7 More Abandoned Wonders of the World: Amazing American Abandonments
Ever see an impressive derelict structure and wonder just how a
building so elegant, sizable or centrally located could be abandoned?
There are amazing abandonments all over the world, but some may be
closer than you think. Many are even located right in the heart of
major cities like New York or Los Angeles and are decades or even
centuries old. From zoos to steel mills, prisons to offices complexes
and monasteries to cemeteries here are 7 abandoned wonders of the USA.
Rochester, New York:
Built in the early 1800s, Mt. Hope Cemetery was the first munipical
cemetery in the United States with graves older than the official
graveyard itself. Such famous persons as Susan B. Anthony and Frederick
Douglas are among those buried there in everything from lawn crypts and
columbariums to family mausoleums. It seems strange, then, that the
chapel at such an historically significant location would be abandoned
to the elements, though it remains elegant even in its disrepair.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:
Western Penitentiary is over a century old and was finally abandoned a
few years back, only to be reopened a few months ago. The site was, in
a way, one of the world’s most temporary abandonments, left in pristine
condition during its period of disuse and lending itself to the surreal
experience of a recently working prison for visitors. Originally used
in the 1800s to house Confederate Army war prisoners, it is now used
for medium to low security containment of inmates requiring drug and
alcohol treatment.
Lacawana, New York:
The Bethlehem Steel Company was once the second largest steel mill in
the United States. They manufactured everything from railroad cars and
bridge and building parts to World War II battleships. After nearly 150
years in operation, the company finally declared bankruptcy less than a
decade ago and has left behind a series of remarkably intact
abandonments.
North Brother Island, New York:
This abandoned 20-acre island sits amazingly close to the bustling
center of New York City yet is completely unused. It was home to a
hospital in the 19th Century, then housed veterans after World War II
before becoming one of the first drug treatment centers for teens in
the 1950s. Corruption and failure caused the facility to close and the
island has since been off limits to the public, though some urban
explorers have made their way onto it anyway. The island was also the
site of an infamous shipwreck in 1904 in which over 1,000 people
drowned or burned to death.
Palo Alto, California:
During the dot-com bubble, Sun Microsystems experienced incredible
growth and rapidly expanded in all areas including personnel,
infrastructure and office space. Sun has since had ups and downs and
has streamlined their operations and few people think twice about the
amazing remnant abandonments they have left behind, save for a few
intrepid urban explorers. Along with other things, the (above)
adventurers found shotgun shells, cans of malt liquor, rows of servers
and even working light fixtures.
Staten Island, New York:
St. Augistine’s Monastary sits atop Grymes Hill and was once a school
but now has been closed for over a half a century. Originally built as
a school for boys, it was later converted and then sat idle until
purchased in the 1980s. Each new owner, though, has since fallen into
debt and the school was eventually purchased by a local college to
avoid unwanted development, yet even Wagner College apparently has no
plans to develop the property.
Los Angeles, California:
The Griffith Park Zoo in Los Angeles is neither the oldest nor the
newest of L.A.’s massive animal habitats. Though this location was
abandoned decades ago it is unusually available to visitors even today.
It isn’t every day that a set of abandonments not only survives for
generations but also remains available to the public as a kind of
museum or window into the past.
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