Historic Structures - Urban Exploration of Historic Properties

Oakfield Station, Oakfield Maine

Oakfield Station, Oakfield Maine

Oakfield's former railroad passenger station is the most significant extant building associated with the community's once important position astride the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Opened in 1912, the station served in its original capacity until 1961 when passenger service was eliminated along this rail corridor. In addition to its association with Oakfield's development as a railroad center, the relatively intact station exhibits the architectural features of a number of similar structures located along the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. The small rural community of Oakfield became an important Aroostook County railroad center by virtue of its location at the junction of two important rail lines. In 1893, the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad completed a main line from Brownville via Oakfield to Houlton,

Swan House - Atlanta Historical Society, Atlanta Georgia

Swan House - Atlanta Historical Society, Atlanta Georgia

Designed by Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Schutze in 1928 and decorated by Ruby Ross Wood of New York, Swan House stands today as the home of the Atlanta Historical Society, the third most well-endowed institution of its kind in the United States. Built by Edward H. Inman, one of Atlanta's best citizens and a member of a noted local family, Swan House served as the home of the Inman family for nearly forty years. Upon the death of Mrs. Inman in 1965, the house and estate, valued at some $8,000,000, went to the Atlanta Historical Society. Located on prestigious Andrews Drive, N.W., Swan House was not the house that the Inman's had originally intended to build on what was soon to

Stryker Depot, Stryker Ohio

Stryker Depot, Stryker Ohio

The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad, which built the Stryker Depot in 1900, to replace an earlier frame structure destroyed by fire, apparently predicted continued growth for the town. In fact, Stryker's rapid growth made it one of the so called big towns along the route and thus the recipient of a substantial brick and stone railroad station. The town later languished. However, the Stryker Depot remains as important visual evidence of the high hopes which both the railroad and local citizens had for their town. Rail service through Stryker dates from 1855, when the Michigan Southern took over the ailing Northern Indiana Railroad and built its famous Air Line Route through northwestern Ohio into Indiana, where it joined existing

Little River Light Station, Cutler Maine

Little River Light Station, Cutler Maine

Established in 1847 and substantially rebuilt in 1876 and 1888, the Little River Light Station is located on Little River Island at the mouth of the Little River. It was built here not only as a guide to the refuge at Cutler Harbor but also as a Navigational aid between the lights at West Quoddy Head to the northeast, Libby Island to the southwest and the Canadian seacoast light at Machias Seal Island. The small community of Cutler is focused on Cutler Harbor which opens out to the south. Known for its deep, ice-free character and the high protective bluffs that surround it, the harbor provided an important natural resource for the development of the village. Incorporated in 1826, Cutler had

Eustatia House, Beacon New York

Eustatia House, Beacon New York

Judge John Monell's brick cottage, Eustatia, is a rare intact example of the High Victorian Gothic Style as adapted to cottage architecture. The design is in keeping with the ideals popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing, Calvert Vaux and other notable mid-nineteenth-century architects in the mid-Hudson region. The architect of the building was Frederick C. Withers who, after briefly studying with Downing, went on to become one of the accepted leaders of the High Victorian Style in this country. The major significance of Eustatia lies in the fact that it is one of the earliest and most highly developed High Victorian Gothic cottages in America. Its high degree of integrity and its associations with Frederick Withers and the so-called Downing School, make

Chetolah - George Inness Jr. Estate, Cragsmoor New York

Chetolah - George Inness Jr. Estate, Cragsmoor New York

Chetolah was the summer home of George Inness, Jr. It recalls the lavish lifestyle of a successful, turn-of-the-century artist at home in a well-established art colony. The art colony at Cragsmoor developed in the 1870s and thrived until the 1930s, Until the railroad reached Ellenville in 1871, the area was a relatively isolated, agricultural region, disturbed only by the Delaware and Hudson Canal which carried coal from Pennsylvania coal fields to the Hudson River port of Kingston. The country outside the town was unaffected by the canal, but with the railroad providing easy transportation, local entrepreneurs began to capitalize on the beautiful scenery by opening guesthouses and small resorts. One particular settlement, Evansville, became popular with artists and developed into Cragsmoor,

George H. Miller House, Bloomington Illinois

George H. Miller House, Bloomington Illinois

This building is the home built by George Miller soon after his marriage. He lived here from 1890 until his death in 1927. Miller was the first architect to practice for any sustained period in Bloomington. He designed many public buildings, churches, office buildings, and private homes in Bloomington, the surrounding area and throughout the Midwest. George H. Miller's parents were born in Germany. They came to this country and settled in Bloomington in 1855. George was born the following year. When he was fifteen Miller entered the architectural offices of Richter and Bunting where he worked as a draftsman. In 1874 he worked briefly in Ohio, returning in 1875 to work in the Chicago offices of F. & E. Baumann,

Rock Island Passenger Train Depot, Weldon Arkansas

Rock Island Passenger Train Depot, Weldon Arkansas

The town of Weldon grew to any noteworthy size only after the Civil War, when several families located here along what was one of the principal local overland routes between Jacksonport on the White River and Augusta, Brinkley, and other communities to the south. Good farmland and plentiful stands of timber provided the principal means of income for most of the early residents. Not surprisingly, the fledgling Brinkley and Batesville Railroad also chose to construct their rail line along the established highway, though the line from Brinkley terminated at Jacksonport and was never constructed through to Batesville. The growing Chicago, Rock Island and Southern Railroad (known as the Rock Island) purchased the line by the end of the first decade of

Southwestern Bell Repeater Station, Wright City Missouri

Southwestern Bell Repeater Station, Wright City Missouri

Repeater stations first appeared in the late 1920s and 1930s and initially contained equipment that allowed sound messages to be amplified and carried over long-distance lines via other repeater stations between main telephone exchanges. All telephone companies had to implement this new technology in order to remain competitive in the market as well as keep up with emerging technology in communications capability. This property type represents a short-lived model however the buildings remained in use by telephone companies with updates in equipment installation. The Southwestern Bell Telephone Company completed the building in 1930 as one of four repeater stations constructed along the original Highway 40 (now Interstate 70) enabling clear long distance between St. Louis and Kansas City and thence to

Tatoosh Island Lighthouse, Olympic Peninsula Washington

Tatoosh Island Lighthouse, Olympic Peninsula Washington

On March 22^nd, 1778, Captain James Cook discovered and named Cape Flattery. Manuel Quimper called it Punta de Martinez in 1790. It was also known as Cape Classet and Tutusi by the early fur traders. The original name given by Cook was retained by Vancouver on his chart in 1792. Probably no lighthouse along the the Pacific Coast is more isolated than is that of Tatoosh Island. Even in present times, it is necessary to drive to Neah Bay, a Makah Indian village, and from there go by boat to the island. The lighthouse on Tatoosh Island is the guiding one for ships passing Cape Flattery en route into the Strait of Juan. de Fuca. In the early years, the light

Lambskin Temple, St. Louis Missouri

Lambskin Temple, St. Louis Missouri

When constructed in 1927, the building was in the vanguard of the new Modernistic architecture, just then beginning to appear in the Midwest, and later to be more fully developed in high rise and commercial buildings in major St. Louis business districts. Designed by St. Louis architect Edward F. Nolte, the Lambskin Temple is a monumental three-story brick structure; the massive planes of its facade are overlaid with a flat geometric pattern of varied materials. The abstract quality of its ornamentation serves to emphasize the synthetic and graphic qualities of its design. The Lambskin Temple was the first fraternal building in St. Louis, and one of the first in the country, which relinquished historical references in favor of the new modernism.

Coral Court Motel, Marlborough Missouri

Coral Court Motel, Marlborough Missouri

The Coral Court Motel is located at 7755 Watson Road in the Village of Marlborough, Missouri and was built in 1941 on Route 66. It is associated with the growth of commerce oriented to automobile travel, which enjoyed a period of brief prosperity before World War II. The architecture of the Coral Court embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Streamline Moderne, one of the sub-categories of the modernistic styles that appeared in the 1920s and became popular in the 1930s. The Coral Court Motel is outstanding in part because of its remarkable state of preservation, but it was also exceptionally well designed by the standards of its day. Adolph L. Struebig, the architect who designed Coral Court, recalled that John Carr,

Grindle Point Light Station, Islesboro Maine

Grindle Point Light Station, Islesboro Maine

Located at the entrance to Gilkey's Harbor and the Village of Islesboro, Grindle Point Light Station has, for more than one hundred years, been the preeminent landmark on this island of about 500 year-round inhabitants. First established in 1850 and rebuilt in 1875, the lighthouse is one of only three similarly shaped structures which still survive along the coast of Maine. The light station at Grindle Point was built at a time of increased commercial traffic in Gilkey's Harbor. In 1847, for example, Islesboro was first included on a steamboat line between it and the mainland. Settlement of Islesboro commenced in 1769, and by 1860 its population reached 1,276 persons, its highest recorded figure. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth

John Weisert Tobacco Company, St. Louis Missouri

John Weisert Tobacco Company, St. Louis Missouri

The John Weisert Tobacco Company was a major player during the years when St. Louis led the nation in the manufacturing of tobacco products and was the last tobacco company in St. Louis to go out of business. Over four hundred tobacco firms were active locally when the industry peaked in St. Louis at the beginning of the twentieth century, and John Weisert was among the city's major producers of chewing tobacco and cigars. Weisert constructed the north half of the tobacco factory in 1903 and added the south half of the building in 1922. The building was where Weisert's chewing tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, and hand-rolled cigars were produced for some 86 years. Today the Weisert Building at 1120

St. Elizabeth Hospital, Hannibal Missouri

St. Elizabeth Hospital, Hannibal Missouri

St. Elizabeth Hospital is located at 109 Virginia Street in Hannibal, Missouri. Constructed in 1915, St. Elizabeth Hospital was the first private hospital in Hannibal, and the second hospital constructed in Hannibal overall. At the beginning of the 20^th Century, a public hospital existed in Hannibal but population growth had made it inadequate. The Sisters of St. Francis, an order of nuns dedicated to running hospitals, orphanages and schools, recognized the need for a new hospital and acquired land for construction purposes in 1913. After its construction in 1915, additions to St. Elizabeth in 1922, 1928, 1940, 1956, and 1973 demonstrate its ongoing efforts to keep pace with the growth of Hannibal as well as advances in medical care such as

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Depot, Atlantic Iowa

Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Depot, Atlantic Iowa

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island) depot in Atlantic, Iowa, is a symbol of the importance of the railroad to the town of Atlantic and to the State of Iowa. Not only did the coming of the railroad in 1868 determine the cities location, Atlantic then became the largest and most important city on the line between Des Moines and Council Bluffs. When early in 1898 the Rock Island undertook extensive expansion and line improvements through issuance of 100 million dollars in bonds, Atlantic found immediate benefit in the form of a new depot. Being on the main line of the Rock Island gave Atlantic an important edge in the area's railroad situation which, in the words of a

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, Iowa City Iowa

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, Iowa City Iowa

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Iowa City was the city's second such facility, has been since its completion in 1898, the central symbol of the railroad's presence in Iowa City and a major reference point for the thousands of university students and other citizens who utilized its facilities in coming to and going from Iowa City. Iowa City's first railroad passenger depot, which was located three blocks east of the present one, was constructed in 1855 by the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, a predecessor of the Rock Island, and was placed in service on New Year's Eve of that year when the first train reached Iowa City. For over forty years, this facility was adequate for

New Dungeness Light Station, Sequim Washington

New Dungeness Light Station, Sequim Washington

The New Dungeness Light Station was the first federal navigational aid constructed north of the Columbia River. Lighted in December, 1857 (just a few weeks before the light on Tatoosh Island), the Station consists of the original lighthouse with tower and a nearby keepers' residence built in 1904. The Light Station is situated at the tip of Dungeness Spit in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and has served for nearly 140 years as a maritime beacon in an area plagued by strong storms, dense fog, and heavy commercial traffic. Although the tower was lowered in the early 20^th century, the station remains an enduring symbol of the historic lighthouses of Washington. When Congress passed the Lighthouse Act of 1789, the

Smithfield School, Smithfield Ohio

Smithfield School, Smithfield Ohio

The lots where the Smithfield School is located were set aside for educational purposes at the original platting of the village. The present building was erected in 1906 to take the place of a smaller brick structure built in 1868. The first floor in the 1906 structure was designed for elementary students and the second floor for high school students. A larger high school was constructed in 1928 on the lot adjacent to this school but was demolished in 1971. The 1906 school was deeded to the village with the stipulation that it be used for some community purpose. It has remained in a vacant and vandalized condition since that time as the village government attempts to identify the best use

Texaco Station No. 1 - Hamburger Station, Paragould Arkansas

Texaco Station No. 1 - Hamburger Station, Paragould Arkansas

Constructed circa l925, the Texaco Station No. 1 (since 1985 known as the Hamburger Station) is one of only two remaining historic gas stations in Paragould. By 1920, Paragould had grown into a thriving town of 6,306 people. Greene County's vibrant timber industry was made possible by the transportation afforded by its two railroads (known in 1920 as the Missouri Pacific and the St. Louis and Southwestern or Cotton Belt). The town could boast of four bands, two department stores (one containing three stories), two newspapers, a pressed brick factory, a tile factory, and ice and cold storage plant, a flour mill, two spoke factories, three cotton gins, the Missouri Pacific railroad shops, a post office, an 800-seat theater, a telephone

Book Title Abandoned Train Stations: Rail Stations, Yards, Signalboxes and Tracks that the World Left Behind

Abandoned Train Stations: Rail Stations, Yards, Signalboxes and Tracks that the World Left Behind

Book Title Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Abandoned Malls of America: Crumbling Commerce Left Behind

Book Title Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Abandoned America: Dismantling The Dream

Book Title Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks

Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks

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