Our platform is the most extensive digital repository of the Northeast's historic, at-risk, and overlooked structures, infrastructure, New York City streets, and other locations.
The Pink Flamingo on Harrison Street Whether it is a dead mill or tannery, a car will always be sitting in a discrete corner. Gloversville, New York, earned its name for a reason. For decades, it was the undisputed glove capital of the world. But today, the massive tanneries, dressers, stitching factories, and dyers that built this city are quietly disappearing. One of the most fascinating casualties was the former Cayadutta Tanning Company Inc. Locals called it the Pink Flamingo. Before that, it was E.S. Parkhurst & Company, a place workers simply knew as the Hair Mill. Sitting at the southwest corner of Harrison Street and NY-30A, the property spanned two parcels. A private owner held one piece of the land, while the city owned the other. Visiting the abandoned site felt like stepping into a forgotten tannery that just needed a bit of TLC and elbow grease to restart operations sans a pocketed overhead roof. Just outside the main tanning building, a junked Mercedes sa...
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Abandoned Caribbean Island House
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Outside view.
It was a balmy morning on my two-week vacation on the Caribbean island. Just that morning, I took my early morning walk before the sun peeped its head over the clouds. During our circular route around the neighboring countryside village from where I was staying. We came upon a small narrow path delineated by the countless footsteps of many people who used this shortcut to get back over on the other side then going around the main road. Walking this well-beaten path we came upon a small gaping limestone cave. The small cave didn't go any deeper than maybe 10 feet. A pile of dead plant matter, household garbage, and abandoned bird nests were all that was on offer from this discovery. If I wanted deep cave exploration I would have headed to the tourist limestone cave tour the island is known for on the southwest of the island.
A very small cave.
We continued onward to our accommodation. After refueling myself with a hearty breakfast. I packed my camera gear and headed back out to the beaten path once more to poke around some more. On another path through the thicket of bushes, young tree saplings, and knee-high grass, I came upon a small abandoned board house tucked away inside the small area of overgrown foliage between neighboring houses and the main side road. No evidence of human usage was apparent around the outside. The hoard house was surrounded and entwined with small trees and saplings. Nature had taken its course with this derelict house.
Inside the house, the roof from the view of the front room had already caved in a long time ago. The floor in certain parts had caved into itself to the ground. One part of the boarding house was entirely covered by what looked like walnut husks and the other side had what remained to be a box spring bed sans mattress bedding. Further back inside the house was unreachable due to the aforementioned collapsed roof and absentee flooring. Guessing by the remaining structure of the house, the house give or take may have been there for more than 10 years. No apparent evidence of termites or extreme wood rot in sight, I would say the house was constructed with hardy wood like mahogany. Although the climate is sustained yearly with 80-degree weather with a few months out of the year starting in October for the rain and hurricane season. The house was surprisingly in fair condition.
Living room.
No more bedroom here.
The direction to the kitchen/bathroom.
Satisfied with my discovery and pictures. I headed further out from the house until I came out into a clearing studded with the back views of wall houses in the distance. There will be no more abandoned spots in this area. With that dilemma, I headed back home before I drowned in my own sweat with the rising sun and the mercury-raising temperatures climbed even higher.
Side view.
P.S. Before heading to this island, I researched abandoned properties but to my dismay, Google Street does not exist in the countryside or the city. In addition, Google Maps' clunky what's here feature was useless for map coordinates when Google Maps was a nonexistent map tool for further exploration. I found other areas of interest sweeping the island using Google satellite images but getting there was an issue since I did not have relevant information on locale or addresses. Island villages are way different than small towns or cities in the USA.
For weeks, I had been orbiting the perimeter of the impending demolition of the Church of St. Michael and St. Edward, a once revered church in the heart of Fort Greene, like a moth drawn to a flame. The neighborhood, a patchwork of tight project housing, seemed indifferent to the fate of this historic edifice. The intel I had received suggested that entry was as simple as scaling a wooden fence, yet the timing had never felt right. Until one day, it did. With a mission in New Jersey looming, I knew it was now or never. The demolition was advancing at a startling pace, the church's twin steeples already reduced to rubble. The skeletal remains of timber beams and rusted steel frames peeked out from the ruins, a testament to the relentless march of progress. Summoning a surge of courage, I seized a moment of quiet in the bustling housing project and vaulted over the fence. My heart pounded in my chest as I slipped unnoticed into the church grounds. The once grand entrance now stood as...
In my extensive ventures across various businesses, churches, factories, and plants, I've encountered a plethora of remnants from bygone industrial eras. Yet, none have left as profound an impression as the sight of the leftover machinery at the former Potter Hill Mill. Nestled amidst its surroundings, these aging relics stand as silent witnesses to a vibrant industrial past, their once-potent functionality now subdued by the relentless march of time. The manufacturing equipment, once the lifeblood of cotton goods production, remains steadfast, firmly bolted to the floor, slowly succumbing to the relentless embrace of rust and decay. It's a scene frozen in time—a rare glimpse into the mechanical marvels of the 1800s, preserved in their original state, untouched and unscathed by modern interventions. As I gaze upon the weather-worn structures and rusted machinery, I'm struck by the poignant juxtaposition of past and present. The former textile mill, once a bustling hub of...
Rockaway Metals Products (RMP) began as a sheet metal fabrication factory beginning in 1961. RMP occupied the site from 1971 to 1987 leaving a plethora of hazardous waste materials onsite. From 1990 to 2004 the building housed various tenants which even included an auto repair shop. Rockaway Metals a manufacturer of filing cabinets and other metal products closed down in 1987. It was leased a few years ago to different owners who did not manage the 4.85-acre parcel. The 155,000-square-foot building has long been an eyesore and trouble in the neighborhood since its closure. A coastal storm in March 2018 blew debris materials to adjacent properties. Rockaway Metals was acquired by Nassau County in 1995 by tax deed. The county has held onto the property for 22-plus years. In February 2011, the site was damaged by fire and condemned soon thereafter. For more in-depth legal ownership of the property, you can read more below in the source list under U.S. v. 175 INWOOD ASSOCIATES LLP. ...
If you walk down East New York Avenue, it is easy to miss the old police station that once watched over the block. Your eyes go first to the Howard Houses, those tall brick towers that rise on the left like a wall. The former precinct squats beside them, low and dignified, its stone face worn by nearly a century of weather and worry. By the time I began paying attention to it, the building already had an expiration date. The city had picked it as the site of new affordable housing. Demolition was set to begin in full in November 2025. On paper, it was a win for a neighborhood that has carried more than its share of struggles. For the building itself, it was a quiet death sentence. I wanted to see it before it went. The main trolley line that ran down East New York Avenue was the Bergen-East New York Line, operated by the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). It served as a key east-west route in the Brownsville area until many city trolley lines were converted to bus routes sta...
I was driving towards what used to be the Consumers Park Brewery when something caught my eye—the wooden gate doors of the old auto parts store were wide open. Someone had broken in. The building had been vacant for years, even as new construction surged all around it. Right next door, a fresh, modern structure had risen, but this place remained untouched—a relic of the past hollowed out and forgotten. I pulled over without hesitation. These moments don’t come often. A while back, another shuttered dealership had been left open for months, its entrance exposed. Graffiti artists had made their mark on the metal gates, turning the abandoned space into an urban canvas. I had thought about exploring it, but before I could, the gates were suddenly chained shut overnight. The opportunity was gone. Not this time. This time, I wasn’t letting the moment slip away. I stepped inside, finally getting a look at what had been hidden behind those rolled-down gates and green plywood barriers. An...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteEmail me so I can add you to my Google Maps list.
Delete