No details were provided aside from a subsequent email advising me that “this is an event with some legal and physical risks.” (When I emailed Jake and Jen about the assignment, Jake replied, “You should probably write your name and SS# on your johnson so they can identify you at the morgue.”)
A few days before the big night, I was asked to complete an online questionnaire, which revealed that we’d be illegally entering a space dubbed the “Echo Vault, a temporary memory chamber dedicated to sonic experimentation and uncontrolled dance.” I was told to bring a candle, a flashlight, and $20 “for the performers.
Urban Turf DC writes that tours are available leaving from Cosi on R and 20th Street NW. In 2010 the Arts Coalition for the Dupont Underground submitted a proposal to the D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, laying out its vision for the adaptive reuse of the historic space. Dupont Underground hopes to establish a world-class centre for arts, design and innovative entrepreneurship.
WebUrbanist has a fantastic article on Abandoned Breweries – not to mention the superb photos. Don’t miss it!
With the bulk of its machinery sold and shipped to China by latter-day owners Pabst Blue Ribbon, the brewery building located near 33rd Street and Avenue E passed into private ownership. This development has stymied several attempts by Galveston city authorities to raze and redevelop the brewery complex; bad for the city but a blessing for urban explorers! Speaking of which, let’s all give a shout out to Lens Adventurer, whose striking images grace this capsule commentary on Falstaff’s grungy Galveston outpost.
On Aug. 18, 21 teams in costume set out from New York City to Montreal. There was $500 in loose change up for the taking, for the team that uncovered all the secret checkpoints* between the two cities and covered the distance in the fewest number of miles (while wearing the best costume). Welcome to the 2012 Rental Car Rally.
*Rental Car Rally checkpoints were all abandoned buildings.
Readers, the Reclamation Administration is going to the shore for the week!
Enjoy this awesome post on abandoned pools by Urban Ghosts while we are gone
This abandoned outdoor swimming pool at Sharpness Point in Tynemouth, northern England, is both classic example of a bygone era and symbol of Britain’s all-too-often rundown seaside resorts. While cheap package holidays are generally blamed for the decline of seaside resorts across the UK, increased health and safety measures and a reluctance on the part of local councils to spend money on upgrading existing – often historic – facilities have caused many such pools and lidos to fall into abandonment. Their 21st century remains are nostalgic reminders of our recent past.
