The Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad (DT&I) is a defunct railroad that began in southern Ohio as the Iron Railroad Company, which connected Ironton to the coal and timber reserves in the southern part of the state. Through acquisitions and mergers, the DT&I stretched for over 370 miles from Ironton to the automobile manufacturing plants in Michigan
Tag: Abandoned
This Queen Anne-styled building at 2313 East 55th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, was not only a residence but home to several businesses and murders.
For far too long, cities across the United States have treated the rehabilitation of historic properties as an afterthought, a pursuit undertaken only when a neighborhood has reached a critical juncture, with precious few buildings remaining, or when the inexorable tide of gentrification has already set in motion. But what fate befalls those structures that lie beyond the purview of future restoration initiatives, left to the ravages of neglect, stripped of their essence, and destined to collapse under the weight of their own decrepitude?
The trajectory of the Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, an enterprise that ascended to unprecedented dominance before succumbing to market forces, represents a remarkable narrative worthy of examination.
The Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, once the world’s largest magazine publishing house, once boasted its printing operations in Springfield, Ohio.
While exploring Virginia’s back roads, I came upon the former New River, Holston and Western Railroad (NH&W) that once extended from the Norfolk & Western (N&W) at Narrows on the New River in Giles County to the village of Suiter in Bland County, Virginia. The 43-mile line followed Wolf Creek or its tributaries for its entire length.
The Paramount Theatre is located in Youngstown, Ohio and was originally known as the Liberty Theatre. Designed by Detroit architect C. Howard Crane, with Stanley & Scheibel serving as associate architects, the vaudeville house opened on February 11, 1918 with the production of “A Modern Musketeer.” The late Neo-classical, Ecole des Beaux Arts exterior featured terra cotta ornamentation, while the interior featured ornate plaster detailing and 1,700 seats.
There is a lot of commonality between Youngstown, Ohio and the Ohio River valley that I grew up within near Ironton. Both are areas that have experienced major employment losses, either due to a declining steel mill or other heavy industries; both are areas that have experienced population declines in the cities; both are areas that are impoverished. But the severity of Youngstown’s losses are hard to compare to.
The Springfield City Hospital was located in Springfield, Ohio along High Street and was in operation from 1931 to 2011.
The Cleveland, Ohio Cedar Avenue substation was constructed in 1917, and was the first automatic substation completed for the Cleveland Railway Company. It was closed in 1948.
If the weathered facades of the industrial structures lining Ashland Road in Cleveland, Ohio, could speak, they would regale us with tales of a rich and multifaceted history. Despite the paucity of readily available information and the occasional misinterpretation stemming from firsthand accounts and urban exploration, the complex’s narrative proves more intricate and captivating than initially envisioned. Though a wealth of materials has been uncovered, certain gaps remain unresolved, adding an air of mystery to this chronicle.
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to bike the former Hocking Valley Railroad River Division (HV) near Gallipolis, Ohio. The Gallia County Hike and Bike Trail was completed from Logan to Gallipolis in October 1880 for the HV. The tracks were abandoned in 1992 and dismantled a year later.
In the annals of West Virginia’s architectural heritage, the Cottrill Opera House in Thomas is a testament to the enduring legacy of design.
Among the myriad of sites explored during Downtown Mansfield Inc. and Preservation Ohio’s Forbidden City Tour in Mansfield, Ohio, one notable stop was the building located at 98 North Main Street.
With profound gratitude extended to Downtown Mansfield Inc. and Preservation Ohio, the public recently gained access to explore the former Charles Schroer Mortuary.
Among the iconic abandoned structures that dot the landscape of Detroit, Michigan, Lee Plaza poignantly embodies the city’s descent from prosperity to urban blight in the latter half of the 20th century.
Located in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, King Solomon Baptist Church‘s facility at Marquette and 14th Street was best known for becoming a popular venue for influential black leaders.
Driving down Gratiot Avenue in Detroit, Michigan late night in the summer of 2011, I came across the former Eastern Catholic High School. The obviousness of its abandonment, with its blown out windows and the hulking structure contrasting to the vast, empty lots surrounding it, made the four-level school all the more interesting to enter and photograph.
For those entranced by the enigmatic allure of urban decay, the Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan, has long reigned as a preeminent destination. This colossal complex, spanning a staggering 3.5 million square feet and dominating the vistas from all directions, has borne witness to the inexorable ravages of time, underutilization, and the incursions of scrappers.
Spurred on by an impromptu excursion to photograph a collapsed bridge in western Kentucky, I decided to visit a part of the state that I had not yet fully explored. From Owensboro to Paducah, from the isolated Land Between the Lakes to dense streetscapes, I toured the back roads in hopes of finding something new to write about and to photograph. Then, I came across Cairo, Illinois. What the hell happened here?