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com
Magic: The Gathering - Alara Spoilers

Caribou Diner 2

2008-08-22T20:42:00.001-04:00

We have for you a follow-up exploration of the Caribou Diner, originally explored back in November, 2006.

This time, an impromptu exploration team consisting of (yours truly) CopySix, JuicyFruitKisses, Jack Morningwood, and new UrbEx Barrie buddy BigLens was assembled and rapidly deployed to the location along Highway 11, just north of Barrie.

With the gas station now closed, there were no inhibitions among local vandals and graffiti 'artists', both these belonging to the human sub-type 'Rectal-Cranial Adornment'.

JuicyFruitKisses found a very kewl vinyl K-Tel track titled 'Heart Beat of the 80's, while BigLens and I yattered on about back-lighting techniques and the pros of having a tri-pod for dark interior shots.

What was left of the former restaurant was fairly pathetic . . . There was significant damage to the interior compared with the previous exploration made there.

It takes a fair deal of impact (I believe) to break glass block . . . from a visual assessment of the damage to these glass block windows in the washroom, it appears that the vandals may have used their heads.

Speaking of washrooms, I rather enjoyed exploring the Ladies washroom at this location as shown in this image from BigLens.

OK . . . this is when the exploration went a bit weird and somewhat disgusting. If you are easily offended, do not read on. I would suggest that the following is intended for a mature audience and that viewer discretion is advised.

The small bachelor apartments above the restaurant did indeed contain at one time bachelors . . . lecherous, chain-smoking, hard-drinking bachelors by the look of the debris of personal effects left behind.

JuicyFruitKisses scored BIG with this size 52 hole-y pair of gitches.

We had also found some p0rn and possibly the worst written piece of warped erotica I ever read . . . and believe me I have read a LOT. The story left Mr. Jack Morningwood in stitches.

As the ream began to heap ridicule on the former denizen of this rat-hole, another personal effect was found which changed everyone's opinion. The author of the above-mentioned literary garbage was in fact, a very accomplished artist as demonstrated by the sketch here.

Lastly, I wish to leave a warning to any explorers who may want to drop by this lovely gem of an abandonment . . . watch your step - there's goon juice everywhere.

Remember kids, practice safe exploring !

Quick Note : My other Blog, Lorwyn Unleashed has moved to
www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com
Magic: The Gathering

Sundial 3

2008-08-21T19:26:00.018-04:00

This is the last trip to the Sundial as it has now been fully explored. For the previous posts, check out Trip 1, Trip 2a, and Trip 2b.

Explorers in attendance were JuicyFruitKisses, our buddy neX, the ubiquitous phrenzee and his exploring partner Ms DeKay. As the day in question was stinking hot, we headed to the pool first.

We were able to get a better idea as to the flooding in the basement but did not DARE venture down due to the one of the most nasty mould / fungual blooms I ever saw.

Speaking of HOT, the crew discovered the hottest place in the known universe - the former hot tub / sauna room. The unique glass dome here allowed the killer heat in and then magnified it. I was rather surprised that none of the team members spontaneously combusted during the brief foray into this space.

Seeking any relief from this heat, the team stumbled over to the empty restaurant, then to the 'Starlite Room'.

Finding no staff to revive us, we seated ourselves at the bar and then waited in beverage purgatory until phrenzee took it upon himself to serve us.
It did not take us very long at all to realise that there were no available staff to serve us . . . To this end, I took it upon myself to staff the facility after finding an appropriate name tag.

Phrenzee left a message for other future explorers in the front lobby shortly before we left this amazing abandonment.

Don't forget to visit the roof of this great hotel which overlooks beautiful lake Couchiching.
Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring !

Quick Note : My other Blog, Lorwyn Unleashed has moved to
www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com

Goderich Gaol

2008-08-13T15:03:00.018-04:00

The Gaol (jail) here is Barrie was the subject of a previous post here. Due to a succession of modifications and renovations over the last 150 years, I was left without a sense of the structures 'original self'. To this end, I sought out it's sister, the Goderich Goal, which not only shares the same architect and design but has remained almost unchanged.

The Huron County Gaol was established as the jail for Upper Canada's Huron District. Construction took place between 1839 and 1842 using stone from the Maitland River Valley and from Michigan.

The octagonal jail was designed by Thomas Young, modelled a Panopticon design first proposed by philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1791. This design features a circular prison with cells distributed around a central surveillance station. Thomas Young also designed the Barrie gaol which shares a very similar design. The panopticon design at the Goderich jail, has an octagonal central block radiated two foot thick walls, with a height of eighteen feet. Encompassing these walls are perimeter or curtain walls of identical dimensions enclosing exercise yards and jail gardens.

At the time of construction, the united counties of Huron, Perth, and Bruce required both a courthouse and a jail before they could gain official autonomy. To this end, a temporary courtroom and Council Chambers were set up on the jail’s third floor which was originally meant to be used as a chapel. It was in this makeshift Council Chamber that the first Huron District Council meeting was held on 8 February, 1842. The third floor was also used for church services and other public gatherings before proper buildings were available. The county courthouse was completed in 1856, in the centre of Goderich’s Market Square at which time, the jail .

In its time, the Huron County Gaol also served as a home for the aged, the insane, and the poor, in addition to the common criminal. The site ceased functioning as a jail serving Huron County in 1972 and inmates were then transferred to regional jails in Walkerton and Stratford.

Three inmates were hanged at the jail and two were conducted publicly. On 18 December 1861 William Mahone was hanged outside the jail walls.

An exterior wall of the jail was the location of the last public execution that occurred in Canada, when on December 7, 1869, Nicholas Melady was hanged for the murder of his father and step-mother. Edward Jardine was hanged privately on June 16 1911.Steven Truscott also awaited execution in the Huron County Gaol from September 30, 1959, when he was convicted of murder, until his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on 22 January, 1960. Some of the notorious criminals who served time at the jail include individuals like the infamous James Donnelly of the Black Donnelly clan of Lucan, Ontario, at that time part of the County of Huron.

The Huron County Museum has done a very lovely job on restoration and now a museum in this historic structure.

Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring !

Quick Note : My 'Magic: The Gathering' Blog, Lorwyn Unleashed, has moved to
www.MTG-Realm.Blogspot.com

Tunnels of Neustadt

2008-08-11T11:16:00.012-04:00

Neustadt, Ontario (birthplace of John Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th Prime Minister) was founded in 1856 by David Winkler who promptly dammed Meaux Creek in 1857 and erected a sawmill, gristmill and flour mill.

Two years later in 1859, German immigrant, Henry Huether constructed a brewery which burned down ten years latter in 1869. Huether, not to be deterred, then invited 40 stonemasons from Germany which began construction over a natural spring, which still flows through a network of caverns beneath the brewery today.

Back during the reconstruction, Heuther rebuilt using fieldstone brought in by local farmers in exchange for beer . . . this in my books is a decent deal ! Local villagers used yeast from the vats for baking and malt residue for cattle feed and so the great circle of beer continued.

Mr. Huether also kept carriages and six teams of horses in the stables on the lower floor and maintained a hotel on the north end of the long structure. There is also small stone building to the north of the brewery which was originally a customs and excise office where the officer would check the barrels of beer going out full and coming in empty to calculate taxes due.

The brewery was closed in 1916 due to prohibition but found a use as a creamery, egg grading station, town hall and a dance hall for several years. The structure eventually fell out of use in 1972 and remained empty until 1997, when the brewery was reopened as Neustadt Springs Brewery. The current owners Val and Andy from the UK purchased the building and within 10 months restored it to its former glory and revived the brewery operation. They currently brew 4 brands of beer and have an on-site retail store (website link HERE).

The owners provide a one-hour tour of the original caverns below the brewery on weekends only. These dark caverns, laying approximately 30 below street level are accessible by sloped ramps and are protected by an army of albino spiders. There is a tunnel which connects the brewery caverns to Heuther's house across the street as well as another one which runs under the old customs & excise office to the Co-Op feed mill which now houses a large antique store which is currently walled up. There are rumours that this tunnel may have seen clandestine use during the prohibition years.

Bear Essentials

2008-07-29T15:03:00.007-04:00

My apologies in advance . . . this post has very little to do with the hobby of urban exploration. I promise to have something promising next week when I go exploring with one of my fav explorer-chicks 'Simmorill'. This explorer / blogger has been rather busy again this past week indulging in the dreaded activity called 'summer family vacation'. This particular vacation involved camping in the wilds of northern Ontario where only the bold or insane venture.

Let us just say that upon my return home from said vacation, I spent a rather long time in my bathroom admiring the modern convenience of a flush toilet and hot / cold running water. After this, I meandered over to the bed to take in the glorious feel of clean linen.

I would have spent some of my time exploring but the flying / biting / fire-breathing insects of northern Ontario decided that I would make a very lovely buffet. All that I can provide to you at this time is a short video taken at the nearby garbage dump of Dunchurch. In all, there were four bears, two raccoons, and a flock of dump-ducks . . . Enjoy !

First things first . . .

The reason we had found ourselves at the dump - - - apparently there was no place to plug in the curiously-absent television set in our tent. My three kids require only one of two things . . . television or Novacaine®. The next best thing a good father could provide in this situation is taking the monsters, I mean children, on this time-honoured traditional activity of those poor souls who have no cabel . . . a trip to the dump to take in the sights and smells.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by the most horrible of stenches . . . it was sour, sickly-sweet, putrid, and acrid all at once. It was then I realised two things . . . that the van windows were shut tightly and that we were all in very dire need of a bath. We wandered over to the tipping face - a ledge with a eight-foot drop and immediately spotted black bears, specifically 'Ursus Americanus'. Even more specifically, Ursus Dumpus.

As we watched these graceful creatures claw through garabe bags and eat diaper burritos, I saw a curious creature unkown to me. It was completely round, fur-covered, had a waddling gait, and moved about on unseen appendages. Only when the critter lifted its head to clear its gullet of rancid fat did I realise what this animal was . . . the world's largest raccoon.

It's proper name, Procyon lotor, roughly translates from the latin as 'one who washes'. This is due to the raccoon's habit of 'washing' their food in water. As I watched in morbid curiosity this raccoon eat a variety of unsanitary sanitary products and anything else that may have been in those garbage bags, I did not note any washing of food whatsovever. Anywho . . . this beast, the size of small dalmation, most likely weighed in just over 45 kilos (100 pounds) and the dump bears steered a wide berth of this municipal monster.

The point I try to make here is that some parts of northern Ontario is no fit place for an "Urban" explorer to wander around . . .

Doors Open Barrie

2008-07-03T14:35:00.005-04:00

Through Doors Open Ontario 2008, Ontario Heritage Trust and the City of Barrie, some of Barrie's most intriguing and charming heritage sites will be open to the public for tour. The very first Doors Open Barrie 2008 event is to take place Sunday, September 28, 2008. Tourists in this province have been enjoying Doors Open events since 2000. In France, the curious have had La Journée Portes Ouvertes since 1984.

For more information, Contact Tourism Barrie.
Telephone: 1-800-668-9100 or 705-739-9444
E-mail: info@doorsopenbarrie.ca
Website: www.doorsopenbarrie.ca

Some of the event sites this year . . .

Southshore Centre
205 Lakeshore Drive - 10:00am to 4:00pm

Barrie Arboretum
Sunnidale Park, corner of Sunnidale and Cundles Roads - 10:00am to 4:00pm

Foresters Museum
36 Mulcaster Street - 10:00am to 4:00pm

Harbour View Inn (Forsythe House)
1 Berczy Street - 10:00am to 4:00pm

MacLaren Art Centre (formerly the Library)
37 Mulcaster Street - 12:00pm to 4:00pm

Meridian Planning Consultants Inc. (Peplar House)
113 Collier Street - 10:00am to 4:00pm

The Robert Simpson Brewing Company
( B E E R ! ! )
107 Dunlop Street East - 10:00am to 4:00pm

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
47 Owen Street - 12:00pm to 4:00pm

Simcoe County Museum
1151 Highway 26 West - 1:00pm to 4:30pm

Trinity Anglican Church
24 Collier Street - 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

I would also recommend taking part in one of three walking tours being arranged. One may register for a tour HERE .

Downtown Barrie Historic Walking Tour
Sunday, September 28 - 4:00 pm
Departing from Memorial Square (65 Dunlop Street East)

Barrie Union Cemetery Historic Walking Tour
Sunday, September 28 - 11:00 am & 2:00 pm
Meet at the Barrie Union Cemetery - 338 Sunnidale Road (Cundles Road West & Anne Street).

Barrie Waterfront Historic Walking Tour
Sunday, September 28 - 11:00 am & 2:00 pm
Meet at the Southshore Centre - 205 Lakeshore Drive

AstroLand

2008-06-27T09:20:00.011-04:00

I for one am not much for roller coasters . . but this does not detract from my appreciation from them. We once again take the blog and visit with my most excellent brother 'DressyMonday' who lives, works and sometimes plays in New York.

DressyMonday sent along an image of his very good friend Tim and himself hurtling towards certain doom on the Cyclone roller coaster on Surf Avenue Brooklyn, and area better known as Coney Island. Apparently, not only did the two loose vertebrae and teeth, there also may be a patch or two of blood / hair somewhere along the 3,000 feet of wooden hell.

It is certainly not the first time this deadly apparatus has tasted blood . . .
A passenger was killed in 1985 and a ride operator fell to his death in 1988 while conducting a safety inspection.

I became interested in Astroland (where Cyclone is located) very recently after reading a fellow bloggers post that the park was soon to close after decades of providing amusement and diversion to New Yorkers.

I have a sort of deep nostalgia for old amusement parks such as Astroland even though I have never visited and most likely will never have the opportunity before it is demolished and the property redeveloped.

As one walks through them, it is not very difficult to see echoes of its former glory. What is now chipped, peeling, or gaudy becomes cool retro through my eyes.

Anywho, I think I have drifter far enough - let's get back to some interesting facts and past.

The Cyclone has been an official New York City Landmark since July 12, 1988, and has been listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places on June 31, 1991.

The roller coaster gained National Historic Landmark status on June 26, 1991.

On April 14, 1992, Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden issued a citation to Jerome Albert and the late Dewey Albert for their operation of both Astroland and the Cyclone, saluting them for being the primary energizing force in the regeneration of the Coney Island Amusement District.

Construction consist of steel track on almost entirely wood structure.

This coaster also has the distinction of being the most copied roller coaster ever built. There are now 7 'clones' currently operating throughout the United States, Europe and Japan.

I should very much like to photographically explore this space sometime directly after it has closed and before any preparatory work take place for demolition. I will be bothering other urban explorers I know in this state for their images of this beautiful old park.

Until next time, Happy and Safe Exploring.

Hearn Tragedy

2008-06-18T13:55:00.008-04:00

R.I.P. Hearn Explorer

Ryan Nyenhuis

I do not personally know this explorer but do feel very saddened by the tragic loss of any explorer. My sincere condolences to his friends and family. Please understand that he was passionately enjoying a hobby at the time of his accident.
Urban Exploration does pose risks. With experience, safety equipment, and the advice of other Explorers, these risks are manageable.
Leave a message at ebituary.

(image credits - from fellow explorer 'v.n.' who requested anonymity. The community has been following this very sad story since the first emergency vehicle was dispatched)

From the Globe & Mail Article . . .
FRINGE ACTIVITY: ENTERING DECAYING BUILDINGS
Urban explorer pays for his hobby with his life
Man dies from injuries after three-storey fall inside decommissioned power station
June 18, 2008 // Anthony Reinhart

To urban explorers, it's known simply as Hearn, one of Toronto's top destinations for camera-toting adventurers with a fondness for abandoned buildings.

From now on, they will also know it as the place where a fellow enthusiast died after a three-storey fall into a coal hopper on the weekend.

A 26-year-old man from Northern Ontario died of brain injuries in a Toronto hospital yesterday, two days after he tumbled from a catwalk high inside the Richard L. Hearn Thermal Generating Station, a sprawling fifties-era power plant in the midst of being dismantled on the city's east-end waterfront.

Police said the man and a 24-year-old friend, who were not employees at the site, "gained access through a secure area of the building for the purposes of taking artistic photographs of the building's interior" and were on a sixth-floor catwalk when the man fell and became trapped at about 4 p.m. Emergency workers took nearly three hours to free him.

The man's family has been notified, but his name has not been released.

As Detective Constable Kim O'Toole continued her investigation yesterday, alongside officials from the Ontario Ministry of Labour because the demolition site is a workplace, another adventurer familiar with the Hearn plant lamented not only the man's death, but his decision to take such an extreme risk in the first place.

"It's a shame that he died," Alex, who lives west of Toronto and works in information technology, said yesterday. "The fact that he was crawling up through a power station that's in the process of being demolished, especially that high up, is stupid to my mind."

Urban exploration, which can involve trespassing and breaking and entering, is a fringe activity that has gained popularity in recent years, especially among photographers intrigued by the decay of the built environment.

Enthusiasts range from professionals such as Toronto's Sean Galbraith, who has parlayed his forays into high-priced fine art, to thrill-seeking amateurs who prefer a lower profile and share their work on Internet sites.

Mr. Galbraith declined to discuss the practice in an e-mail exchange yesterday, "other than to say this is a truly tragic accident and my thoughts go out to his family."

Alex, who asked that his surname be withheld, said mishaps have been rare in the three years he has been combing abandoned buildings in Southern Ontario and western New York. They are usually the result of ignorance and sometimes involve people lured to the hobby by its heightened profile in the media and on television shows like CSI and Urban Explorers, a Discovery Channel series.

"When I go into a place, I usually look to make sure that it's structurally sound," he said. "I avoid floors that have been partially knocked off, I avoid catwalks, places where there are massive holes in the floor."

He also wears safety boots with steel toes and shanks, and in some cases, a respirator mask to filter out asbestos and noxious fumes.

"I am fully trained in first aid and carry a kit with me, and have had to use it on a couple of occasions," he said, adding that he once treated another hobbyist who injured himself punching through glass.

"It's just a matter of using your head," Alex said, adding that taking a buddy along, and preferably two, is essential "so that one person can run out and make a phone call in the case that you're stuck in a place like Hearn. Cell reception is a bit spotty in there."

With four excursions into Hearn under his belt, the most recent in April, Alex said he made a point of warning his fellow enthusiasts of the dangers of their hobby when he heard about the weekend accident.

The appeal of the old generating station, mothballed in the 1980s, is simple: "It's big, it's been around for a while, and you get to see what the power stations were like when they were first built in the fifties," an era before computers when control rooms were filled with dials and buttons and gauges.

Asked how he reconciles the need to trespass to get into such sites, he said, "I don't go in with the intent to damage the property. I don't break into a building; I look for an open door, I look for a hole in the wall, an open window, something that I can just walk in. If I can't get in without walking in, I walk away."

He has been caught by on-site security guards, "and they just kick you off the property." He's never been arrested.

"The fact of the matter with trespassing is, the most you'll get is a $65 ticket, and that's only if the police can find the owner and the owner wants to pursue this. You don't get put in cuffs; you don't get jailed."

In Toronto, Alex said, Hearn has ranked alongside the Canada Malting silos at the foot of Bathurst Street and the Don Valley Brick Works as one of the top three destinations for urban explorers.

Now that there's been an accident, he expects things to change at Hearn, and if that comes at the expense of his hobby, so be it.

"Hopefully it's a wake-up call for both explorers and companies to watch themselves," he said. "I hope that they do something about Hearn; either finish the job and knock it down, or seal it up well enough that nobody gets in.
"I don't want to see other people get hurt."
Forbidden places

Urban exploration, infiltration, creeping, building hacking - whatever you call it, forays into otherwise forbidden places have become an increasingly popular, if often illicit, hobby in cities around the world, particularly since the advent of the Internet in the mid-nineties.

A Toronto man, Jeff Chapman, aka Ninjalicious, was a contemporary UE pioneer with his magazine Infiltration: the zine about going places you're not supposed to go, founded in 1996 [Mr. Chapman died in 2005 and publication has since ceased].

From photographers and graffiti artists to thrill-seekers and the simply curious, these places - some abandoned, others still active - offer the allure of the unknown, the historical, even the haunted.

Niagara Family Vacation

2008-06-14T16:39:00.024-04:00

If you are a family man like me, there comes a dreaded point every other summer or so when you must face the inevitable . . . the summer vacation.
This post has very little to do about urban exploration but quite a bit about taking my 3 progenies (hereafter to be referred to as 'the monsters' or 'the unspeakables') on a much-anticipated family vacation to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls. Since I had to endure this horror, I feel that I must share this with other sympathetic souls . . . sorry - misery likes company.

I also wish to provide some advice to other parents out there . . . bring a LOT of alcohol - it helps.

Here's a brief 2.5 minute video of the 2-day Niagara / Great Wolf Lodge experience which I have distilled for you.

We started off at the requisite unpleasantness of the physiographic falls itself . . . this is the point in the river system where approximately 165,000 cubic-metres (per minute!) of the wet stuff dumps itself over a precipice on its way to join it's salt-water brethren in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Looking down into this gorge of doom, we saw a beautiful decomissioned Ontario Power Generating Station (also decommissioned and now with a grass-covered roof) as well as a crowd of very wet tourists enjoying a shower at the 'Behind the Falls' tour.

One of the more enjoyable attractions (from an Urban Explorer's point of view) is the Rankine Hydro-Electric Power Generating Stations, commissioned in January, 1905 and decommissioned in 2005 after one-hundred years of supplying electricity to Niagara Falls' famous vibrating beds. They certainly do not construct buildings of this quality anymore.

The old barge that ran aground back in 1918 appears to be in the same fixed location as it was when I last visited it as a teenager more than 2 decades ago. This barge broke away from a tug with two sailors aboard ( Gustav Lofberg, 51 and James Harris, 40). The quick-thinking men flooded the barge in order to ground it against the shallows and then waited 19 hours until rescued. I wonder if the sound of running water made them want to pee . . .
There is also the very kewl railed derrick a short distance away from the barge which used to operate the sluice gates at the Rankine generating facility.

The skyline (from the river) of Niagara falls at first appears familiar with the Minolta Tower, constructed which opened in 1962. I do understand that this tower does change hands as frequently as some South-American countries change governments, but it will always be the Minolta Tower to me. The Tower is now jostled for space with many newcomers such as the Fallsview Embassy Suites and the Marriott.

After playing tourist among the many unwashed foreigners down at the Falls, it was time to retire to our reserved rooms at the Great Wolf Lodge . . . If I only had a change to 'retire'. The munsters insisted that the communal bedtime story event be attended at 8:00 PM.

With very little sleep that night, I was to endure the majority of the next day riding down terrifying water-slides at the 103,00 square-foot indoor water park. Were it not for the kindness of the bar-keep and the unrelenting barrage of tropical blender-drinks, I may have very well perished.

I sincerely hoped that reading about this misadventure was as unpleasant to you as it was me experiencing it . . . Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring !

~ Copy-('Lemony-Snicket])-Six

I Get Around

2008-06-09T09:35:00.011-04:00

I get around . . . One of the characteristics of a passionate urban explorer, is simply that he or she explores. This means that no matter how cold, or hot, how much precipitation in its many wondrous forms is draining from the skies down the back of your neck, there is a drive to constantly interact with one's environs.

Here's an aggregation of how I saw my world through my lens over the last 72-hours. My apologies in advance - not really 'UrbEx' per se, but still encompassing the essence and spirit of exploration.

Another Downtown Fire
Yet another tragedy downtown. Thank-fully nobody was hurt in this latest string of fires. The first incident I spoke about took place 7/08/2007 (Earth & Sky Connection) with the second one on 12/06/2007 (Five Points), both leaving many unfortunate tenants homeless.

The latest fire occured on Tuesday 20 May at 98-104 Dunlop Street East (Bedrock's Smoothie & Pita and Janet Kemp Ladies Fashion), but I only had an opportunity to poke around just now. The Office of the Fire Marshal has labeled the incident as suspicious - a mattress leaning against a gas meter at the back of the building caught fire and spread to the commercial spaces at street level and apartments above.

Although the building looks fairly intact from the street, there was heavy interior smoke and fire damage. The Owner has been ordered to engage a structural engineer to assess the damage and report on recommended remedial work necessary to make the building safe again.

Robert Simpson Brewery
Directly across the street from the fire-damaged Pita joint lies the wondrous Robert Simpson Brewery. This brewery is named after a master brewer who was also happened to Barrie’s first mayor. Mr. Simpson founded Simcoe Brewery in 1843. Back then, it was healthier to drink beer than water they may have been pulling out of the lake or shallow dug wells.

Brewmaster Gordon Slater, together with owner Peter Chiodo, have spent years developing and evolving their Confederation Ale. Gordon and Peter craft their batches 'o' brew according to the 'Reinheitsgebot' or Bavarian 'Beer Purity Law'.

Robert Simpson and his brewery was in great demand as every small hamlet in Simcoe County paraded economic inducements to have him locate his business in their community. A measure of success for these early settlements was to be able to demonstrate a list of industrial entrepreneurs working and living in their forward-looking municipality.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Robert Simpson had one of the best-burning breweries in Ontario. Fire struck his brewery in the Village of Kempenfelt (1836), and Tollendal Village before he finally settled on the Marry Street location in Barrie in 1849. Each time incentives were offered to Mr. Simpson to relocate to their community.

Ardagh Accident
I was coming back home on Friday night (from an undisclosed location) when I rolled up to a police road block near to where I live. Inquisitive as I am, I popped out to talk with on-lookers and take pictures (as my camera always seems to be about my person).

Here is the Police blurb . . . Barrie Police are reporting that a serious motor vehicle collision occurred this evening just after 8:00pm. Police report a Buick Regal was driving westbound on Ardagh Road, east of Ferndale Road, at a high rate of speed. The vehicle lost control on the crest of a hill and veered across the east bound lanes of Ardagh Road, mounting the sidewalk and striking a female pedestrian walking eastbound. The 36 year old female pedestrian has serious injuries and was flown to Sunnybrook Hospital. The 21 year old male driver has been arrested for Dangerous Driving Causing Bodily Harm. The Barrie Police Service Traffic Unit and Identification Unit have been called in to investigate. Police are asking citizens to avoid the area for now.

I am trying hard not to pre-judge here but from what I saw the accident reconstruction officers doing, it appears this idiot really laying it down hard and fast over the hill and lost it, skidding out at least 200 metres before finally coming to rest on the sidewalk.

Feel free to provide comments about what you think is wrong with this driver.

Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring,
. . . and watch out for idiot drivers.

Sundial Reloaded 2

2008-05-31T09:24:00.011-04:00

As promised in the previous post (here), this is part 2 of the recent Sundial Inn exploration.

As previously discussed, this exploration was somewhat close to magical given the very pristine shape of the abandonment, the massive volume of equipment / articles left behind, and the absence of any wanton destruction from local vandals (aka a$$-hats).

Here is the second video summarising our exploration . . . enjoy !

As I had wandered though the hotel (being very careful to leave everything the way I had found it), I did start to think of the number of staff who had toiled here for years on end to keep the place looking good and their guests happy. It was not too difficult to imagine this as a large number of rooms appeared already made with linen / bedding and ready to receive guests.

I wondered about the day this place did close . . . how did management inform their staff - was it emotional, did it come as a surprise? I should think that staff would have seen the writing on the wall for some time (and many knew that doors would be closing eventually) - the closing of the kitchens in 2005, no expenditures provided for upgrades or repairs, and finally the long parade of dismal reviews by guests - some of which may be found here.

It must have been as cheery as working at a funeral home or perhaps keeping bar on a sinking ship - taking unending complaints from guests and knowing that the owners in Calagary would do absolutely nothing about it.

From the reviews I had, . . erm . . reviewed, it appears that the pool had also been closed down in the last year or so of the Sundial's operation due to a broken heater, a broken pump, ad nauseum.

Many poor reviews from guests did arise from the issue around false advertisement - specifically images on the website showing guests enjoying facilities that had since been closed - such as this one to the right.

I rather enjoy empty indoor pools in abandonments - I not sure why. Perhaps it is because these facilities had been witness to so much life before their close . . kids splashing, families playing, etc. And now just a dead husk that presents something almost macabre in its nature.

When one explores a pool room in an abandonment, the first thing one may notice is the distressing lack of any water within the pool itself. While I was snapping a few images and taking a some video, I thought about how staff may have drained the pool and perhaps even pulled the pump for a replacement that would never come. To delve further into this, I noticed a narrow stairs which most likely lead to the mechanical room and perhaps the exercise rooms.

I took only one, perhaps two steps down the stairs when something felt odd - specifically it was the sound of my foot-falls on the stairs. I stopped and then saw that the entire basement was approximately waist deep in water . . . given the brightness of the pool area above, it was not immediately noticeable in the darkness below very still waters.

Just glad I did not get a soaker here.

Until next time, safe and happy exploring everyone !

Sundial Reloaded 1

2008-05-24T10:28:00.019-04:00

After the bitter disappointment of being skunked at the two previous hotels (see prior POST), I was left with a deep set yearning to see any hotel - preferably closer to home so it would not hurt too much at the gas pumps.

To this end, I headed off to the retrolicous / googie-riffic seat of popluxe luxury, the Sundial Inn. This recently abandoned location was briefly scouted / probed back in February, but not explored . . . Here is PART ONE of this most recent exploration.

Here is a short video of the first leg of the exploration covering the kitchens, bars, restaurant and offices.

First off, I want to thank the gods of UrbEx that be that this location has not attracted the attention of local miscreants / vandals / a$$-hat tag-monkeys. I should think that the fencing erected around the property does provide a level of security to thwart some of these parasites of society.

The former hotel appears relatively intact and still fully equipped. With the exception of the collapsed entry canopy (picture below showing the inside view), one could imagine that the place simply closed down for the week and guests would be welcome back at any time.

I especially enjoyed the 'timeless-ness' of this headline from the National Post sport page, "Leafs Eaten Alive" - this could be a headline from any season within the last several decades.

The thing that I love most about this place is the funky decor last updated in the early 80's. There are other decorative elements which had survived since the construction intact . . . finding these, in my opinion are one of the reasons I have a passion for exploration.

When I carefully picked my way though this abandonment, it took very little imaginative effort to transport myself decades back into time to this hotel's golden age . . . a time when few cared little about about the negative effects of alcohol or deep-fried food.

With the exception of any food stocks within the freezer lockers downstairs, the kitchen also appeared ready to be put into action with no great effort.

Although the Sunshine cafe closed it's door to guests back in 2005 (a paper found here hints at the date), the hotel still offered conference / meeting rooms - this had left me wondering if the kitchens were still in operation or whether organisers had to cater in the food.

The headline from this April 2005 Orillia paper speaks onto the decision to close the Huronia Regional Centre (HRC), which should be discharging its last patient sometime this year. This is a MASSIVE facility and certainly an UrbEx gem in this region.

Stay tuned for PART 2 of the Sundial Inn exploration within a week or two.

Happy & Safe Exploring,
Remember - I and all who explore with me 'Take ONLY photos, and Leave only footprints' as we respect the properties we visit.

The Way is Shut

2008-05-12T09:27:00.010-04:00

An explorer can expect with some infrequency that he or she will not be able to gain access to an abandonment. The local lingo for this called 'being skunked'. This does not happen often to an experienced explorer as they would have undoubtedly have 'scouted' the location a few times, softly probing for possible points-of-entry.

Akin to many non-renewable resources, we have simply explored most (if not all) abandonments locally and must now cast our urban exploration nets further. The drawback to this (in addition to the cost of fuel to travel there), is that one is not afforded the opportunity to properly scout the location and chances of being 'skunked' rise dramatically.

This was the case when we traveled to photographically explore the Royal Connaught in Hamilton and the Regal Constellation on the airport strip in Toronto . . .

The way is shut.
It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it.
The way is shut.

The Royal Connaught was a grand hotel in every sense of the word and had been explored numerous times by many explorers. Unfortunately, idiot vandals and tag-monkeys attracted attention of the owners who ensured that the point of access to this beautiful building was secured against entry.

Having driven almost two hours to Hamilton and being denied this UrbEx jewel was very disappointing to say the least. To slake our thirst for exploration, we walked a block or two over to the abandoned Century Theatre which I had already previously explored . . . this too had been most firmly secured against our entry.

All was not lost however, we still had another chance to explore the retrolicious Regal Constellation on the Dixon Road airport strip. Again, this location had been throughly explored by others and the amazing images posted in their UrbEx galleries only served to deepen our disappointment when we discovered a dozen or two contractors on site active with the process of demolition for the upcoming redevelopment of the property.

Unfortunately, I am only able to provide you uninteresting exterior photographs of these beautiful buildings. Perhaps latter, if they have not yet been demolished I will be able to treat you to wonderful images of delicious decay and stories of their rich history.

Admirals’ Row

2008-04-26T16:38:00.021-04:00

Staying with the theme from the last post, this UrbEx armchair traveler's attention has remained in New York and has focused on unique and beautiful buildings on a small neighborhood that time forgot . . . Admiral's Row.
All images - From the Report Assessment of Admirals row, brooklyn naval yard, Beardsley Design Associates. See the full report here.

Built between 1864 and 1901 along Flushing Avenue, the houses were part of a six-acre site, including stables and tennis courts, that once housed high-ranking naval officers and their families.

Although the Navy closed the yard in 1966, the houses remained occupied until the 1970's. Ownership of the property then shifted to the federal government, and the site was placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers.

In the mid-1990's, the city investigated the possibility of buying the site and determined that it would cost more than $20 million to restore the structures to their former grandeur.

Unfortunately, it appears that most of the structures have already degraded to a point of no recovery. The very best that I (and N.Y. building preservationists / historical interest groups) could hope for is a salvage operation of pieces of interest.

Being from Barrie, Ontario (Canada) I know full well the feeling of cultural and historical loss of buildings such as these . . . I just hope that something can be recovered.

For more information, read the wikipedia entry.

The Cloud Club

2008-04-24T13:38:00.016-04:00

As we are now engaged in researching, scouting and planning our explorations for the 'season', I am short a blog post. To this end, I wish to write about a far-flung destination and location which has interested me for some time but which I will not likely get around to ever seeing . . . it is the iconic Chrysler Building in New York. Specifically, the forgotten private Cloud Club which occupied the 66th-68th floors.

First off, let us cover off a bit of background information. This Office building was designed by William Van Alen and constructed in just four short years between 1926 and 1930. This structure represents the epitome of sleek Art Deco design, and its tapering sunburst-patterned stainless-steel spire remains a striking feature of the Manhattan skyline. Much of its futuristic automotive ornamentation was specified by its owner, Walter P. Chrysler. It was also briefly the tallest in the world(1,046 ft or 318.8 m) until the Empire State Building opened in 1931.

Images - Randy Juster - www.decopix.com (The Art Deco Architecture site)

In the 1930s, the 66th through the 68th floors of the Chrysler Building were contained a 'speakeasy' (an illegal barroom operating during prohibition) known as the Cloud Club and latter on as the 'Lunch Club'. Not many people got to see these clouds; membership was reserved for the likes of E. F. Hutton and Conde Nast. This space was appointed with lavish pink marble bathrooms and a gleaming bar of Bavarian wood. Members had their own lockers (each marked with a secret code written in hieroglyphics) so they could stash their hooch in the event of a police raid. A Tudor-style lounge occupied a space on the 66th floor, with mortise-and-tenon oak paneling, and a Grill Room in the classic Olde English style, with pegged plank floors, wood beams, wrought-iron chandeliers and leaded glass doors. All this was crammed, along with kitchens, a stock-ticker room, a humidor, a barber shop.

Images: NY Times Photo - Hiroko Masuike (left) and Samantha Storey (right).

The main dining room, which was located one floor up was connected by a bronze and marble Renaissance-style staircase with polished granite columns and etched glass sconces. There was a cloud mural on the vaulted ceiling, and a mural of Manhattan on the north wall. On the same floor Walter Chrysler had a private dining room with an etched-glass frieze of automobile workers. There was also a private Texaco dining room, with a giant mural of a refinery, and what was reputed to be the grandest men's room in all of New York.

As mentioned, not many ordinary people were granted access to the elite Cloud Club but for fifty cents one would be allowed to go up to the observatory, located on the seventy-first floor. The observatory featured futuristic, slanted walls decorated with deco sun-ray graphics. The observatory closed in 1945 (when the Empire State building opened), and is currently rented out as corporate office space. It is reported that the tenant has made some efforts to preserve its original flavor.

At the Beaux-Arts Ball of 1931, at least two dozen architects came dressed as buildings they had designed. They included, (from left to right) A. Stewart Walker as the Fuller Building, Leonard Schultze as the Waldorf-Astoria, Ely Jacques Kahn as the Squibb Building, William Van Alen as the Chrysler Building, Ralph Walker as the Wall Street Building and Joseph Freedlander as the Museum of the City of New York.

The former Cloud Club was closed in the 1970's and since has been restricted to the general populace. There have been reports that the current owners have gutted it and sold its fixtures and furniture to museums and private collectors.

Arts Society Party Images - NYatKNIGHT

The Municipal Art Society of New York was able to rent the space containing the former Cloud Club for a cocktail party back in February of 2004. The party was held to hear Neal Bascomb, the author of Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City. Mr Bascomb spoke over a slideshow presentation about his book and the construction of the Chrysler building.

Whatever the future holds for this space formerly occupied by the Cloud Club, I hope that it includes some nostalgic remembrances of its past glory.

UrbEx Documentary

2008-04-12T12:46:00.005-04:00

You may recall the 'All Your Base' post from August, 2006. Participants to this Urbex meet Simmorill, JourneyLady, Axle, Boffo, Jupiter, Skold, myself and those two documentary folks from Ottawa (Group 1). With Shatter, Frost, BigInJapan, and Taz (Group 2) working a tandem exploration and following this rabble was Air33 and Jannx (Group 3).

Looks like our intrepid documentary film-maker Miles Finlayson has finally updated the website: www.withoutapostcard.com

A trailer for this very cool film features, among many other locations and explorers, our August, 2006 get-together up at Base Edgar.

Here for your enjoyment is the 'Without A Postcard' trailer. Please visit the site and pump this much anticipated flick to your friends.

I have realised two things as I'm posting;

1. I did not bother to include the 'All Your Base' exploration post within the post archive . . . my apologies.
AND
2. I have not been out for and exploration for a few weeks now and really do not have anything of interest to share with you.

I do have some ongoing projects and lots of scouting pics which I will not share as they are not noteworthy, nor artistic, and may lead to unwanted attention.

Due to this, I would like to share some the the 2006 images from the Edgar Exploration . . . enjoy !

Happy & Safe Exploring everyone !

Sally Ann Shelter

2008-03-26T17:33:00.018-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was afforded precious little time in between Easter gorgings to allow me to get any serious explorations undertaken in London.

I was, however, able to escape my gastronomic chains to be able to get downtown to the former Salvation Army Men's Mission. The Sally Ann operated a 100-bed temporary shelter, thrift store, and provided other social services at this location since being built in 1952. The Salvation Army latter sold the property in 2003 and have since moved to their new digs at the corner of Bathurst and Wellington Streets.

Here is a short video of the exploration . . .

Since coming onto the 'UrbEx' market in 2003, paint peel production (P3) has kicked it into high gear. Everywhere within this 3-story brick structure one may view absolutely exquisite peelers in a rainbow of tacky institutional hues . . . Lets start in the stairwells ->

Similarly, a panorama of peelers may be found in the passageways. Melt water, finding its way into the the structure had formed a frictionless sheet of ice. Were it not for the peelers on the floors, yours truly may well have gone a$$ over tea-kettle . . . . (whatever that means - ? )

This propensity for peelers did not confine itself to the perimeters of the above-mentioned stairwells and hallways. Indeed, they may also be found within the group dormitories. ! ! TEST ! ! - What colour do you think this dormitory was before some kind-hearted soul chose a more neutral (read: "natural") hue ? ?

Time for an intra-post image randomness . . .
What does Clark Gable and a roof-access ladder have in common - - not much I think BUT both of these things may be found in this hostel.

Attached to the shelter is a two-story storage / warehouse deal. As I entered the large open space upstairs, I took notice of a large cat checking out my exploratory progress from the other side of a window. I also noticed the classic 'is it a wagon wheel or a chandelier' ceiling fixture. What I did not notice was the gang of vicious attack-pigeons laying in wait for me . . .

At the time of my exploration, the toilet bowls were surprisingly devoid of any hobo-dumplings. As I was denied my 'di rigeur' money-$hot, I had to settle for a urinal and weird-a$$ basin stand.

Until next time, Happy & Safe Exploring . . .

Apartment Demo

2008-03-24T16:21:00.014-04:00

Hope everyone had a pleasant holiday. I spent the Easter weekend in London with relatives. In between servings of ham, turkey and other gastronomic goodness, I managed to slip away for a quick exploration of an apartment building being demolished on Kipp's Lane in London's north-east, not far where I did some growing up.

Buildings under demolition are an inherently dangerous place and I am very hesitant to venture in as the entire affair becomes structurally unsound with the removal of supporting walls.

This being said, these types of 'in-process demolishments' do offer the urban explorer a glimpse of what it may be like for a war correspondent on assignment or what it may feel like for a Palestinian living in the West Bank.

It may also provide a window into the lives of the denizens who had, until recently, called this place their home. Unfortunately, any personal effects or other detritus produced by human occupation had been all cleared from the building and was piled in a large heap on the east side of the structure leaving the rooms without any flavour.

This area of town was decidedly bad-a$$ back in the day when I was growing up here. As a result, I took extra precaution when poking around half expecting to find a crack party in progress . . . all I found was an abandoned hobo carriage.