What Are Those Rusted Metal Ladders in Brooklyn Backyards?

Image
I was taking a walk down my residential street recently when a flash of weathered iron caught my eye. Poking up above a neighbor's inner backyard was a tall, rusted metal ladder. It stood upright, narrow and tall, reaching straight toward the sky. I stopped in my tracks to look at it. To anyone else passing by, it probably looked like a piece of industrial scrap left behind by a careless contractor. But I recognized it immediately. Growing up, we had the same rusted tower planted in our backyard. It stood two feet away from the exterior wall of the house like an unmovable monument. Through decades of changing seasons and vicious winds, it never leaned an inch. My parents never made any attempt to dismantle it or repaint it, even as thick flakes of orange rust gathered along its frame. Back then, whenever I looked out from our second-floor window, I would scan the neighboring lots. None of the other yards on our street had one. Down the enti...
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25-31 Bartlett Building (2017)










Behind the Building




It seems like forever since I last posted here. 

2020 was one for the history books worldwide where it seems almost every country and every continent went into quarantine and lockdown with no one going anywhere and everything on pause. I did not take advantage of the opportunity to go out and explore so here I am digging through my archives to see what I can find to let the world see what was once here and now that is gone.

Found this old and vacant building scouring Brooklyn on Google Maps. Upon arrival in 2017, I found access to be doable but not worth the entry since the building was mostly boarded and fenced for impending demolition. Not worth the trouble in broad daylight and with a vigilant and suspicious community in the surrounding area not worth the time. The only doable and easy part of this spot was exterior shooting. So here you go. 


Currently, this entire street is being bought out and sold for new apartments in this densely packed area. 


Status: Demolished and currently a fully active apartment building.



Location: 31 Bartlett St, Brooklyn, NY 11206, USA

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