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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The Old Albany New York Road Trip



The past of new beginnings.

It almost seemed like yesterday that I could remember my first trip to Albany New York. The long three-hour cold drive up the highway. Waiting in the car as our local guide took forever to meet up with us. Venturing inside my first abandoned building. Exploring around downtown. Grabbing a quick bite from the local dingy McDonalds. The unpleasant drug-fueled essence inside the bathroom. It was an unforgettable experience that I would never forget.

Dug into the archives and remastered some old photos that were unlikely to see the light of day.


The Capital State


The Egg


Active Rail Line



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