Abandoned/Dilapidated/Ruins == post 'em here

[CraigMcM]

Former regional psychiatric hospital in Northville, MI, USA. No longer standing.

 

[Jack Dawe]

Lindisfarne Priory, Northumberland

 

[CraigMcM]

 

[CraigMcM]

I call this place 'Michigan's Coloseum.'

Located on the outskirts of Port Huron, Michigan, is this sports complex which never came to be.

The little bit I have learned about it is that was intended to be for the local community's enjoyment,
in addition to being home to a local semi-professional ice-hockey team.
The plans included multi-sports facilities, a home training base for the semi-pro team,
community access, and both indoor & outdoor hockey + skating rinks.

Plans were drawn and approved, funds to begin were secured, groundbreaking and construction was begun.

This is where things begin to fade from me.

As best as I've found out, the whole thing became a gigantic flustercuck which imploded
from a combination of rampant fraud, local politics, misappropriation of funds,
embezzlement, bribery, payoffs, corruption, illegal environmental and contract terms, and
anything else which can doom such a project when these ugly practices enter
the public's awareness.

It began as a dream project, and ended in catastrophic scandal.

​

edit to fix image links

 

[CraigMcM]

Once an icon of Detroit's decline and subsequent abandonment and decay,
the former Packard Automotive assembly plant was long a symbol of most of
what Detroit had become.
Covering a 3.5-million square-foot imprint just on the ground, extending from 2 to 4 levels above ground,
it fell into dereliction and decay for decades after the demise of Packard Automotive.

The property changed ownership many times over the decades under various plans, none of which
ever played out, as the site continued to decay and crumble.

Under a revitalizing economy and population, as Detroit began to recover from their
economic and population blight, regaining funds and support and interest, Detroit finally
declared the site needed to be razed for the city/public good.
They successfully sued then-current Peruvian owner for unpaid taxes and assessments,
sought permissions and injunctions for demolition, then began tearing it down.

I toured the place two or three times a decade or more before Detroit's latest renaissance,
and everything I saw was a trashed wreck. Security didn't exist because it was 4 city blocks
of multi-story buildings interconnected and unknown. No fences existed, no entry points secured,
no police presence on site, nothing. It was a no-man's land.
The site had been violently ravaged by scrappers of materials, tagged by uncounted grafitti
personalities, accumulated trash by illegal dumping, and even attracted shady 'business'
ventures encountered during my visits. A few years after my last visit, a pedestrian/auto
bridge crossing above Grand River Avenue collapsed from lack of maintenance into the street below,
and I had traversed that bridge a few times.

Finally, the location has been heavily featured in one or more of the Transformers motion pictures
as a site in Chicago. As a reason why the location doesn't fit, I'll say this, as I've lived in both
the Detroit and Chicago areas: There's no Chicagoan who sees the scenes as being shot in Chicago,
and there's no Detroiter who doesn't know the scenes are NOT from Chicago.
It's been a landmark seen from a major highway for decades.

Without further storytelling, here's some pictures of the trash heap it became:

 

[Levina]

That "sports complex which never came to be"... what a waste! Money down the drain.
The story of the Packard Automotive assembly plant is rather chilling. Also looks risky to enter the place, things might collapse on you!

Great stories, Craig. And photos to match.

 

[RichardB]

I once read that people aren’t allowed into these derelict buildings for reasons of safety? I don’t remember where that was the case though. Could have been in Europe or the UK.

 

[CraigMcM]

That "sports complex which never came to be"... what a waste! Money down the drain.
The story of the Packard Automotive assembly plant is rather chilling. Also looks risky to enter the place, things might collapse on you!

I once read that people aren’t allowed into these derelict buildings for reasons of safety? I don’t remember where that was the case though. Could have been in Europe or the UK.

It largely depends on ownership and what the owner is willing to enforce.
There are explorers who obtain legal permissions to enter and record some properties
from time to time. Those are usually properties which are well-secured and watched,
locally well-known, and notoriously difficult to access.

Technically, we were trespassing at the Packard plant, but there were no patrols or enforcement.
The Packard was indeed a dangerous site, which is why we explored in small groups.
In fact, this is one of the rules of safe explorations: More eyes and minds to look after each other.
Jay stopped me from stepping through a suspended ceiling into a 30-foot drop straight to
a rubble pile of trash on the floor below.

The hospital site in Northville became notorious soon after my last visit due to local police's
use of new TID(thermal imaging device) observation, and high fines with jail time when
apprehended. Fines were reported at up to $5000 USD, and stays in a jail cell of at least
4 days. This increased patrolling and enforcement was a result of new ownership
with approved plans for redevelopment.

The sports complex is a wide-open site adjacent to an active shopping center,
where we parked in the shopping's lot and waltzed openly into the site.
Plenty of people saw us enter, and police were not called. We spent 2 hours
or more in the site.

 

[RichardB]

It largely depends on ownership and what the owner is willing to enforce.
There are explorers who obtain legal permissions to enter and record some properties
from time to time. Those are usually properties which are well-secured and watched,
locally well-known, and notoriously difficult to access.

Technically, we were trespassing at the Packard plant, but there were no patrols or enforcement.
The Packard was indeed a dangerous site, which is why we explored in small groups.
In fact, this is one of the rules of safe explorations: More eyes and minds to look after each other.
Jay stopped me from stepping through a suspended ceiling into a 30-foot drop straight to
a rubble pile of trash on the floor below.

The hospital site in Northville became notorious soon after my last visit due to local police's
use of new TID(thermal imaging device) observation, and high fines with jail time when
apprehended. Fines were reported at up to $5000 USD, and stays in a jail cell of at least
4 days. This increased patrolling and enforcement was a result of new ownership
with approved plans for redevelopment.

The sports complex is a wide-open site adjacent to an active shopping center,
where we parked in the shopping's lot and waltzed openly into the site.
Plenty of people saw us enter, and police were not called. We spent 2 hours
or more in the site.

You got lucky that time, visiting the hospital. Bottom line = check the regulations before going into a dilapidated building/complex?

 

[CraigMcM]

You got lucky that time, visiting the hospital. Bottom line = check the regulations before going into a dilapidated building/complex?

You check the regulations, yes, but assess the risks against how much you'd like to explore.

Can I get in and back out undetected?
I'll give it a try.

Will it take a lot of careful planning to gain access?
Need to think about whether it's worth the consequences.

Potential risks are weighed against rewards in every situation.
I wouldn't willingly go stomping around the Chernobyl containment zone,
while I'd gladly risk a visit to an old psychiatric hospital.

Each site must be carefully considered prior to exploring.

If the penalties overshadow the risks, I'll normally leave it alone.

 

[RichardB]

You check the regulations, yes, but assess the risks against how much you'd like to explore.

Can I get in and back out undetected?
I'll give it a try.

Will it take a lot of careful planning to gain access?
Need to think about whether it's worth the consequences.

Potential risks are weighed against rewards in every situation.
I wouldn't willingly go stomping around the Chernobyl containment zone,
while I'd gladly risk a visit to an old psychiatric hospital.

Each site must be carefully considered prior to exploring.

If the penalties overshadow the risks, I'll normally leave it alone.

Gotcha!

 

[JohnPD]

but assess the risks

That would be my major concern. Looking at the pics posted some of these structures could collapse at any time.

 

[Ltdave]

That "sports complex which never came to be"... what a waste! Money down the drain.
The story of the Packard Automotive assembly plant is rather chilling. Also looks risky to enter the place, things might collapse on you!

Great stories, Craig. And photos to match.

as far as collapse, most of the structure is very sound. Albert Kahn, the industrial architect introduced steel reinforced concrete in the construction and as such, its actually very difficult to demolish, let along collapse on its own.

ive been past it many many times but i never made plans to go exploring. sometimes i wish i had so i would have photos (even if similar) of my own...

 

[Levina]

as far as collapse, most of the structure is very sound. Albert Kahn, the industrial architect introduced steel reinforced concrete in the construction and as such, its actually very difficult to demolish, let along collapse on its own.

That you know that. Have you worked in construction?

ive been past it many many times but i never made plans to go exploring. sometimes i wish i had so i would have photos (even if similar) of my own...

I've travelled all over Europe when I was younger. Been to the most wonderful places. Not One Pic. As I wasn't into photography then.

 

[Ltdave]

That you know that. Have you worked in construction?

I've travelled all over Europe when I was younger. Been to the most wonderful places. Not One Pic. As I wasn't into photography then.

while being an electrician has paid the bills the last 31 years, its not been in construction. ive just studied the history of detroit and the auto industry (im only an hour away from Detroit) and followed the saga of the demise of Detroit and its resurgence.

most of my photos on my travels are similar to almost all the other touristy stuff

 

[Levina]

most of my photos on my travels are similar to almost all the other touristy stuff

Maybe. But they're yours. And they're memories.
I take bad pics on vacation, but I like them because when looking at them they take me back to the moment.