Category:

abandoned

Abandoned Rubber Bowl

by Kaylah Stroup January 27, 2016

The Rubber Bowl was one of those places I had known about for a little while but wasn’t all that concerned with actually getting to. I’m not interested in football at all, and I really didn’t see how an abandoned stadium could be all that cool. I had seen a few photos but wasn’t too impressed. I’m fully prepared to admit I was wrong, the Rubber Bowl was pretty darn awesome! I’m super pumped about my photos.

Let’s back up a second though. The Rubber Bowl is a, now abandoned, stadium in Akron, Ohio that was built in 1940. It was primarily used as a football field, both professional and high school, but also hosted concerts, and other events. Large names such as Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Alice Cooper, Tom Petty, The Grateful Dead, and Aretha Franklin, among many others, have all played here.

Since 2008, when the Rubber Bowl’s home team The Zips, moved to a new stadium this place has sat abandoned. In 2012, a marketing company with big hopes purchase the stadium for $38,000. They have yet to do anything with the property but claim that the stadium could be up and running within six to eight months if they wanted. Apparently, “most of the damage is cosmetic.”

While we were poking around two teenage boys showed up. Always a little bit skeptical of others, I kept my eye on them only to watch them change shoes and start playing catch down on the field. It was kind of unexpected but can you blame them? I mean, what could beat your own personal football field to practice on?

I sent my mom a photo that Jeff took of me on the steps. Apparently in 1972 she had seen the Rolling Stones here. It’s one thing to read the history the history of a place but thinking that forty-four years ago my mom was somewhere in these stands, probably dancing and screaming her head off, is just crazy! It’s things like that bring you right back down to reality. This is a real place, that A LOT of people have had special moments at. I don’t necessarily feel sad about abandoned places (yes, it’s a total waste!) but knowing that someone I know was here makes me feel something I can’t quite describe. If you recall, she had also visited this now abandoned amusement park I blogged about back in 2014.

After finishing up shooting, we ended up finding a football. Jeff, Jason, and Brandon tossed it around while I laid on the ground and soaked up the sunshine. Playing catch might be something totally normal for most dudes but these are three guys I have never seen show any interest in sports before so it was particularly amusing watching them throw the ball back and forth. There were a few random tires scattered across the field so they took turns trying to throw the ball through a rolling tire. We could have hung out a lot longer and I’d have been a happy gal. The sunshine, and blue skies were a nice change of pace from the constant gray Ohio has been. And the artificial turf? SO warm! For a brief moment it was easy to forget it was we’re smack dab in the middle of January.

xoxo

favorite 10 abandoned spots in 2015

by Kaylah Stroup January 7, 2016

motel

Finally, the last of my 2015 recaps! The year before last I shared my 10 favorite abandoned spots of the year and couldn’t resist choosing my favorites from 2015. I didn’t get out as much last year as I did the previous year but regardless I still had some really amazing adventures. Factories, multiple trailer parks, a greenhouse, and even a stretch of highway that hasn’t been driven on in years. My favorite had to be the massive abandoned hospital though. I’ve honestly had multiple dreams about that place since. I’m chomping at the bit to go back!

party supply company

trailer park

greenhouse (in the winter without snow, in the spring, and in the fall.)

abandoned around Cleveland

hospital

school

factory

rubber duck factory

highway

Here’s to another year of great adventures!

xoxo

You can find the rest of my posts on abandoned places under the “abandoned” tag.

abandoned Rochester subway // round two

by Kaylah Stroup November 18, 2015

The weekend before last Jeff, Jake, and I hit up the abandoned Rochester subway. I guess it’s sort of an annual thing now. The Rochester subway was a light rail rapid transit line that operated from 1927 to 1956. The subway was constructed in the bed of the old Erie Canal. Most of the tracks have since been removed but it’s a really incredible tunnel nonetheless. The main part, where light flows in, is filled with colorful graffiti. It’s a really interesting spot to go visit, take photos, and poke around.

We walked the entire length again this year. It really wasn’t too much different from last year. We did manage to find a new little path to go down though which was an awesome discovery. There was an opening and a strange tunnel that kept going and kept going but I wasn’t really feeling it. It was clear someone was living there, deep underneath the city. I really don’t like the idea of invading someone’s personal space like that so if ever somewhere feels like it might be someone’s home I’m out. Not to mention the fact there were around five million cigarettes, I’m barely exaggerating here, and the smell was hard to handle. I’m so curious where the tunnel went though. I’d love to go in deeper, maybe next year…

Of course, there was new graffiti as well. I’m sure things are constantly being changed around down there. People were even painting while we there. One of my favorite things from this trip was Halloween themed graffiti! Ghosts, pumpkins, spooky creatures, and more! It was so awesome!!!

hornbill above done by Mr. Prvrt who paints some real rad stuff (+works with Wild Wings Inc, an organization that houses injured and non-releasable birds of prey in NY)

See ya again next year, Rochester!
xoxo

Find last 2014’s abandoned subway post here.

Abandoned hospital

by Kaylah Stroup November 12, 2015

Last weekend I finally got to explore an abandoned hospital! Like a lot of people I am terrified of hospitals, for not good reason at all. An abandoned hospital though? It has been on my list of places to get for so long. We actually had scoped out this place last year and didn’t see an entrance. I wasn’t super confident we’d be able to get inside this year but it was worth a shot.

We parked, got out, and started walking around the hospital in order to get some exterior shots, and possibly find a way in. Within a few minutes a car showed up, and headed right for us. The driver, an older woman, rolled down her window and asked “Are you guys urban explorers?” “Nope, just looking to take some photos of the outside.” She didn’t look convinced and now any chance of getting inside was shot. The last thing we needed was a concerned citizen thinking we looked suspicious… which we totally did. The three us dressed in dark clothes, all with backpacks and tripods. It’s beyond obvious what we’re up to. We continued to walk the perimeter of the building because technically there was nothing wrong with us doing that, right?

Jeff walked around the outermost perimeter while Jake and I stuck close to the building. When we rounded the corner there was Jeff chatting with the lady in the car. Jake and I walked over to join the conversation. Apparently she had a great interest in the hospital. She even revealed that a few years back she had been inside. It was at that moment we realized “okay, she’s not a threat!” She raved about how amazing it was and how much she enjoyed seeing it. She wasn’t looking for a way in this time, just to photograph a peregrine falcon who was known to hang out on the roof.

The grounds of the hospital were hopping which is both good and bad. Good because us being there raises less of a concern if people are there often just to get a look at this giant building, and bad because that means someone could see us entering the building. While talking to the woman from the car, Joyce, we noticed a group of six teenage boys walking around the building. To me, they looked suspicious but teenage boys always kind of do. Then all of a sudden they just start disappearing inside! Well, there was our way in! We were actually going to get inside of this incredible building. I was on cloud nine.

We weaved our way into the main stairwell and started to climb. We went all the way to the top, stopping off at a few floors to explore a
few rooms but honestly, there was just so much to see. It was insane. I couldn’t believe we actually made it inside. After all this time I was finally inside an abandoned hospital. I was beyond excited. I was like a squirrel, just darting back and forth, chattering about how cool this was or how neat something looked. I just wanted to see it all! There were so many little details I wish I could have photographed them all. Room numbers, murals painted to make the place seem more inviting, medical equipment labels, etc.

We didn’t get to spend too much time inside since it was getting dark. If I haven’t already made it clear how large this place was let me just say it again, the hospital is huge. I’ve watched enough horror movies to know that I don’t want to be lost inside an abandoned hospital in the dark. We all agreed it was time to leave. It was a bit stressful trying to get out, especially since the bottom two floors have the windows boarded and that means it was pitch black. Even with awesome flashlights, which we each had, this place was one dark, creepy maze.

Once we finally found the spot where we had entered the building Jeff peeked out first to make sure the
coast was clear. There was a car so he ducked back down. A few seconds
pass and we hear the car park, and the door open then close. We looked
at each other with wide eyes, we thought we were screwed. There wasn’t
time to hide and in my mind, it was most definitely the police. Jeff
said “we’ve just got to own it”…

It was Joyce, the woman from earlier. She came back to check on the bird and spotted Jeff’s tripod which he had tossed out first. She thought we had lost it and was coming to pick it up. She was SO excited to see that we had gotten inside. We chatted with her for at least fifteen minutes. We talked birds, and abandoned buildings. She showed us photos of the peregrine falcons from the area which she lovingly referred to as her babies. I had to take a deep breath and collect myself, this woman was amazing. I love nothing more than a person with a passion and she was clearly crazy about her hobbies. I truly regret not getting a group shot of the four of us together in front of the hospital.

It was an amazing day. I finally crossed an abandoned hospital off my list and we met Joyce, who definitely brightened my day. Seriously, what an amazing lady. I’m sure the chance of crossing paths with her again are slim but here’s to hoping!
xoxo

You can find more posts featuring abandoned places here.

abandoned greenhouse : round three

by Kaylah Stroup October 26, 2015

Last Sunday, as part of our anniversary adventure, Jeff and I swung by the abandoned greenhouse. We’ve visited in the winter, in the spring and I’ve been not so patiently waiting for the perfect time to go see it in the fall. Alas, it wasn’t as colorful as I had been hoping and dreaming it would be. …At least that’s what I thought while we were there. It wasn’t until I got home, sorted through the photos, and compared them to past visit’s photos that I realized there was some definite color going on in there. It’s kind of funny because that was the same reaction I had the last time we were there.

It’s hard to go into a place like this, that doesn’t really have too many objects to photograph, for the third time and try to find new things to shoot. I honestly wasn’t sure I got anything I really liked but the more I look at them the more I appreciate them, especially that first shot. It’s easily my favorite of everything I shot.

I didn’t plan very well in terms of taking photos that I would easily be able to replicate on future visits to compare the differences. I did take a very similar shot of the car each time though. I found it interesting to open each of the greenhouse posts (links above + below) in a separate tab, scroll to the car shot and click back and forth. My urge to shoot this place in the snow isn’t all that strong considering what I mentioned above about struggling to find new shots of this place but I feel like I need to take that car shot with snow.

One of my favorite things about this spot is that it could easily be overlooked. It’s in a fairly rural area, surrounded by fields, and if you aren’t paying attention you may just drive by it. It could be mistaken for just a large overgrown area. There are a few spots where you can see the glass paneling but otherwise it really doesn’t look like too much from the outside. After entering it’s like being in a jungle. It’s kind of weird because you’re inside of a building but this building is just a frame that is covered in vines. It’s like being outside but you’re inside. …It’s also like I’m trying way too hard to explain this! Heh!

Jeff and I had planned to take outfit photos together and make it a little tradition to do that for every six month anniversary. I was having one of those days though where after every photo I found something “wrong” with myself. We didn’t end up shooting too many of us but I managed to find a few that I just adore. So maybe every six months we won’t get a full outfit post but here’s to hoping we can at least get an adorably cheesy shot together.
xoxo

Find previous abandoned green house posts here: winter without snow, and in the spring.
Unrelated to the greenhouse but way, way cute – Mine + Jeff’s one year anniversary photos.

abandoned in the desert 2015

by Kaylah Stroup September 14, 2015

Last year Jeff and I took a pretty epic road trip (six states and 3,204 miles of driving). During that week we stumbled upon abandoned building after abandoned building in the middle of the desert, this year’s trip was no different. There were so many. Driving along roads less traveled and even the highway it’s so exciting to look out and spot these places, just waiting for us. There is just this rush of excitement, and a sense of discovery. Some of my favorite memories from both of those trips, and our relationship in general, include these places.

There’s just something about abandoned buildings in the desert. They have a different feel, a different smell, just another vibe altogether. In the Midwest abandoned buildings are musty, and most suffer from water damage. The freezing and thawing year after year ages them so much more quickly. They generally just feel rotten. In the desert you could almost describe the buildings as “crispy”. Everything is sun bleached and dried out.

I find the couch in the photo of above particularly funny. I really really don’t understand how it’s in such great condition. I guess it once again goes back to the lack of precipitation out there because I can say without a doubt if that thing was in Ohio it would be covered in moss at the very least.

I’m missing the desert a lot today. …But that’s nothing new. I look forward to visiting again, in the mean time I’ll just be dealing with all the feels that these photos leave me with.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

Ballarat, CA

by Kaylah Stroup July 23, 2015

Fish Rocks, Salt Wells Canyon, CA

Cell phone service in the desert is hit or miss. I either had all my bars or nothing but while I did have service I was browsing Roadside America for spots to hit. That’s how we found Ballarat. Formerly a supply point for the mines nearby, Ballarat is now a ghost town. In it’s heyday it was home to nearly 500 people. It had 7 saloons, a jail, a school, a handful of hotels and more. There isn’t much left anymore, just a few rusted out all cars, shells of buildings, and a cemetery.

I was a bit nervous to visit since it’s a little ways off the main road. I was worried it would be home to someone who might be offended by our visit. A sign near the entrance of the town read as follows…

“this is a free zone take any kind of photos you want. camp party make movies etc no harm. nobody cares feel free. learn nothen setting in your car the friendly zone welcome to ballarat ghost town…”

After seeing that I felt free to roam…

The thing I was most excited about in Ballarat was the cemetery. I’d been on the lookout for an old desert cemetery since the last trip and we had yet to stumble across one. I saw photos of this one on Roadside America and that was actually one of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit. This one was smaller than I had been hoping for but still so awesome. It had such a gorgeous view and it was just a world of difference from the cemeteries we have here. And this headstone?! Get out! Easily one of the most interesting I’ve ever seen in person.

We didn’t stay too long in Ballarat, it was hot and we were both anxious to get into the national park but it was definitely a great stop.
xoxo

You can find more posts from our road trip under the “travel” tag.

abandoned party supply company

by Kaylah Stroup June 11, 2015

Whenever Jesi comes to Cleveland to hang out I always rack my brain to think of awesome places to take her. This city has no shortage of abandoned buildings but I want to take her places that will just wow her. The abandoned “rubber duck factory” was a hit and something that I felt would be super hard to top. My only real idea for our adventure was a building formerly home to a company that supplied window displays for large companies, and rented decorations for parties. The company closed in 2009 after nearly 80 years in business. The internet boom basically killed the need for a place like this, people can now order these things from the comfort of their own home instead of buying locally.

Before closing the company held a liquidation sale but clearly they weren’t able to get rid of everything. This building is chock-full of left over decorations. There are three floors, not including the basement, that are just absolutely packed with things. The floors seem to be somewhat organized by holiday or theme. The top level is Christmas. There are boxes upon boxes, still unopened, of tinsel, ornaments, even trees!

The second floor seems to have a lot of craft supplies. Massive bolts of now moldy fabric, and fake flowers litter the floor. Two large cutting tables sit on one side of the room. Shelving units now hold a few random bottles and an empty pack of cigarettes, signs others come here to a have their own party.

Sometime after closing a portion of the building caught fire. That and some pretty extensive water damage make the floors on one whole side of the building pretty dangerous to traverse across. Despite the fact this was my third time inside the building I still haven’t covered a lot of ground simply because it’s not worth the risk of falling through the floor. There are also lots of really really dark areas in the building, which I don’t venture into either. What can I say? When it comes right down to it, I’m a huge weenie.

Even excluding those huge portions of the building I may never see, it’s incredible the wide range of things there are to discover. I understand that a lot of times it’s easier just to leave things behind especially in a situation like this where your business goes belly up but this just seems like such a huge waste. I can’t even imagine how much money worth of merchandise is still in this building, the great majority of it non-salvageable now.

My very first visit to this building was late at night during a storm. The rain was just pouring into the building like there was no roof at all. Even though it’s been abandoned for a while now but I can’t imagine it’ll stay up much longer. Ohio weather is rough on structures that have no one left to fend for them. Although I say it in nearly every abandoned post, I do look forward to visiting this building again in the future to see how it decays.
xoxo

abandoned greenhouse – revisited

by Kaylah Stroup June 2, 2015

Back in January I shared photos of an abandoned greenhouse that Jeff, Brandon, and I visited. (See here) Although I loved the photos I got on that visit I was really excited to go back in the spring and see it all grown up. Last week I had that opportunity.

As we approached the greenhouse the three of us each let out an audible noise of excitement about how insanely green the place was. We even questioned how plausible it actually was to photograph since it looked so overgrown. Would we even be able to move around with all the vines, trees and greenery? Funnily enough once inside I was a bit underwhelmed with the growth. It wasn’t until I got home and looked at the photos from the last visit that I realized how much more green the place was. Inside, surrounded by all these plants, it’s less like a greenhouse and more like a jungle. Save for the broken glass and pieces of metal peeking through in certain places it’s easy to forget what this used to be.

We read a few different accounts from people that had also visited. They said to watch out for foxes, coyotes, and other wildlife. So I entered with my fingers crossed, I wanted to see animals in here so bad. The pictures would have just been amazing. Alas, I didn’t see anything more than a quick orange cat who wouldn’t let me within 25 feet of him.

I’m hoping to get back here in the fall too, of course! It’s so much fun to be able to compare photos and see how it changes. Plus this place covered in shades of red, orange, and yellow has to just be magical.
xoxo

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