urban exploration

[wolverine]

I'm still very active in urban exploration in the Detroit area. I've probably been in Michigan Central Station around 10 times or so now, along with quite a few other Detroit skyscrapers. I avoided factories recently however, especially the Fisher 21 plant. I went there twice and got very sick after twice. Other than that, most buildings are relatively safe.

For all of those not familiar...

The legality issues, especially in the Detroit area have become very blurred, even with heightened security issues these days. I've only heard rumors of people actually getting citations for being in these places. But those are a small few compared to the thousands of successfully explore Detroit structures each year. Most of the buildings in the Detroit area go unwatched, and even if the police are contacted about your actions, there's about a 99% chance they will never show.

If you plan on urban exploring in Detroit, just be aware that many abandoned buildings are actually homes for some people. Be respectful and don't take anything. You should also never try to force your way into a building. Just walking into an open building to take pictures isn't so bad because it's not breaking and entering. But prying off plywood and forcing open and doors and windows creates a breach for vandals or scrappers, and your actions may ultimately doom that building. As much as I love urban exploring, I will never try to attempt to explore a building that is properly sealed up.

Also be aware that some buildings contain dust, and in the worst circumstances toxic chemicals, that can cause harm to you. Asbestos is usually never that big of a concern unless you have serious respiratory problems. In fact you are breathing far worse things every day, so don't freak out if you walk into a room with asbestos warnings plastered everywhere. But it is good to avoid those places, just to be safe. The real issue is mold and mildew.

It's recommended you explore with a flashlight and with other friends. In some instances, I haven't done that and ended up wandering around alone in the dark of the maze-like basement of Michigan Central Station. If you find yourself in a similar situation. A cell phone and camera flash are helpful tools to illuminate a room. There's really no way out when your are seriously hurt though, that's why it's good to bring another friend along.

Hope some of you found this info useful!

[Raildudes dad]

well i think it closed in the sense that it's no longer in business. unless it somehow merged into the business it shares a building with.

here is the link to the story i heard on WXMI

http://fox17.trb.com/news/011707-wxmi-spartsa,0,135358.story

the building itself was wide open, however. there were many doors already "unlocked" and just missing altogether.

[Thrillhouse]

it was really dirty....years of dust and dirt had settled on all the machinery. there were random parts, switchboards, scrap......stuff i couldn't identify lying around. it wasn't all just pieces of junk or scrap metal, it was actual machinery, etc. there was even this huge crane-type vehicle that didn't look old at all. i was surprised to see that they hadn't at least salvaged that. perhaps it wasn't working though. some of the machinery didn't look very old either, and the catwalks going across some of the rooms were sturdy--seems like they didn't care to salvage all they could.

the entrance i went through was a broken garage door at the back of the building (only the frame of the door was left) and there was a lot of ice just inside the entrance. the ice looked black....like there was something besides water in it, but it could have been the lighting; it looked almost like shiny tar.

there was spray painting all over (and not even any artistic graffiti or anything interesting, just really dumb phrases or words in bad handwriting--i have an appreciation for artistic graffiti) in the offices there was a lot of vandalism (one room had a large burn in the carpet, probably some kids fooling around with a lighter) and some parts were just deteriorating on their own. there were some car parts in one room, but not enough to make me think it had become a chop shop. ceilings were coming down, tons of papers and files were strewn about, there was even some lab equipment left....small metal rods in a wooden holder, probably for testing the metals against something else. the bulletin board said "iron tests" or something similar. there was also a small lab with what i believe was a sterilizer. i also saw a chalkboard that had written on it something to the effect of "please find a new place of residence or face prosecution."

one of the office rooms had 3 really gross mattresses in it. i'm assuming people were staying in there. i thought perhaps it had been a sick room....where a worker could lie down if he didn't feel well, but i just find that highly unlikely. some of the rooms on the 2nd floor weren't office spaces, they almost seemed like actual factory space, but they weren't as dirty as the main factory floor. i was wondering what they could have been used for. one of those rooms (cinder block) was painted and the paint was peeling off drastically.....huge chunks were stuck to the wall only by a tiny spot in the middle...it looked like lichen or fungus on a tree. and it really reminded me of a photojournalism book i saw on Chernobyl....the radioactivity in the air made the paint peel off the walls in the same way. some of the rooms had vines growing through the windows and onto the steel beams inside. i found only one bathroom (ladies) in the whole place.....and that lead me to think that i might find a body in one of the stalls, so i didnt dare open them. lol

outside there was a small container, like the corrugated ones you see on trains. they're not quite as big as a semi's trailer. the inside was coated with some sort of yellow foam insulation stuff...quite a contrast against the white snow.

i also found a....sort of vat. it reminded me of something that would be used for molten metal. it was probably the size of a hot tub and twice as deep, with a huge cone-like cover. and it was encased in a concrete block.

i didn't have a flashlight with me, so i didn't go into any areas i couldn't see into, so there were some rooms left unexplored. and it really wasn't dangerous per se, unless the explorer was being careless. everything was solid, the catwalks didn't even creak. i believe i saw one hole in the floor, but it was only around 3ft deep. however there was one room with a small sign on it that said "this area is unsafe, if you need to enter this area please call BillyBob at 123yaddayadda" it was so small and plain that i thought maybe it was original from when the factory was up and running.....but i think it was to warn any visitors.

and there was also a control booth outside the building, up on a platform. it was open and had a huge panel of buttons and switches inside as well as a panel with some "joysticks," probably for moving overhead objects around. there was a bin inside that had 3 parts, one was labeled "chrome" the other "manganese" and the other i can't remember. and the bins had pieces of each metal in them, the chrome was a rough shape and the manganese was a processed cylinder shape.

it wasn't as interesting as the foundry i photographed in Holland, but i'll take what i can get. i am so fascinated by deteriorating buildings and industrial equipment...there's something haunting about it and really delightful.

[MsAKK]

wolverine, thanks for the info!!

i joined a yahoo group for SE MI exploration...not many active members. but i have had a few bites for exploration buddies. send me a message if anyones interested or knows of good sites to visit. i would have loved to see Eloise............

i'd like to get into all buildings, of course, but if i were to get caught, i think i'd have a better chance of walking away with no charges if i can prove that i just walked in....as opposed to having to force myself into the building. so i will stick to the open ones.

i did end up taking some things from the (now demolished) foundry in Holland, but i already knew it was going to be torn down and i wanted these things to add to my photos....an exhibit of sorts. however i lost them in a move. i had lung x-rays of workers when they were examined to see how harmful the environment was being to them, i had huge (6' x 3') blueprints of the foundry, a few parts and Polaroids i found....i made a book of sorts with the photos, used the X-rays as covers, and then wrapped it with part of the blueprints. it was pretty damn cool, if i do say so myself. unfortunately i think i have only one copy left.....somewhere.....

through the exhibit i met a few people who wanted to talk about the foundry, and even a former worker. he (in his 80s) brought some old photos to show me, of what the factory looked like when it was up and running. i remember they produced iron footrests for barbers' chairs, among other things. it was fascinating to compare the old photos to mine and what i'd remembered of the place. i believe i even found the x-ray of the man i spoke with.

i love it.

[ZachariahDaMan]

Urban Exploring has been one of my hobbies for years now. I haven't really done much in Detroit but the towns near me. It may sound boring but I like getting into houses and any buildings I can find (usually pretty small). My town has been demolishing all of their abandoned houses recently though. My most recent exploration was a house built between 1840 and 1845.

2 of my favorites were the Ypsilanti Regional Psychiatric Hospital (gone now). Believe it or not, my mom and I went there and both went inside. This was before I had a license so I couldn't drive there. Then my brother and I went back a few times and wondered around for hours. I've also been to Northville Psychiatric Hospital. Not the easiest to get into but it can be done. In my case me being 6'4'' had to climb through a little window (thank God I'm really skinny).

As Ian has already said, do not taking anything and do not trash the places either. That is how it will get ruined for everyone.

[MsAKK]

oh man, exploring houses would be so awesome also! but most of them are boarded up unfortunately.

the house i live in was built in 1890, but the only thing left to explore is the original boiler in the basement.

i have had a thing for attics since i was a little child....stored treasures and old stories....that sort of thing.

speaking of houses, when i was in college, my sculpture professor (i was a studio arts major) showed us a video of a project he'd undertaken with a group of students in the past. they found a house in Holland that was going to be demolished, so they asked to get in it and create an art installation....each student chose a room and made it into a piece of art....i remember one had tubes running all over with milk flowing in them.....very creative. and then it was torn down.

[PRCH]

wolverine, thanks for the info!!

i'd like to get into all buildings, of course, but if i were to get caught, i think i'd have a better chance of walking away with no charges if i can prove that i just walked in....as opposed to having to force myself into the building. so i will stick to the open ones.

You missed a great tour in your own neighborhood a decade or so ago. In the early ninties, the building now housing McGraw Construction (742 Wealthy in Cherry Hill) was literally self destructing.

Much earlier, a central support beam was propped up with posts set directly on the floor (to open the wall between storefront spaces). Not too surprising that during several decades of abandonment, water got in and the rear post sank further and further into the floor. By the time McGraw started 'renovation' (the back 2/3rds of the building was removed and replaced) the second floor looked like a Mystery House: floors, walls, trim, ceiling, everything, collapsing at wierd angles into the floor below. The post was in the basement. Paul was rather brave to take that project on..........

[GRCPM]

Years ago I used to manage the Peck Building on Monroe Center. There were several ground floor tenants (Revco, Groskopfs, shoe store) but the basement and upper floors had been vacant for many years. There was no heat or power and few windows. Even with a flashlight it was hard to find your way around the maze of rooms and passages and easy to get turned around. Several times I wandered around for awhile looking for a way out. Later I did the same with the vacant JA Building. The basement was a dark maze but the upper levels had windows.

[wolverine]

This was my most favorite building I've ever been in... NOT!

It's another Olympia owned building in Detroit. 8 stories woodframe building located in the heart of the downtown near the stadiums. It actually doesn't look abandoned at night because they placed facade lights on it, but the inside is a different story. It's a fine example of what happens when you get a leak in the roof, and nothing is done about it for 30 years. Calendars still date until the late 70's which tells me why this place was in such disrepair. My friend and I hopped between fire escapes of an adjoining building to get in on the 3rd floor. What we discovered were that the lower 3 floors had dropped out, and the rest was literally suspended from above. Each floor all the way to the top was bending towards the center.

It's the bizarre like characteristics that makes such places like this fun. Although the above one is very dangerous. There is plenty of things you can get a thrill from, but there wasn't a time in my life where I had imagined I was exploring someplace unfamiliar and strange. That's why Detroit can be a spectacular place for urban exploration. IMO, no other place in North America comes close to the quality of such experiences. Magnificent train stations, the tallest towers, unusual theaters. These huge massive structures are sitting empty and are full of mystery.

I always thought I was a loner on my interest in going into abandoned buildings, but I quickly discovered how many others are willing to do this, even though they have no interest in architecture.

The hobby is quickly spreading out to all types of people, which is one of the reasons why it has become more accepted among the general population and even the authorities. Much of the concern still rests on who is responsible if individuals exploring these places get hurt.

[pr sc]

The building on Ann Street was a former plating company - no rail related activities at least no for 100 years. Don't mourn it's passing, it was going to fall down shortly. It rained inside for hours after it stopped raining

The other warehouse you mention was the A&P warehouse. State of the art food warehouse when it was built. Dry goods, produce and refrigerated storage. It's one of the reasons for the S-curve, it would have cost the DOT & GR a fortune to replace it. It was cheaper to curve and go over the downtown freight yards west & south of Union Station.

[Rybak 187]

It is pretty cool watching some of the youtube videos of people exploring the empty buildings.

[MsAKK]

It is pretty cool watching some of the youtube videos of people exploring the empty buildings.

[Rybak 187]

videos of people/buildings in GR?!?!

if so, please post up some links!!

[MsAKK]

No, they were in Detroit among other places.

[Rybak 187]

Okay, here is a four part one on the Packard plant.

P

[Rybak 187]

Here is a story about exploration of Kings Park Psychiatric Center in New York.

[gvsusean]

I know a place in DTGR that peeps can go exploring through... pm me for more info

[ZachariahDaMan]

I went to Gary, IN yesterday. If you are into urbex then that's the town for you!

[Raildudes dad]

I went to Gary, IN yesterday. If you are into urbex then that's the town for you!

[tamias6]

I hate passing through Gary. Its such a depressing place.

[Veloise]

I hate passing through Gary. Its such a depressing place.

[wingbert]

Holy crap! Is it time for a UP headcount?

Man falls to death onto downtown building

Posted by John Agar {sodEmoji.{sodEmoji.|}} The Grand Rapids Press September 10, 2007 07:26AM

GRAND RAPIDS -- A man fell six stories to his death before dawn today in downtown Grand Rapids, in what police believe was an accident.

He fell at 3:55 a.m. from the fire escape at 77 Monroe Center NW, dying instantly when he landed on the part of the building below that houses Louis Benton Steak House, police said.

The victim, a man in his 20s, apparently had climbed the fire escape on the taller part of the building with two friends, then fell while climbing down, Grand Rapids police detective Sgt. Terry McGee said. Officers did not release his name.......[full story]

[GRDadof3]

Weren't me. How awful.

[suydam]

Holy crap! Is it time for a UP headcount?

[wingbert]

I thought that exact same thing when I saw that on the news this morning.