TRAVEL

TRAVEL

Saturday, June 28, 2014

No-man's land where nobody has been: Haunting photographs of Brooklyn's Domino sugar factory pay tribute to its past

 

 

 

Travelers looking for an adventure might need to think outside the box - and choose destinations that are literally abandoned.

 
   

A list compiled by Smithsonian.com includes seventeen abandoned locations around the globe.

The deserted locales include industrial facilities, amusement parks, military sites and even small villages and cities.

 

 
   

Massive: The New York State Pavilion, one of the last architectural vestiges of 1964 World's Fair, is seen at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York

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Massive: The New York State Pavilion, one of the last architectural vestiges of 1964 World's Fair, is seen at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York

Left: The abandoned Michigan Central Station is seen in Detroit, Michigan in this 2011 file photo

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Left: The abandoned Michigan Central Station is seen in Detroit, Michigan in this 2011 file photo

Abandoned: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 is seen here

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Abandoned: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 is seen here

US locations include the New York World's Fair site in Flushing, Queens; Michigan Central Station in Detroit, Michigan; and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34.

Plymouth, a town on the Caribbean island of Montserrat that was abandoned after a volcanic eruption in 1995, also made the list.

Bolivia's Uyuni Train Cemetery, which is home to trains made between 1888 and 1892, is also on Smithsonian.com's list.

Empty: House ruins in the exclusion zone on the island of Montserrat are seen in this 2013 file photo

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Empty: House ruins in the exclusion zone on the island of Montserrat are seen in this 2013 file photo

Graveyard: Bolivia's Uyuni train cemetery is seen here in 2013

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Graveyard: Bolivia's Uyuni train cemetery is seen here in 2013

Several European locations with ties to World War Two are also included. They include the Maunsell Sea and Air Forts built by the United Kingdom, Oradour-sur-Glane, a French village that suffered a Nazi attack in 1944, and Kaserne Krampnitz in Germany, a former Nazi facility.

Elsewhere in Europe, Hadfodunos Hall, in Llangernyw, North Wales -  a property which has been used as a family residence, girls' school, and even a retirement home - is included.

Deserted: Maunsell sea forts in the UK are seen here

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Deserted: Maunsell sea forts in the UK are seen here

Close up view of the Maunsell sea forts off the coast of Kent

 

Wrecked: Oradour-sur-Glane, a French village that suffered a Nazi attack, is seen here

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Wrecked: Oradour-sur-Glane, a French village that suffered a Nazi attack, is seen here

Alone: Kaserne Krampnitz, a former Nazi facility, is pictured

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Alone: Kaserne Krampnitz, a former Nazi facility, is pictured

Ruins: Hadfodunos Hall in Wales is pictured

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Ruins: Hadfodunos Hall in Wales is pictured

In Africa, Kolmanskop, Namibia, a town whose buildings are now filled with sand, as well as Macassar Pavilion, a former resort along the South Africa's Western Cape, are also part of Smithsonian.com's list.

Former resort: Macassar Pavilion in South Africa is seen here

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Former resort: Macassar Pavilion in South Africa is seen here

Sandy: A building interior in Namibia's Kolmanskop is pictured in 2012

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Sandy: A building interior in Namibia's Kolmanskop is pictured in 2012

Further east, the empty Turkish village of Kayaköy is featured, as is the Buludzha Monument in Bulgaria built in 1981 that honored an early form of the Bulgarian Community Party, Smithsonian said. Pripyat, a Ukranian town abandoned due to its proximity to the Chernobyl disaster, also makes the list.

Ghost town: The village of Kayaköy in Turkey is seen here

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Ghost town: The village of Kayaköy in Turkey is seen here

Monument: Bulgaria's Buzludzha Monument is seen here

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Monument: Bulgaria's Buzludzha Monument is seen here

Wooded: Prypiat, a Ukranian village evacuated because of the Chernobyl disaster, is pictured

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Wooded: Prypiat, a Ukranian village evacuated because of the Chernobyl disaster, is pictured

China, Japan, and Australia are also featured in the list of abandoned locations. China's Wonderland Amusement Park is featured, along with Hashima Island, a former coal mining site in Japan, and Australia's SS Ayrfield, a rusting ship now home to a tree forest.

Empty wonderland: Wonderland Amusement Park in Beijing, China is pictured in this 2011 file photo

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Empty wonderland: Wonderland Amusement Park in Beijing, China is pictured in this 2011 file photo

Industrial: Coal mining site Hashima Island in Japan is seen here

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Industrial: Coal mining site Hashima Island in Japan is seen here

Floating forest: The SS Ayrfield, seen in Australia's Homebush Bay, features trees growing on top of it

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Floating forest: The SS Ayrfield, seen in Australia's Homebush Bay, features trees growing on top of it

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2673211/From-Queens-Beijing-The-jaw-dropping-abandoned-spots-world.html#ixzz35xYSwQfL
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Eerie scenes of long-abandoned airport, empty buildings and streets criss-crossed with barbed wire in Cypriot no-man's land where nobody has been since 1970s

Intimidating barbed wire curls across the landscape, as a watchtower commands the surroundings from high ground. Businesses, cars and buildings lay idle, as they have done for decades.

A few miles away, an airport stands, thick with dust while old aircraft decay by the landing strips outside. No commercial flights have run from Nicosia International Airport since 1977, once Cyprus's air hub, in the wake of an invasion by Turkish forces.
These pictures detail the eerie scenes in the UN's buffer zone which cuts through Cyprus, dividing the independent Republic of Cyprus from the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations have patrolled the area for years in an attempt to prevent clashes between the populations of the two halves of the island.

In places their neutral zone spans miles, but in the old town of Nicosia, the island's capital, it is barely ten feet wide - but still filled with echoes of the past.
Forbidden: This bullet-marked house can be seen within the UN buffer zone, where a UN flag stands in a barrel

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Forbidden: This bullet-marked house can be seen within the UN buffer zone, where a UN flag stands in a barrel

Rusting: The demilitarised zone has been managed for decades the the UN. This photograph shows the empty scene in the village of Pyla

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Rusting: The demilitarised zone has been managed for decades the the UN. This photograph shows the empty scene in the village of Pyla

Abandoned: Weeds can be seen growing through the concrete around this abandoned passenger jet at Nicosia International Airport

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Abandoned: Weeds can be seen growing through the concrete around this abandoned passenger jet at Nicosia International Airport

Decay: The huge vehicle, which has not moved an inch in decades, has gaps in the window and no nose

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Decay: The huge vehicle, which has not moved an inch in decades, has gaps in the window and no nose

Disused: The last commercial flight out of Nicosia was in 1977

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Disused: The last commercial flight out of Nicosia was in 1977

Long departed: The unused lounge area inside the airport is piled high with dust and decay

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Long departed: The unused lounge area inside the airport is piled high with dust and decay

Commanding: A UN watchtower stands on high ground in the buffer zone in Famagusta, northern Cyprus

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Commanding: A UN watchtower stands on high ground in the buffer zone in Famagusta, northern Cyprus

Shuttered: This street in the old town of central Nicosia has also been untouched for years

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Shuttered: This street in the old town of central Nicosia has also been untouched for years

Abandoned: These cars from 1974 have lain idle in an underground garage since the Turkish invasion of 1974

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Abandoned: These cars from 1974 have lain idle in an underground garage since the Turkish invasion of 1974

Not gone far: Some of the abandoned cars have travelled less than 40 miles

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Not gone far: Some of the abandoned cars have travelled less than 40 miles

Traces: This car has clearly had some contact with humans in the past years - but not recently, judging by the build-up of dust

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Traces: This car has clearly had some contact with humans in the past years - but not recently, judging by the build-up of dust

Retro: These old-style drinks bottles have not moved in the decades since this kitchen was abandone

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Retro: These old-style drinks bottles have not moved in the decades since this kitchen was abandone

No entry: This intimidating sign marks the beginning of the buffer zone in Nicosia

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No entry: This intimidating sign marks the beginning of the buffer zone in Nicosia

Worse for wear: This stack of TV sets inside a central Nicosia shop would be little use today

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Worse for wear: This stack of TV sets inside a central Nicosia shop would be little use today

Old style: This 1970s magazine was spotted in an abandoned commercial property

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Old style: This 1970s magazine was spotted in an abandoned commercial property

Aging: These elegant cloth billboards in Nicosia International Airport have been unseen for years

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Aging: These elegant cloth billboards in Nicosia International Airport have been unseen for years

Borderlands: Children play under the watch of a UN guard tower in a partially restricted area of the buffer zone

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Borderlands: Children play under the watch of a UN guard tower in a partially restricted area of the buffer zone

Living on the edge: This group is sat at a wall preventing access to the controlled area

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Living on the edge: This group is sat at a wall preventing access to the controlled area

Eerie: The streets are quiet - but not deserted - in the areas just outside the buffer zone

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Eerie: The streets are quiet - but not deserted - in the areas just outside the buffer zone

'Get in the zone': Graffiti artists have tried to add some colour to the severe border control measure

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'Get in the zone': Graffiti artists have tried to add some colour to the severe border control measure

Ruined: This café kitchen has decayed badly after decades of disuse

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Ruined: This café kitchen has decayed badly after decades of disuse

Divided: The city of Nicosia, parts of which are on each side of the border, can be seen below

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Divided: The city of Nicosia, parts of which are on each side of the border, can be seen below

Solitary: A single fisherman waits for his catch in coastal Famagusta, where the buffer zone meets the sea

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Solitary: A single fisherman waits for his catch in coastal Famagusta, where the buffer zone meets the sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet memories: Haunting photographs of Brooklyn's Domino sugar factory pay tribute to its past before site is transformed into 2,300 new apartments

The brick-and-mortar carcass of what was once the world's largest sugar factory has been photographed in all of its decaying beauty, complete with rusting machinery and abandoned desk chairs. New York-based photographer, Paul Raphaelson, got permission to explore the vast 12-acre Domino's plant in Brooklyn, which closed its doors a decade ago and has remained untouched since, due to legal battles over redevelopment plans.

In its prime, the company employed over 5,000 workers and was capable of producing three million pounds of processed sugar a day. But with the introduction of artificial sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup demand for natural sugar dipped and Domino was forced to sell its New York headquarters for $58million.

Skeletal: The brick-and-mortar carcass of what was once the world's largest sugar factory has been photographed in all of its decaying beauty, complete with rusting machinery and abandoned desk chairs

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Skeletal: The brick-and-mortar carcass of what was once the world's largest sugar factory has been photographed in all of its decaying beauty, complete with rusting machinery and abandoned desk chairs

Get that hardhat on: New York-based photographer, Paul Raphaelson, got permission to explore the vast 12-acre Domino's plant in Brooklyn

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Get that hardhat on: New York-based photographer, Paul Raphaelson, got permission to explore the vast 12-acre Domino's plant in Brooklyn

Mr Raphaelson's candid pictures of the giant dilapidated warehouse might be some of the last captured before it is transformed into 2,300 up-to-date apartment units.

New York mayor Bill de Blasio and property firm, Two Trees Management, reached a deal on the ratio of affordable versus luxury accommodation last month.

Now construction work is set to commence with a projected finish date of 2021.Developers estimate the project will cost around $1.5billion in total. The renovation couldn't come soon enough, as the Domino structure is looking particularity sorry for itself after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012.

The waterfront property on the banks of the Hudson river was drenched during the storm, leaving it in a dank and fusty state.

The Domino factory has intrigued many over the years, with bypassers straining on their tiptoes to get a glimpse through its shattered window panes.

Last year, a group of 50 intrepid scavengers dared to explore the derelict property and ventured inside armed with flashlights.

Abandoned: The factory closed its doors a decade ago - an old beer appears in one of the filing cabinets inside this office

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Abandoned: The factory closed its doors a decade ago - an old beer appears in one of the filing cabinets inside this office

The old locker room: The building has remained untouched since due to legal battles over redevelopment plans

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The old locker room: The building has remained untouched since due to legal battles over redevelopment plans

From boom to bust: In its prime, the company employed over 5,000 workers and was capable of producing three million pounds of processed sugar a day

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From boom to bust: In its prime, the company employed over 5,000 workers and was capable of producing three million pounds of processed sugar a day

Waving goodbye: With the introduction of artificial sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup demand for natural sugar dipped and Domino was forced to sell its New York headquarters for $58million

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Waving goodbye: With the introduction of artificial sweeteners and high-fructose corn syrup demand for natural sugar dipped and Domino was forced to sell its New York headquarters for $58million

Landmark: Part of the complex was granted landmark status in 2007, and in 2010 was granted permission to be converted into residences

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Landmark: Part of the complex was granted landmark status in 2007, and in 2010 was granted permission to be converted into residences

Mr Raphaelson, however, told Curbed.com that he got the go-ahead before entering the building so he could get the shots he wanted without the fear of getting thrown out.

'As much as I would have liked to do it guerrilla-style,' he said, 'I needed more time and access than I could have gotten away with on the sly.'

He managed to capture hundreds of images documenting the factory's past.

In one office filing cabinet draws appear half open and electronic equipment litters the desk. An old beer bottle also sits on the shelf of a cupboard, maybe remnants of a celebratory post-work tipple.

In the factory washing station a sign appears telling workers: 'If you get acid of your body or eyes wash thoroughly with lots of cold water,' highlighting the potential dangers of working at the refinery.

Mr Raphaelson is currently working on compiling his photographs into a book with the help Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor Stella Kramer.

The duo want the tome to focus not just on the wreckage of the former sugar refinery, but on its history as well.

Architectural historian and New York City tour guide Matt Postal will be submitting an essay and Mr Raphaelson is in the process of interviewing former workers from the Domino factory.

He is appealing for those who have any connection to the building's past to step forward and contact him via his website.

Dangerous job: Here at the wash station a sign reads: 'caution: if you get acid on your body or eyes wash thoroughly with lots of cold water

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Dangerous job: Here at the wash station a sign reads: 'caution: if you get acid on your body or eyes wash thoroughly with lots of cold water

Time to remodel: Clocks and gagues have fallen to disrepair

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Time to remodel: Clocks and gagues have fallen to disrepair

Set to go: Mr Raphaelson's candid pictures of the giant dilapidated warehouse might be some of the last captured before it is transformed into 2,300 apartment units

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Set to go: Mr Raphaelson's candid pictures of the giant dilapidated warehouse might be some of the last captured before it is transformed into 2,300 apartment units

Finally! New York mayor Bill de Blasio and property firm, Two Trees Management, reached a deal on the ratio of affordable versus luxury accommodation last month

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Finally! New York mayor Bill de Blasio and property firm, Two Trees Management, reached a deal on the ratio of affordable versus luxury accommodation last month

Rusted over: Many areas of the plant are covered in rust; here, the pipes have browned over

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Rusted over: Many areas of the plant are covered in rust; here, the pipes have browned over

Get the sweeping brush ready: Construction work is set to commence on the building after a decade of waiting

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Get the sweeping brush ready: Construction work is set to commence on the building after a decade of waiting

Weather-beaten: The Domino structure is looking particularity sorry for itself after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012

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Weather-beaten: The Domino structure is looking particularity sorry for itself after Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012

Treacherous: Electrical cables hang overhead and dirt carpets the walkway

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Treacherous: Electrical cables hang overhead and dirt carpets the walkway

Landmark: The Domino factory has intrigued many over the years, with bypassers straining on their tiptoes to get a glimpse through its shattered window panes

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Landmark: The Domino factory has intrigued many over the years, with bypassers straining on their tiptoes to get a glimpse through its shattered window panes

Location, location: The Brooklyn site is a stone's throw away from the Williamsburg Bridge

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Location, location: The Brooklyn site is a stone's throw away from the Williamsburg Bridge

Long way up: A conveyer belt at the refinery is still intact with its bright yellow paint

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Long way up: A conveyer belt at the refinery is still intact with its bright yellow paint

Decay: Many of the signs and stickers have already partially eroded, thanks to the briny air around the East River

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Decay: Many of the signs and stickers have already partially eroded, thanks to the briny air around the East River

Maze: A myriad of pipes jut out at various angles on the factory floor

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Maze: A myriad of pipes jut out at various angles on the factory floor

Waterfront views: The Domino factory site is one of the most desirable locations in New York

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Waterfront views: The Domino factory site is one of the most desirable locations in New York

Crumbling: The waterfront property on the banks of the Hudson river was drenched during Hurricane Sandy, leaving it in a dank and fusty state

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Crumbling: The waterfront property on the banks of the Hudson river was drenched during Hurricane Sandy, leaving it in a dank and fusty state

Sense of history: The factory was operating for nearly 150 years

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Sense of history: The factory was operating for nearly 150 years

Final farewell: While it's set to be turned into apartments, there was a campaign running called Save Domnio, pushing for the factory to become a public place for art

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Final farewell: While it's set to be turned into apartments, there was a campaign running called Save Domnio, pushing for the factory to become a public place for art

Outdated: The paint is crumbling off the walls, and seafoam-green paint remains a reminder of trendy colors from the past

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Outdated: The paint is crumbling off the walls, and seafoam-green paint remains a reminder of trendy colors from the past

A lot of work to do: The transformation of the old sugar factory is set for completion in 2021

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A lot of work to do: The transformation of the old sugar factory is set for completion in 2021

Pricey process: Developers estimate the project will cost around $1.5billion in total

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Pricey process: Developers estimate the project will cost around $1.5billion in total

Sunlight and shadow: Beams of sunlight stream into the decay

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Sunlight and shadow: Beams of sunlight stream into the decay

Where the magic used to happen: Table sugar is extracted from the roots of sugar beets and the stalks of sugarcane

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Where the magic used to happen: Table sugar is extracted from the roots of sugar beets and the stalks of sugarcane

Control panel: Photographer Mr Raphaelson tests one of the antiquated switchboards, perhaps for controlling factory equipment

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Control panel: Photographer Mr Raphaelson tests one of the antiquated switchboards, perhaps for controlling factory equipment

Derelict: The floors of the factory appear littered with scraps of paint

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Derelict: The floors of the factory appear littered with scraps of paint

Going to press: Mr Raphaelson is currently working on compiling his photographs into a book with the help Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor Stella Kramer

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Going to press: Mr Raphaelson is currently working on compiling his photographs into a book with the help Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor Stella Kramer

Haunting: The duo want the tome to focus not just on the wreckage of the former sugar refinery, but on its history as well

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Haunting: The duo want the tome to focus not just on the wreckage of the former sugar refinery, but on its history as well

Team effort: Architectural historian and New York City tour guide Matt Postal will be submitting an essay and Mr Raphaelson is in the process of interviewing former workers from the Domino factory

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Team effort: Architectural historian and New York City tour guide Matt Postal will be submitting an essay and Mr Raphaelson is in the process of interviewing former workers from the Domino factory

Community spirit: He is appealing for those who have any connection to the building's past to step forward and contact him via his website

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Community spirit: He is appealing for those who have any connection to the building's past to step forward and contact him via his website

The crumbling, foreboding Burwash Correctional Centre located in a remote part on Ontario, Canada, has been closed for nearly four decades, but it can still strike fear in the hearts of those few adventurers who dare enter its peeling corridors.

One such daredevil is photographer Milke Palmer, who visited the long-abandoned prison last November to capture its eerie beauty before it is completed engulfed by the surrounding vegetation. 

Armed with camera equipment and camping gear, and accompanied by a small band of like-minded friends craving an adventure, the team made their way in a canoe across the Wanapetei River.

Scroll down for video
Ontario's Shutter Island: Toronto-based photographer and explorer Mike Palmer traveled to the long-forgotten Burwash prison in a remote corner of Ontario in November

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Ontario's Shutter Island: Toronto-based photographer and explorer Mike Palmer traveled to the long-forgotten Burwash prison in a remote corner of Ontario in November

Remote gaol: The faraway prison built to house up to 1,000 inmates opened its doors in 1914

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Remote gaol: The faraway prison built to house up to 1,000 inmates opened its doors in 1914

Burwash in its heyday was a self-sufficient town, boasting a 20-bed hospital, church, school, power station, post office, blacksmith, tailor shop, barber shop, and even a skating rink

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Burwash in its heyday was a self-sufficient town, boasting a 20-bed hospital, church, school, power station, post office, blacksmith, tailor shop, barber shop, and even a skating rink

Stripped of freedom: This peeling hallway once housed hundreds of inmates serving their sentences in cells located on either side

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Stripped of freedom: This peeling hallway once housed hundreds of inmates serving their sentences in cells located on either side

The explorers had to brave snow, fierce winds, frigid temperatures and white-water before they finally reached shore, coming face to face with the large, dilapidated prison complex rising from a sea of overgrown weeds like Martin Scorsese’s sinister Shutter Island.  The faraway prison built to house up to 1,000 inmates opened its doors in 1914, according to the site Ontario Abandoned Places. Over the next 70 years, thousands of people served their sentences in its walls before Burwash was closed down for good in 1975. 

Sitting on 35,000 acres of land, Burwash in its heyday was an entirely self-sufficient town, which boasted a 20-bed hospital, church, school, power station, post office, blacksmith, tailor shop, barber shop, and even a skating rink.

Long haul: Thousands of people served their sentences in its walls before Burwash was closed down for good in 1975

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Long haul: Thousands of people served their sentences in its walls before Burwash was closed down for good in 1975

Blighted: All the surroundings are scuffed, cracked or blanketed with moss, with rotten wooden beams jutting out of the floor like ribs

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Blighted: All the surroundings are scuffed, cracked or blanketed with moss, with rotten wooden beams jutting out of the floor like ribs

Rust covers an electrical box in a brick wall

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Rust and green moss cover an entrance into a subterranean space

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Green and red: Rust and moss cover decaying metal all throughout the complex, which is gradually succumbing to the elements 

New life: In late 1970s, the 35,000-acre property was purchased by the Canadian government for $1.8million, and later it was leased for a goat farming outfit to produce mohair

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New life: In late 1970s, the 35,000-acre property was purchased by the Canadian government for $1.8million, and later it was leased for a goat farming outfit to produce mohair

A cost-benefit analysis conducted in the mid-70s prompted government officials to shutter the jail because it was deemed too costly to operate.

Following its closure, the property was purchased by the Canadian government for $1.8million, and later it was leased for a goat farming outfit to produce mohair.

In the 90s, some of the land surrounding the Burwash complex was used for military training, which involved using explosives to knock down some of the homes that once housed the prison staff.

Parts of Burwash are still used today by the Department of National Defense for training purposes.

Palmer’s arresting photos taken inside the rambling building show weathered red-brick walls and long flaking hallways with cells on each side and daylight streaming through open windows. 

Some of the land surrounding the Burwash complex had been used for military training, which involved using explosives to knock down some of the old prison staff homes

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Some of the land surrounding the Burwash complex had been used for military training, which involved using explosives to knock down some of the old prison staff homes

Peculiar patterns: The photographer was especially captivated by the naturally weathered texture of the cracked paint on the walls and ceilings

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Peculiar patterns: The photographer was especially captivated by the naturally weathered texture of the cracked paint on the walls and ceilings

Beautiful decay: Palmer's photos taken inside the rambling building show weathered walls with flaking green paint and daylight streaming through open windows

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Beautiful decay: Palmer's photos taken inside the rambling building show weathered walls with flaking green paint and daylight streaming through open windows

All the surroundings are scuffed, cracked or blanketed with moss. Wooden beams are rotting, chunks of dirty plaster and green paint flakes litter every nook and cranny of the run-down prison, creating a uniquely haunting atmosphere.

‘Sometimes beauty is found in the strangest places,’ Palmer concludes in a six-minute video he shot during his expedition for the Toronto-based photography collective Roaming Focus.

 

 

 

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