Some Restored, Some Lost Forever
Over the years that I’ve photographed and documented abandoned places, I’ve seen both great and unfortunate outcomes for the future of numerous places. Some places that have been restored I’ve actually had the opportunity to revisit and photograph, while ones that have met a more unlucky ending I’ve been able to find historic photographs of to compare the then to now. This is one of the reasons I find it so important to capture these places, because you never really know what might end up happening. These photos will one day show to future generations what we built, and how we let it fall to pieces. Not only will these photos show them, but the stories to go with them will explain how and why things happened the way they happened.
The Wicker Rattan House in Ohio
Western State Asylum – Now Blackburn Inn
Western State Asylum – Now Blackburn Inn
Warner & Swasey Cleveland, OH
Steele Mansion Before and After
Rolling Acres Mall Summer – Winter
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ToggleDifferent seasons, different scenery
Just like with almost any type of photography, different seasons mean different scenery. Even if a place is not restored or repurposed in any way, it’s still interesting to me to revisit a place just to see them during different seasons. The wild overgrowth brought by summer vs the cold lifelessness of winter both bring their own unique characteristics and moods to places that I love to capture.
Why are places abandoned and left to rot?
So much more often I see the more unfortunate outcome for these forgotten places, but there are occasional wonderful examples of what can be done with a whole lot of determination, hard work, and of course the necessary funding. Many times lack of money is what leaves these places empty for so long, but the reasons range. I’ve seen some succeed through ways of grants, historic tax credits, and the like, while I’ve also seen people put up a whole lot of their own money to bring a place back to life. I’m often asked why these places are abandoned, and it’s difficult to ever give one answer, and it could be for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, when money isn’t the issue, it comes down to many other possible reasons: either a home being tied up between family members who refuse to do anything with it, but don’t want to let it go, or strict rules as to what needs to be done to restore a historic building. Sometimes cities don’t want to keep the building and will sell the area to a developer who plans to build (more often than not) a housing development in its place. Other times, cities see zero potential in a property, and simply want it demolished, refusing anyone to purchase it even if the funds are available. This was almost the fate of the Steele Mansion in Painesville, Ohio. Many old buildings also contain numerous hazardous materials such as asbestos, which need to be properly removed to restore or renovate, making it more difficult. In many cases, finding a builder or knowledgeable tradespeople is also extremely important, as they’re working on a structure that was constructed far different than anything we build now. I’ve seen buildings become abandoned due to illegal operations taking place, being shut down by the EPA, terrible development choices, poor business practices, the collapse of a particular industry (the steel industry is a notable one), nobody left in a family for a house to go to, the decline of a neighborhood, or simply being phased out by technology or modern-day advancement (asylums are a great example). Again though, as I said earlier, it could be something else entirely away from any of the reasons mentioned above.
Two great examples of beautiful restorations I’ve seen have been the Steele Mansion in Painesville, Ohio, and the Western State Asylum in Staunton, Virginia. The Unionville Tavern in Madison, Ohio is following behind them, and I look forward to seeing that project come to completion as well!
Steele Mansion before and after
I’ll definitely be updating this post over time as I am able to put together more before and after photos of places I photograph.
