No trip to New York City as a tourist is complete without a visit to Times Square.
When we arrived, it was quite busy, but I suspect this was just normal. Everyone there was either a tourist, or someone with a hustle to make money from the tourists. I think most native New Yorkers likely avoid the Square to avoid all this chaos.
History:
The Lehigh Valley Railroad (LVRR) was created originally to transport coal from Pennsylvania in 1846, but it soon began carrying passengers as well. To help with its growing needs, a large freight yard in Manchester, NY was constructed and opened in 1892 where the company apparently the company loaded and unloaded more than 100 freight cars per day. The yard was, at the time, was considered the largest in the world, employing over 1000 workers.
History:
I am able to find very little history on this site except that a paper mill was built here in 1890 which burned down in 1910. It was subsequently rebuilt. Whether this is the rebuilt mill is uncertain, and the circumstances of its eventual closure are unknown to me. If anyone can point me in a direction for further detail, it would be appreciated.
Personal Commentary:
History:
In 1825, Meredith Mallory acquired this property but found it difficult to access the water. Access roads were made, and trees cleared until a site was opened for a dam, grist mill and saw mill.
In 1866, a paper mill was built here but burned down in 1869. It was rebuilt and continued operation until 1900 when the property was purchased by Edward R. Taylor.
Nothing on the ground is ever as easy as it appears on Google Earth. This is a rule I keep close in mind, but sometimes my explorations like to make a point of it.
This was such a case, but was incredibly worth it. The lighting through the autumn leaves and slightly overcast skies was perfect. As I stepped inside this massive building I was instantly struck by it. Not something that I felt at the other roundhouse yesterday. Something very different. Something I was really digging!
History:
New York City required a municipal airport and several locations for it came up for discussion. The mayor of the time, Fiorello LaGuardia, wanted it placed on Governor's Island. Despite this, the site chosen was Barren Island.
History:
Fort Tilden was named for Samuel J. Tilden, governor of New York and Presidential candidate. It was established in 1917 as part of the emergency fortification for World War I and was intended to defend New York from attack by sea or air.
History:
This building was originally constructed with a single silo in 1925 for William E. Kreiner of Kreiner Malting Inc. A second silo was added in 1936, bringing the storage capacity to 180,000 bushels.
William Kreiner Jr. died in 1968, and after an attempt by his brother to keep the company running, it eventually failed in 1971. Four years later, the property was purchased by the Buffalo Malting Company who eventually closed the building again in 1986.
I drove along the street, looking for the specific building I wanted. There were more run-down industrial buildings along here than I expected, so my head was kind of on a swivel. I love this sh*t!
Locating the building I was looking for, I took a swing down a side street, along the fence line looking for a way in. I spotted one toward the end, and was ready to go for it. All that was left was to park the truck and bask in the decay.
