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19 Haunting Pictures That Showcase How The Most Beautiful Places Can Change After Being Abandoned
Interview
Not long ago, an old matchbook laying on photographer Pablo Iglesias Maurer's desk caught his eye. Or rather, it was the postcard-like picture on it, of a resort complex built in the 1960s. It got Pablo wondering how the then-famous landmark looked now, and the answer has led him to make an amazing photo series called Abandoned States.
The vintage photo came with the title How to Run A Successful Golf Course, but when Maurer got to the place, it was clear the owner of Penn Hills Resort didn't follow that advice. He pointed the camera at the abandoned place at roughly the same spot and did a '5-decades-after' shot of the place.
Ever since then, Pablo was hooked. He ordered more '60s photo postcards from eBay and started going around the country, capturing these once beautiful buildings from old photos that now stand abandoned only as faint memories of what once was.
"The vintage postcards, have their own haze—the places were never as nice as they look. I often struggle to get the two images to line up, as well. But time blurs the difference and brings everything into focus."
Check out the incredible series of before and after pics below. And don't miss Bored Panda's interview with Maurer!
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#1
More of the indoor pool at Grossinger's. The tiled floor was heated, the entire structure air conditioned. Above, beautiful mid-century "sputnik" chandeliers cast a glow on the swimmers below. Below the pool are exercise rooms, a gym, salon and a host of other amenities. The pool has sat vacant since the late 90's and has fallen beyond repair.
Daniel da Silva 8 years ago
Ok, this whole post would be so much better if we had static pictures, not GIFs.
Cat Gamble 8 years ago
O actually like the .gif, they make the differences more obvious and they look like a ghost.
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Vivian 2 years ago
the thing hanging from the roof is where it used to be in this one img_28111-...97b288.jpg 
Brigitte 8 years ago
After 50 years, the pool doesn't look so bad. It's still in one piece and nobody destroyed the windows.
Marisol Obregon 2 years ago
Except for the graffiti on the outside of the windows.
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Mariann Eperjesi-Simms 8 years ago
The best thing I've ever seen on BoredPanda without a doubt. This was incredible...to have it superimposed like that. It was also made more incredible because my father would take us to the Poconos. I don't think we ever stayed overnite...but we have pictures with us being there next to a large wooden Indian and a huge taxidermied bear.
Tiny Dancer 2 years ago
Yes, exactly! In the Catskills. It's actually the basis for the resort in the movie, a homage as it were. This place was the king of them all, apparently. Pretty much all gone now, a fire wiped out what sounds like the last of it last year: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fire-hits-vacant-grossingers-hotel-once-a-catskills-jewel/
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Marianne Jablon 8 years ago
My sister worked as a lifeguard there in 1979. Was such a lovely place once.
Linda Abbott 8 years ago
This is so sad. I remember Grossingers in its heyday. It was a magical place of fun and memories.
Bored Panda got in touch with Maurer and he was kind enough to share his thoughts on the Abandoned States project with us. "I've been amazed at the staying power of the photographs and the whole project," he told us about the project he unveiled in 2017, from his perspective in 2023. "All of these photos are deeply meaningful to me, as is the time I've spent in the Catskills and Poconos over the years. These are places that allowed me some time and space to meditate, or reflect on life, so I remain attached."
Over the years, the photographer has revisited both places many times. "I've continued to marvel at the work others have done in documenting the area. My friend Marisa Schienfeld is a native of the Catskills and has worked for years to preserve the history of the Jewish resorts in the area. I also marvel at the work of Isaac Jeffreys whose nighttime photos of these resorts are awe-inspiring," he said.
RELATED:
#2
Grossinger's outdoor pool, olympic sized, built in 1949 at a cost of $400,000 (about $5 million in today's market.) Long gone are the private cabanas, changing room and lounges that used to surround it.
Marianne Jablon 8 years ago
I find it quite beautiful in it's dilapidated state surrounded by trees.
Marianne Jablon 8 years ago
Tried to edit it's to its but it was too late.
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Claire Armstrong 2 years ago
My hometown of New Cumnock has the only public outdoor freshwater heated swimming pool in Scotland. It has always been a fantastic pool but a few years back it was all refurbished thanks to certain members of our community, such as Sir Tom Hunter, and none other than the Prince of Wales, now our king Charles III. He has helped our community massively since he purchased Dumfries House, a stately home just outside Cumnock. He has done a lot of renovations in New Cumnock alone, most notably the Town Hall and the swimming pool. I will ALWAYS be eternally grateful to our King for the work he has done to help our community.
Joseph Covello 3 years ago
what happen to the houses in the background.Why is the pool messed up
Anneliese Marques 8 years ago
Pools are a big impact on the environment. It is usually the other way around.
Bored Panda wanted to get Maurer's thoughts on taking photos in abandoned buildings. He stressed the fact about how vital it is that everyone should use common sense and be safe. "And most importantly, respect these places for what they often are—historical sites. They should be afforded the same level of respect you offer some piece of untouched nature, or a work of art. Don't take anything, don't vandalize anything, and be extremely judicious about who you bring with you," he said.
Meanwhile, we were interested in what advice he'd give other, new photographers. "My advice to any photographer is pretty simple—develop your own style. I'd much rather someone go out with a camera and shoot what feels right to them than go out with a camera and try and recreate something they've seen on Instagram," he said that authenticity is essential.
"Taste is subjective by nature, so focus on finding your own voice and embracing it. You see this a lot in this stretch of 'abandoned' photography, which is full of over-saturated, highly retouched photographs aimed at making these places look horrific. My view is a little different—when you are in one of these places, the content itself is interesting enough. If you actually manage to take a good photograph of the place, it won't need much help after the fact."
#3
The browns and reds and oranges of this Poconos dining hall's carpet have turned green, the color of the moss that's taken its place.
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
Waiters stations are a b$&@h to move, so I’m not surprised but it is pretty cool.
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Janet Dabila 6 years ago
I used to go there every year for 5 years and met and fell in love with my husband we were married 33 years and he passed away on Dec 27 of 2018 and when it is my time we would like our ashes to be spread there where we met and fell in love our ashes mixed together so we will be where we met and end
Cherie O 8 years ago
Orange and brown - typical of late 60s and early 70s color schemes....barf!
Sarah Lennie 8 years ago
I don't know why you're getting down-voted, you're not wrong!
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Alice Maple 2 years ago
am i the only one who thinks the after is ethereal? i know it's awful that humans take such bad care of things, but i love the combination of nature reclaiming forgotten structures
Brian Heins 2 years ago
Look up screenshots of the video game The Last of Us. The game is about the world being basically destroyed by a virus and the world population being reduced by 90% because of disease. There are tons of scenes just like the ones on this page in that game. The ones in the game are of course fake and these are real, but the same eerie feeling comes to you when you see them. "Who was here before this place fell into ruin? Did thousands of people live, work, or party here before the roof caved in?"
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Ghislaine Coulon 7 years ago
such a waste, it reminds me of Viceland "Abandoned " structures and human built heritage documentary, so much potential for renovation.
Maurer is currently a staff writer for The Athletic. He covers soccer and focuses on the history and culture of the game. Meanwhile, his writing and photography have been featured in a variety of well-known outlets, including National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, Gothamist, and elsewhere.
The photographer’s Abandoned States project is widely known across the internet—you might have seen some of his photos without realizing who the man behind the camera lens is. Other people, however, spent their vacations at these very spots when they were young, so Maurer’s images were a real blast from the past for them.
#4
The Homowack Lodge now sits abandoned on the southern edge of the famed "Borscht Belt." On its lower level, maybe the highlight of the place, a four-lane Brunswick bowling alley. It has seen better days. The resort closed in the mid-2000's but lived on briefly, first as a Hasidic resort and lastly as the site of a summer camp—one which was forced to shut down after the NY Department of Environmental Conservation deemed it uninhabitable.
CatShatBrix 8 years ago
The bowling alley is still intact and functional! Please put it back into use!
Agnes Jekyll 8 years ago
It just needs a little plaint for the graffiti and a good clean.
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Carl Salters 2 years ago
The sole reason I even bothered with reading the comments. I mean really, who named the place that, especially if longevity was the goal.
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Denise Coffield 8 years ago
WOW...Here's a sad eye opener. I just showed my 15 yr old granddaughter these pictures and I was telling her that i grew up and in this era and look how beautiful and nice this all is! Then she says "How sad! You show me these nice pictures, but what I would be showing my grandkids would be the ones with the graffiti that I grew up with!"
Maggie Dougherty 8 years ago
So sad, Denise! So sad, because it's true!! :'(
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Suzi Druley 8 years ago
I would like to be able to linger over these photos to really SEE them. It's frustrating to have them disappear so quickly...not to mention INFURIATING!
Jayne Coney 8 years ago
That wood makes gorgeous bench tops & furniture. Such a shame it's going to waste IMG_7189-5...ab313a.jpg 
Glen Ellyn 2 years ago
This was my first thought. Could also be used as flooring.
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Lisa Lannom 2 years ago
While the wish is that it be restored, the reality is the lanes are on a 'lower level' of a building deemed uninhabitable. Either it's structuraly unsound or it has hazardous materials in it. Very sad 😔
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Carolann Waggner 8 years ago
Sad that these places were further ruined by losers s****y graffiti.
Nuno Saldanha 8 years ago
this one is really good because it's precisely the same point of view
Lisa Lannom 2 years ago
While the wish is that it be restored, the reality is the lanes are on a 'lower level' of a building deemed uninhabitable. Either it's structuraly unsound or it has hazardous materials in it. Very sad 😔
Load More Replies...Through his photos, taken in the resorts in Poconos in Pennsylvania and Catskills in New York, Maurer shows the stark contrast between once-booming holiday destinations and their current state. Ruins, abandonment, and deep silence have now replaced the smiling faces and joyous laughter of vacation-goers.
Pristine leisure spots have become overrun with nature or suffered so much damage from the environment that they look like something straight out of a post-Apocalyptic movie. The images are a reminder of the ravages of time and how it spares no place, no matter how popular it might have once been.
#5
Grossinger's indoor tennis center. The rear of the postcard is an ad for Grossinger's rye bread, a local staple during the resort's operation. Resort royalty Jenny Grossinger lays out the pitch: "The fun and fresh air people get here at Grossinger's really gives them an appetite. They love all of our food - and a particular favorite is our Grossinger's rye and pumpernickel bread. Now you can get this same healthy, flavorful bread at your local food store. Try a loaf. I'm sure you'll love it."
Mixedupste 8 years ago
Surely and investor or contractor should be buying this and restoring it to it's former glory! look at those beams!! Stunning!
Gina Gregory 8 years ago
Right you don't get architecture like that anymore.
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Nick Hovick 8 years ago
This reminds of the huge plastic gyres in the oceans of the world. Here the result of another form of capitalistic excess falls into ruin. Another blight is created: Too expensive to demolish or rehabilitate profitably. That is of course the issue: there is no profit to me made, therefore the squandered resources of space, structure and facilities remain. The generation creates a simmering pile of mold, mildew, and rotting timbers (those lovely scissor trusses). This could make a cool shelter for displaced, homeless youth, or a retreat for poor seniors. What else can you imagine going on here?
Tanager Ffolkes 2 years ago
Nick... Think it through. These old resorts are, deliberately, in the middle of nowhere. No town, stores, or entertainment nearby. And do you have any idea of what it cost to maintain, and staff them? You want to turn them into Concentration Camps for kids or old people? I think your heart's in the right place, but these resorts were a byproduct of racist Jew-hating. Mercifully, they aren't necessary anymore. (And, their customer base, now takes cruises, instead.) Their time has passed. It's better if they just crumble, and the land returns to nature.
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Ursula Liane 8 years ago
Was there in 1966. It was such a beautiful place. Sad to see it decay.
Charlotte Freeman 8 years ago
The roof and beams seem to be holding. There's no visible signs of leakage. Too bad this has gone by the by.
Bob Collins 8 years ago
I really don't understand graffiti. Why just destroy places like this?
J.J. 8 years ago
Graffiti is like cancer. So many beautiful structures are defaced by graffiti, not just abandoned buildings & structures either. I don't think there exists a train yard that hasn't been disfigured with graffiti.
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Mikki Carnevale 8 years ago
What a shame. It's structure is lovely, as are all of these places shown here.
#6
LadyAna 8 years ago
https://www.cardcow.com/13397/unity-house-poconos-pennsylvania/
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Allen 2 years ago
Yeah, if you combine the trees with the previous way it looked
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Maurer, a fan of exploring abandoned places, told National Geographic that he finds forgotten structures by simply getting in his car and driving.
"The images inspire emotion that's really difficult to put your finger on. It's a little melancholy," Maurer said.
The bowling alley in the Homowack Lodge in the Catskills, in particular, held a deep significance for Maurer. "I was there on Christmas day when my family was out of town, and I had nothing to do. I went up there and bowled. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life... It felt like it had been recently lived in,” he told National Geographic.
#7
After a fire destroyed the main building at this resort in the Poconos, a replacement went up in the early 70's. It is a truly striking sight, a modernist spaceship tucked away deep in the woods.
Kar Red Roses 2 years ago
If they went full on Brutalism it’s probably delightfully chunky inside with lots of exposed concrete and stucco.
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rustic raven 8 years ago
The place looks great just a little TLC an it would be a awesome place to live or make a retreat ,it still has lots of possibles .JUST LOVE THE PLACE ;=]]
Kar Red Roses 2 years ago
That was a huge problem with many new constructions in the 90s and aughts, is the lack of harmony with surrounding natural elements, no attempts to balance all their concrete and glass with the neighboring earth and sky. They contributed nothing to the landscape.
#8
Sunbathing and swimming in the Poconos. Postmarked, 1967. "Dear Jonnie: If you were only here, I would take you out for a horse-back ride - or else we could go golfing. Be good until I see you. Dr. Waterman."
Gemma Harrigan 2 years ago
It looks sadder in the first picture, with all the humans messing it up.
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Sharon Sybrandt 7 years ago
To be fair, they should have taken the recent photo in the summer.
Anelyse Miller 8 years ago
And the trees in the foreground? Can't grow that quickly
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Nick Hovick 8 years ago
Looks like it would have been a great resort for middle class Americans. Of course there are hardly any of those left these days.
Notwillywonka Shitt 8 years ago
DID ANYBODY ELSE MAKE THE CONNECTION WITH THIS POSTCARDS LETTER AND THE FAMOUS DIRTY DANCING MOVIE WITH JOHNNIE AND BABY? HER DAD WAS DR WATERMAN AND SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS AND BECOME A DR
"People connect the decay in these photographs with a general sort of decay. Something once grand was left to rot. I think, for a lot of people, it's to them a symbol of how wasteful we are."
Photographing abandoned places and urban exploration are both very romantic ideas. However, before you rush off to follow in Maurer’s footsteps, you’ve got to keep some safety tips in mind. The last thing you want is to get badly hurt or to get into some trouble with the law. First of all, either go on the adventure with a friend or let your nearest and dearest know exactly where you’ll be. That way, you’ll have backup in case you get hurt or trapped.
#9
The indoor pool at Grossinger's, which opened in 1958. Elizabeth Taylor attended the pool's opening, and Florence Chadwick - the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions - took the first dip in it. From Ross Padluck's excellent "Lost Architecture of Paradise": "...The new indoor pool at Grossinger's was the zenith of the Catskills. Nothing quite like it had ever been built, and nothing ever would be again. It represented everything about the Catskills in the 1950s-style: extravagance, luxury, modernism and celebrity."
Friedlander Rosenzweig 8 years ago
I understand that no one wants to do the summer family resort "thing" anymore, but why wasn't it chopped up and developed into a Hamptons type resort area for the rich and famous? I'm not from the area, but it's still links like a beautiful, scenic place?
Annie Drews 8 years ago
That's sad, because I'd be all over a family resort setting! I guess people these days need to be entertained 24/7.
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Andrew Keane 8 years ago
So many cool swimming locations destroyed by neglect. It's sad to see them like this.
JeffandEricka Hickman 8 years ago
If the owners of the property wanted to gift it to my General Contractor and Visionary husband and me, together we would rehabilitate it to its original glory...benefiting our fellow humans ( particularly) those with/and family's of adults who have "aged" out of our learning and physically disabled population.
nicole paul 2 years ago
This. Im sure there would be enough people with the skill to bring something like this back to its former glory. Imagine seeing that, being a part of that!
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Melbie Toast 8 years ago
It was beautiful. So sad it is now defaced and in such bad condition now.
Lisa Lannom 2 years ago
I'm sure it breaks your heart to see it like this now.
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Reed Parkinson 8 years ago
The beams in picture #9 are still in great shape! It's very foolish to let architecture like this go to the ruins! So Sad!
Holly Overmyer 2 years ago
Grossingers was the inspiration for Kellerman’s in Dirty Dancing. The writer, Eleanor Bergstein went to Grossingers as a teen. When Jewish people started being “allowed” at former Gentile-only resorts, the Borscht Belt started dying because they weren’t restricted to just that area. It’s sad because they were so grand and gorgeous but people just lost interest in resorts where you had to dress for dinner every night and the entertainment was genteel. Just like today even, there’s no restaurants around where I live that you dress up a little to go to.
Carolann Waggner 8 years ago
Sad how scumbag kids ruined everything with their s****y graffiti.
Douglas Zanini 8 years ago
The abandoned one looks like Pripyat (Chernobyl). You'd never know it was US if it wasn't for the lack of nuclear fallout.
#10
Mixedupste 8 years ago
He would get told off now for leaning back in his chair! lol
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Andrew Keane 8 years ago
Such a great thing for the community. Does no one care about providing these things anymore?
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Pretty sure it wasn't free, you'd have paid to be there.
Load More Replies... rustic raven 8 years ago
It is really sad to see all these great places go down the tube ,where if now they would be a great place to go with your boat , kids or even just to kick back for weekend ;[]
Giana Sophia Heiser 2 years ago
If they fixed it up, it could definitely be back in business again!
Second of all, take the time to do some background research on the property you plan to visit. Check out your local laws and know your rights, find some photographs (or even blueprints!) of the place, plan your time accordingly so you’re not stuck in some random ruins in the middle of the night while it’s freezing.
Urbex often falls into a legal and moral grey zone, so if you do ever run into the authorities, be respectful, apologize for trespassing, and promise that you won’t ever go back to that particular abandoned property ever again. In general, it’s best to visit the structure and leave it undisturbed or better than you found it. The only souvenirs that you should be taking are pictures.
#11
The caption on the back of this Pocono resort's postcard touts this theater as the "resort world's most modern showplace." With a capacity of 1200, it remains splendorous even in disrepair. This postcard is also postmarked, and filled out. "Having a lovely weekend here. All pleasure - only exercise is rowing a boat and playing shuffleboard! Nice to be lady-like and not "rushing" about! We will see you soon."
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
For sure. And some of these would be great for movies. Practically a ready made horror movie set.
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Sharon Ewing 7 years ago
I don't understand why the owner's couldn't have done something with it . At least sell or gift it instead of just letting it go like this !
Donna Libbey 8 years ago
Most of these postcard places could be repaired and put to use if people would invest in it instead of building new..
Maggie Dougherty 8 years ago
I think it still looks pretty good, as it is. I wonder, how much it would take to refurbish, it up to code?
Ayrendal 2 years ago
The changing curtains shows that the original stage was likely used for live theatre - the thought of “talent night” with audiences that size is … terrifying! But then it looks like participation died out as the ruins look to have a movie screen installed with the stage space either gone, or hidden behind the enormous screen. Shame. Live theatre has it all over a static screen.
Lisa Lannom 2 years ago
Actually, looking at the different pics, I do t think so. Memories from childhood, we knew the movie was about to start when the curtains opened. Everyone who was still standing would scurry to their seats and the chatter would cease as the lights were then dimmed.
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#12
The cocktail lounge of a now-defunct resort in the Poconos. "Peaceful relaxation - healthful recreation," says the caption on the rear of the card.
Melissa Nunya 8 years ago
Orange brown and avocado, the colors of my youth ;)
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Trish Christoffersen 8 years ago
The surviving chairs are probably quite collectible....mid-century modern and all that.
Donna Turner 2 years ago
They probably have dry rot, bugs and/or are cracked in places. So sad. So many homeless people are suffering and we have enough enormous property to turn in to mini-halfway homes, women and children’s shelters and so much more. I care about our country but it’s most important resource is the people and those that have nothing are apparently not important to us. It makes me sick.
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AnnaPanda 2 years ago
That's how it was back then. Even in hospitals and aeroplanes
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Melissa Hammond 2 years ago
Oh, my stars. My heart hurts when I see the absolute waste and destruction that occurs when no one gives a damn anymore.
And finally, remember to keep yourself as physically safe as possible. Stating the obvious here, but abandoned structures can be very dangerous even if you think you’re prepared. Never assume that something’s safe, always be ready for the worst, have contingency plans ready, and keep all the different exit points in mind before venturing anywhere.
#13
Stairs lead down to an abandoned theater in the Poconos. The curtain last fell here sometime in the early 90's
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
Somebody turned off those lights for the last time, walked up those stairs, glanced back once, sighed, got into the car and drove away.
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
The weirdest thing is I keep thinking "early 90s that's not long ago. It's hardly abandoned." Then realise that's 30 years, a whole generation. And now I feel old >_<
Maureen 2 years ago
I talk to my therapist once in awhile about my Yankees and I mention 1998 as a historical year for them and he reminds me he has no memory of the '98 Yankees because he was born that year. 🤦
Load More Replies... William Mclaurin 2 years ago
Why doesn't someone buy these places and do something with them. Apartments for the homeless maybe? Something.
Melissa Hammond 2 years ago
And conspicuous consumption, followed by, abandoned destruction, rules the day.
Pearie Termpitipong 2 years ago
Just more nature that’s fine! It’s still a good photoshop spot!
Sarjana Lastname 2 years ago
this too abandoned look much more nicer than new one. vegetation makes brutal-ism (style) more humane and inviting
I'mNotARoboat 2 years ago (edited)
You are correct. I do want to point out that I don't think this particular building really counts as brutalism. It's certainly more sterile of a look especially compared to natural greenery but I don't think it's harsh enough to be considered brutalism. Personally, the style is still somewhat welcoming if its not warm. The lighting helps. Addition: it kind of makes me think of a sports complex or a high-school gym/auditorium.
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John Ronald 8 years ago
The "Before" image looks like something you might see in Germany somewhere.
Bruce Kunde 8 years ago
I was going to question why buildings not redone but " NEW" federal regulations probably make it cheaper to build new
#14
The Mies van der Rohe-inspired "Jenny G Wing" opened in 1964 and was among the last structures erected at Grossinger's. It was designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus—the man who near single-handedly created the "Miami Modern" look in hotels and, more locally, designed the Capitol Skyline Hotel.
Jessica Erickson 8 years ago
I live 2 mins from this building its sad and they need to build it up not let it rot
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Joel Hamilton 8 years ago
What most people might not realize is this, the resort failed because it is not off of any major interstate. People have to realize back in the fifties and sixties and even early seventies when all the interstates were being built some of these Resorts were still clinging to life, but as soon as the interstates were built these Resorts started to fail. I will say this though now the amazing thing is people are trying to be retro and they don't want to do what's on the norm like Resorts along the interstate and so I do not understand why the owner of this property does not want to revamp it because if he did at this time it would be a major hit
AnnaPanda 2 years ago
How hard is to build a road leading to a resort? Don't have to be an interstate
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Nick Hovick 8 years ago
It would have to be sponsored by the State or some huge philanthropic organization - funded independently and willing to go through the immense hassle of securing the permits, permissions and ongoing clearances from HEW, etc.
Pamela Christie 2 years ago
Even in it's heyday it looked like a Chernobyl genetics lab and mental hospital.
Jeannie Carle 8 years ago
What a wonderful bldg! Why is it not being used? Perhaps for homeless? Or us Veterans? SOMEthing???
Philly Bobcat 2 years ago (edited)
It is a major shame that places like these couldn't be restored at least to offer something to the homeless but as terrible as it sounds, who's gonna put up that kind of money? A private investor? Ha! Someone like Bezos, Musk, etc could do that in MANY places with a wave of their hand but keep dreaming! Government? Too busy worrying about enriching themselves or with drag queens, abortions, abolishing teachings on race, oh... and guns (yeah, touchy subjects for some I know but let's get real!) than to care about those who are living and those who fought for our country and those who helped build it. Taxes? How many will tell you that "I'm not paying higher taxes for someone else to benefit!" type of s**t! (Why we can't get universal healthcare here BTW! "Not on MY dime!" types.) And last but not least... "Homeless??? Not in MY backyard!" And so, it sits and rots. Sorry for the rant and I'm sure this will get downvoted to oblivion, but we know what we are living with these days. Sadly.
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Jayne Coney 8 years ago
Such a shame there are abandoned places like this, when so many are living on the streets. Imagine providing a beautiful place like this for people to live in and look after.
Joan Rogers 8 years ago
Why doesn't NY state or city this for "affordable housing" or shelters. Why is this structure sitting fallow?
Stephanie delong 2 years ago
Probably a death trap. No one wants to be responsible for allowing 60 veterans to die in a horrible fire because the building they were allowed to live in wasn't up to code
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Wear thick clothing so that you don’t hurt yourself on nails, glass, broken wood, and crumbling concrete. Good boots are a must, steel-capped if possible. As is a mask for your face so you don’t breathe in any toxic materials, a hard hat for your head, and a pair of thick gloves to protect your hands. Bring a flashlight with you (and possibly a second one just in case), as well as a fully-charged phone, and some food and water if it’s a long trip. Photography in abandoned places is possible without these things, but your safety really is paramount.
#15
On the inside of the matchbook, some text: "Swim n' Sun Indoor Swimming Pool at Penn Hills Lodge and Cottages. The Poconos' Finest Modern Resort."
Michelle Stetser 8 years ago
Who is dumping trash into the pool??? How absolutely disgusting some humans can be. :(
Lily Winterhart 8 years ago
More then likely it is all the tear down from the rest of the resort.
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Samantha Mannion 2 years ago
I applied here at Penn hills in high school around 2005. Since then it's been closed had 2 fires and is just now over the last few weeks, finally getting torn the rest of the way down and cleaned up. It's been abandoned for a long time. I drove by it every day for years and years, still do sometimes
Carolann Waggner 8 years ago
Sad that these places were further ruined by losers s****y graffiti.
Lynette Feliciano-Justice 2 years ago
I worked at the Penn Hills Resort in 1987 and 1988. Although it wasn’t in great shape, it was still very popular. Sad to see these once favorite getaway destinations left to rot. I’d rather have them completely demolished than to see how vandalism and the disrespect have taken over.
Philly Bobcat 2 years ago (edited)
I live here now and have for 15 years but have been coming up since I was a kitten! (1971 or so) , I'm close to Split Rock (worked there too!), Jack Frost and Big Boulder but there were many places (and still are) that are thriving. It's beautiful here, lots to see and do. Close to both Philly and NYC. I'm sure in about 30 to 40 years, people will find a way to louse it all up. Where I am now, 20 years ago was woods. Now, it's all built up and getting more so each year.
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Pirate Luxe 2 years ago
So I grew up in the Poconos in the 80's.... lived 3 miles from Penn Hills which was active and popular. All of these resorts were going strong in the 80s.... the recession of the early 90's put an end to most of them. some still exist but none have the glamour and splendor they had in the 60's-80's
tammy mize 6 years ago
The trash you complain about shares space with graffiti that makes us look stupid af!!
#16
A lane attendant at the Homowack lodge in the Catskills.
Juana 8 years ago
They should put a skeleton there now and pose it like him.
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Rizam Hewins 8 years ago
This one hits me somewhere.... its eerie but saddening at the same time
Walkus-Andrew Andrea 8 years ago
This pic saddens Mr for some reason. It's like those shoes about humans disappearing forever...Life After Humans
#17
Looking down the side of that same 70's structure. "Ultra-modern building houses the dining room, cocktail lounge, lobbies and offices."
Maeva Dumena 8 years ago
This album made me sad. Why were these structures abandoned? Who lost ownership why did no one else claim it? I want a historical accounting.
Brandi VanSteenwyk 2 years ago
All kinds of ownership details and the like on the internet. Sounds like you are like me... Hate to see wasted resources and potential housing.
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Dolly Fraher 8 years ago
As a resident of the Poconos for the last 25 years, I've seem much building all over. The places here could have been made grand again. There are several resorts that have lost ownership and are falling apart, however there always seems to be a problem with new buyers. Very sad to see the dilapidation where there could be beautiful resorts again.
Frank 8 years ago
I live a few hours away, I remember people went here often. Are any of the places still open?
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Ruth Hankins 8 years ago
We are just realizing in this country the value of re-purposing. Not here though and it is very sad and a waste. I too would like to know what happened to the owners during the prosperous age and who owns it now and why hasn't anyone come to rescue it?
zef rose 8 years ago
Meanwhile there are 100s of thousands of homeless people.
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Ged Maybury 8 years ago
This is the fate of everything we build. Without constant vigilance, the trees will march back to where they were and get right on with being a forest.
Giana Sophia Heiser 2 years ago
*You walk down the hallway, and a tall, thin, dark figure crawls at the edge of your eyesight*😬
Candice Goddard 2 years ago
The recessions of the 80s and 00s really caused a lot of damage to society and people's minds, I think. The beautiful hopefulness of the space age just disappeared into the hopeless grime of the digital era.
I'mNotARoboat 2 years ago
The before of a lot of these make me think of rich cults. Or Battlestar Galactica for some reason...
#18
A residential building at a Poconos resort sits in disrepair. On the back of the postcard: "Dear Bernie - Don't think we forgot you - but we're having such a grand time that post cards are a chore! This is the life & the place & the people are grand. We couldn't be happier or have more fun. See you soon! Love, Lou & Shiela.
Kirsten Lee 8 years ago
Such a shame to see such beautiful things go to waste these places aren't forgotten and never will be even when nature and things take over it will never be forgotten
Celeste Williams-Hughes 2 years ago
It surely will when everyone who use to frequent these places are dead. We're probably close to that now. Read the poem Ozymandias, and see how you feel about dumps like these.
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Charlotte Hay 8 years ago
Not disputing that these places have disintegrated, but the gloom of the present day images shot outdoors is further emphasised by nearly all of them having overcast or dull skies...
Kendra Miller 8 years ago
I expect that's because all the Pocano ones were taken the same day in fall
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Lisa Lannom 2 years ago
Sadly, most of the buildings are now decayed past the point of reclaiming them. There were too few people going out there to make it feasible to keep them open.
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#19
Postcard caption: "Birchwood is the only resort offering three swimming pool facilities, indoor pool, outdoor pool and lake with beach. Pictured here is beautiful Eagle Lake, at the foot of the Village Green. Here couples enjoy the white-sand beach, chaise lounges, bicycle and row boats, and fish off its shores ... Six low-cost all-expense package plans include indoor swimming, airplane rides, movies, bowling, horseback riding, all winter sports and 40 other free activities!" More recently, the hangar at the resort's airstrip served a different purpose: cop killer Eric Frein made the place his home during a weeks-long manhunt and was eventually apprehended just a stone's throw from Eagle Lake.
Aessidhe Eclipse 8 years ago
It's not weird, the weird one is america letting amazing places to rot abandoned not allowing people to enter because of annoying 'trespassing laws' while so many people have no place to live :/
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Michael McGee 8 years ago
stayed at Birchwood in '75 for my honeymoon. There were other cabins too. It was a great place.
Tina Taylor 5 years ago
My parents went there for their honeymoon in 1967. They have a great video of it: a great place with lots to do and the little cabins are so cute. My husband and stopped there in 1993 on our way home from a different resort. It was still open but seemed to be on the decline.
Pedro Hasashi 8 years ago
Hmmm this one makes me feel that Jason Vorhees would come out of jowhere and kill everyone.
Barbie Bowman 2 years ago
Me too! But I don’t have anyone to go with. Wanna go?
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What do you think ?
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
I get an odd satisfaction to see that humanity is not so almighty. That our works, maybe all of them, will be consumed again by Nature. Everything that can rot, will rot, rust or crumble. Even concrete - seemingly like rock, bubbles apart within a hundred years as the internal steel rusts away. Trees get into the cracks. So do insects, animals, birds poop, more seeds ... one day It all falls down. It is swallowed, digested, ground down and smothered. Part of me wants this to happen. I love to see it happen.
Virgil Blue 8 years ago
As a gamer I really got this same feeling when playing Horizon zero dawn. Such an eerie beautiful feeling. Those designers really captured that "the mighty have fallen" vibe.
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Zenozenobee 8 years ago
I think, the saddest here, doesn't comes from the emptyness or the abandonment, but from the waste. As humans, we think it's normal to spoil a natural place, to build something that can be charmfull (not always the case, see all the coast with tones of buildings for mass tourism)... and to just forgot it as something disposable. Double waste. It doesn't make money anymore? then let's go concreting some other wonderful place and restard from zero, until next time. Glad to see, nature find her way despite us. (I hope they remove asbestos and all nasty stuff before leaving...)
Faina Letoutchaia 8 years ago
Unfortunately, they don't remove asbestos, or anything else. They just leave it to rot, if it can rot. Or poison everything around, which is more likely. America is very wasteful society, sad to say it.
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Motherland Mars 4 months ago
"The parable of the life of this world is like the parable of the water which We send down from the sky, by which the plants of the earth grow, and from them the humans and animals eat. Eventually, when the earth is adorned and is beautified, and its inhabitants assume that they have the power to harvest it, Our command will reach it, whether it is by night or by day. We will turn it into a field that has been reaped, as if it had never been abundant (in crops) the day before. Thus, We explain the verses for people who reflect." (Holy Qur'an, 10:24)ııııııııı
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Rachel Isnotahero 8 years ago
That's impressive but to be truly honest, the photographer should have taken pictures in summer.
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
Some are summer pix, but I'd suspect the decision was to go for a starker look - emphasizing the emptiness and abandoned/dying qualities in frame. An artistic decision I can quite understand. Also - in winter, the buildings are easier to see.
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Diana CrunChewy Watson 8 years ago
When I see stuff like this I often wonder how a whole building could just be abandoned for decades like that. Particularly when the building is not so far from a thriving metropolis. Here in New Orleans, we had a amusement park that was left like that and it's just weird that no other company tried to buy the land dirt cheap and do something with it.
Juliet Fischer 8 years ago
It's weird to me, too. I can understand smaller properties sitting for a time, but not something large enough to construct all new buildings (office, factory, mixed-use) on.
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Lyone Fein 8 years ago
I remember going to some of these places in the 1980's when I was a very young child. So it is so strange for me to realize that they are ALL completely closed down and falling apart. For 50+ years, these places were a huge part of the culture for my family and families like mine. So strange to see these photos...
Pam Webb 8 years ago
Its so sad ..it looks like at one time it would have been a blast...now all I see is loneliness..emptiness...it makes me ill that all these millionaires, won't come it to a place like that and turn it around...It could be a very nice seniors center...or somewhere kids could go to have fun and stay out of trouble ........I just hate to see the waste.....
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
I get an odd satisfaction to see that humanity is not so almighty. That our works, maybe all of them, will be consumed again by Nature. Everything that can rot, will rot, rust or crumble. Even concrete - seemingly like rock, bubbles apart within a hundred years as the internal steel rusts away. Trees get into the cracks. So do insects, animals, birds poop, more seeds ... one day It all falls down. It is swallowed, digested, ground down and smothered. Part of me wants this to happen. I love to see it happen.
Virgil Blue 8 years ago
As a gamer I really got this same feeling when playing Horizon zero dawn. Such an eerie beautiful feeling. Those designers really captured that "the mighty have fallen" vibe.
Load More Replies... Zenozenobee 8 years ago
I think, the saddest here, doesn't comes from the emptyness or the abandonment, but from the waste. As humans, we think it's normal to spoil a natural place, to build something that can be charmfull (not always the case, see all the coast with tones of buildings for mass tourism)... and to just forgot it as something disposable. Double waste. It doesn't make money anymore? then let's go concreting some other wonderful place and restard from zero, until next time. Glad to see, nature find her way despite us. (I hope they remove asbestos and all nasty stuff before leaving...)
Faina Letoutchaia 8 years ago
Unfortunately, they don't remove asbestos, or anything else. They just leave it to rot, if it can rot. Or poison everything around, which is more likely. America is very wasteful society, sad to say it.
Load More Replies... Motherland Mars 4 months ago
"The parable of the life of this world is like the parable of the water which We send down from the sky, by which the plants of the earth grow, and from them the humans and animals eat. Eventually, when the earth is adorned and is beautified, and its inhabitants assume that they have the power to harvest it, Our command will reach it, whether it is by night or by day. We will turn it into a field that has been reaped, as if it had never been abundant (in crops) the day before. Thus, We explain the verses for people who reflect." (Holy Qur'an, 10:24)ııııııııı
Load More Replies... Rachel Isnotahero 8 years ago
That's impressive but to be truly honest, the photographer should have taken pictures in summer.
Ged Maybury 8 years ago
Some are summer pix, but I'd suspect the decision was to go for a starker look - emphasizing the emptiness and abandoned/dying qualities in frame. An artistic decision I can quite understand. Also - in winter, the buildings are easier to see.
Load More Replies... Diana CrunChewy Watson 8 years ago
When I see stuff like this I often wonder how a whole building could just be abandoned for decades like that. Particularly when the building is not so far from a thriving metropolis. Here in New Orleans, we had a amusement park that was left like that and it's just weird that no other company tried to buy the land dirt cheap and do something with it.
Juliet Fischer 8 years ago
It's weird to me, too. I can understand smaller properties sitting for a time, but not something large enough to construct all new buildings (office, factory, mixed-use) on.
Load More Replies... Lyone Fein 8 years ago
I remember going to some of these places in the 1980's when I was a very young child. So it is so strange for me to realize that they are ALL completely closed down and falling apart. For 50+ years, these places were a huge part of the culture for my family and families like mine. So strange to see these photos...
Pam Webb 8 years ago
Its so sad ..it looks like at one time it would have been a blast...now all I see is loneliness..emptiness...it makes me ill that all these millionaires, won't come it to a place like that and turn it around...It could be a very nice seniors center...or somewhere kids could go to have fun and stay out of trouble ........I just hate to see the waste.....
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