Virjune Manufacturing Co: Inside Waterbury's Vacant Factory

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J and I were already having a rough day. We'd just driven across town to check out an old industrial site he hadn't visited in a while, only to find it erased. Nothing left but a slab of concrete and chain-link fence. So we took a detour. Sometimes you salvage a disappointing afternoon with a backup plan, even if you're just ticking a box. The former Virjune plant hides in plain sight off Thomaston Avenue. If you drive past in summer, you'll miss it completely. Trees and shrubs swallow the building whole, nature reclaiming what industry left behind. Come winter, though, when the branches go bare and the world turns gray, the red brick skeleton reveals itself. Even then, you have to know where to look. I pulled up old Sanborn maps to trace the building's history. The earliest tenant was an auto body shop in 1922. By February 1950, something bigger had moved in. The map labels it simply "Stamping Wks." No company name. No flourish. Just function. That namele...
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Abandoned Factory Z (Northeastern, USA)






Corner View of Old Factory Machinery










Update: A full research write-up of International Silver Company's former Factory H boiler house. 




This abandoned northeastern factory sits in the back of a quiet residential street surrounded by nature. Next to this two-story building remains another abandoned medical complex boarded up to the gills. Stay tuned for upcoming flicks. Getting into this building was quite hard. We hopped a perimeter fence in the middle of the morning just before a police car was sitting taking a quiet break or making their due diligence check on the property. This property is down the road at a current asbestos abatement medical hospital by the local town/state agency. Once on the property, it offers a mix of old machinery and pipework from this little factory which was probably much larger before residential developers took over. In addition, the building was free of graffiti and its brick-walled facade still looked like the day it was constructed. The only giveaway is the wide-open away roof.  No open containers, drug paraphernalia, or signs of local teenage BYOB bando partying.



Rusted Factory Landing Platform


Layered Pipework Against Open Windows



Symmetry Walkway



Open Faced Factory Floor Oven View



Top of Staircase Entryway of Factory


This piece of property is a little ways off from the beaten path. Only the local residents high up in the residential building next door get to look down upon this property. Once we had taken our pictures we headed out looking for an exit out of the property. We couldn't jump back over the fence unless we wanted a criminal trespassing fine or summons. We decided to jump over into the nearby residential parking lot once an unsuspecting resident was about to leave. But unlucky for us, this resident had seen us in the bushes ducking down waiting for him or her to leave. Looking around I saw a wide opening to my wide eye relief. It was the cul-de-sac I had investigated before my partners made it to the property for access. We walked out of the bushes onto the other residential street where self-styled DIY mechanics were fixing up their cars. They barely took notice of us as we walked by chatting about our bemusing exit plans.



Round Machinery Ballast

























Next time I am in the area I will head back to this property to gain access to the medical complex from this factory without jumping any fence again. Who says urban exploration is no fun. 





Location: Kensington, Berlin, CT, USA

Comments

  1. JohnFebruary 2, 2017 at 8:15 AM

    I scouted out the cul de sac on Google Earth and used it as my point of entry. Some abatement work has been done in the medical building and I think it is pretty much cleared out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kareem KingFebruary 8, 2017 at 4:05 PM

      Damn. I wanted to return to that medical building sometime this Spring. I took too long.

      Delete
  2. AshishSeptember 25, 2022 at 10:37 AM

    Do you happen to have more images of this place?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kareem KingOctober 5, 2022 at 12:11 PM

      Unfortunately no. If I pass by this area I'll probably publish an update. You've been here?

      Delete

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