Urban decay

When the back side of your garage is basically unreachable, you don't worry too much about its upkeep. The result is the sort of decaying, ramshackle look that never fails to appeal to me.

"I find beauty in decay. I like to see nature conquering what man has left. I believe that old buildings have a soul, and when I photograph these places I try to capture a piece of that soul."
~ Julie Shiel

Sunday delivery

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow...nor Sundays...will keep the post office from delivering your packages from Amazon.

It's not at all unusual these days to see the small post office delivery trucks parked around town on a Sunday morning. This is because Amazon made a deal with the U. S. Post Office, back in 2013, to deliver Amazon's packages on Sundays and holidays. So don't be surprised at your next Sunday delivery.

The good life

The feral cats at the abandoned south campus of Rancho Los Amigos Hospital have it good.

Thinking about these cats has become an annual thing for me, because I see them on my way to see the Rose Parade float being worked on.

Even though there are signs posts that warn against feeding the cats, someone obviously feeds them on a regular basis, even behind the locked gates.

And I imagine they have access to the dozens (would "hundreds" be an exaggeration?) of rats and mice that inhabit all of these abandoned buildings.

"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats."
- Colonial proverb

Don't feed the cats

The Downey Rose Float is stored in a building on the abandoned south campus of Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. It's a fascinating and picturesque area, and we've done a lot of posts from here. I couldn't resist snapping a few new shots on my way to see the float last week.

The buildings are still abandoned and boarded up. And the feral cats are still everywhere, along with the warnings not to feed them.

Back in 2008, there was talk of building a data center here, but the plans were blocked because of the cats. At that time, there were 150 wild cats. Efforts were made, obviously unsuccessfully, to relocate the cats to barns where they could be useful in hunting rats. 

Wide open spaces

What do you dream of when you pass an empty lot like this?

A neighborhood park? A mini-mall? I dream of moving my house, setting it down smack in the middle of the lot, and surrounding myself with beautiful country gardens and tall trees and lush lawns. And enough room for my dog to wear himself out.

A developer looks at this and sees 16 two-story 3-bedroom condominiums, which is what will probably sprout up here one day soon.

It's the law

For a couple of years, the empty lot of the old Gallatin Medical Group site has been surrounded by a netted chain link fence. (See What's coming?) But recently, the fence has come down, revealing the desolate empty lot behind it.

But for some reason, what really caught my attention in this new scene was the address signposts. It's the law that every structure assigned an address must have the address posted in a visible location. So I guess it makes sense that if you don't have a building to put your numbers on, you gotta put up a sign.

Taking advantage

I showed you yesterday a vacant building on Firestone that used to be used as an Arby's fast food restaurant. The thing about vacant buildings is that the owners usually do not have an incentive to keep up the property. Thus the "abandoned" look of the property.

Because it does look abandoned, some people will take advantage of the situation and use the property for their own purposes without fear of being caught. Above I see a blanket in an alcove of the building, probably used for sleeping quarters during the night. It allows for some privacy and limited exposure to the elements.

Others will use the property for a wide open trash can.

Abandon ship

The other day Pam showed you an abandoned building here in Downey so I thought I would show you another. It isn't that we are full of them but it is interesting how an abandoned building will take on a personality of its own.

As you can see, this use to be an Arby's restaurant. They have taken care to board up all the windows and doors. They also removed the electrical boxes.

It's a good location, being across from the Stonewood shopping center, so I'm sure it will be occupied soon.

Tomorrow I'll show another use for an abandoned building.

Going, going...

All the other buildings have been razed. These administration buildings are all that's left of the site of Downey's aeronautic history, from the first airport in 1929, through Consolidated Vultee Aircraft in 1943, to the various aeronautics companies that worked on the Apollo, Saturn, and space shuttle programs. Eventually, this will be the Tierra Luna Marketplace.

The administration buildings are supposed to be preserved as historical landmarks. I thought that meant all these buildings that are still standing. However, I noticed this weekend that most of them are falling into disrepair—broken and boarded-up windows are what stand out now.

I don't know what the plans are for these buildings. But I will be very sad if all this construction means losing the old Vultee logo that graces the floor of the round building above. (Click here to see the building and logo as it appeared a year and a half ago.)

Broken windows

The "broken windows" theory holds that if a city doesn’t fix its broken windows and graffiti, the environment will continue to descend into crime, chaos and violence. So the appearance of a lot of broken windows recently was a little discouraging to me.

But in spite of that, urban decay like this holds a powerful draw to a photographer, with its opportunity to discover something of beauty in the midst of the decay. We've explored this idea before, in the old Rancho Los Amigos buildings (here and here).

So, today, here's what drew me in. Tomorrow, I'll show you more of the decay, along with the location.

Abandoned places

North Dakota is beautiful. As we continue to drive both highways and the scenic byways, it does not disappoint. It is so green and fertile this time of the year.

Something that surprised me was the number of homes and structures (barns and such) we have seen that have just been abandoned–left to rot where they stand. It makes me so curious. What happened?

This church has obviously not been used in some time, yet the lawn around it was kept mowed and behind it, there were houses that were being lived in.

This small house was in front of a "neighborhood" of houses where there were people still living, but clearly you can see this is empty and rotting. The yard behind the vacant house was being "tended" by  two beautiful horses who were happily grazing there.

The old Los Angeles Zoo

This was our view as we hiked up the road to the old Los Angeles Zoo. The zoo "remains" are to be found just a few miles from the current LA Zoo.

Established in 1912, the old LA zoo is less than an hour away from Downey (even with traffic). It is odd that when they moved the zoo to the "new" location, the former zoo was not torn down. Instead, it was left intact and converted to a picnic location. You can wander past open cages (some in remarkably good shape) and find ways to get through fencing to get into the larger enclosures.

I know we've learned a lot since the early 1900s about animal care, but it's hard to imagine the list of animals that lived here in the relatively small cages and enclosures we wandered through.

It is an interesting adventure, close to home. You should check it out.

"Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo."
~ Paul Simon

Water tower

Testament to being a city unto itself, this water tower stands in the now abandoned south campus area of Rancho Los Amigos. I'm not sure how old it is. I'm guessing it might date back sometime to the early 1900s.

In 1915 William Ruddy Harriman took over as the superintendent of the then "County Poor Farm." During his tenure, he accomplished an ambitious plan of improving the facilities. According to the Historic American Buildings Survey (from the Dept. of the Interior), these improvements were largely accomplished in the wake of the financial surge following World War 1.

Rancho revisited

It's been a while since we posted pictures of Rancho, south campus. It is one of the unique areas in Downey. Dating back to the late 1800s, originally known as "the farm," there are now only ruins left. You can see the boarded up windows and doors in this picture and everything is surrounded by fencing to keep "visitors" out.

I'm not sure how long it has been abandoned. I've heard lots of stories, but I don't really know. I am curious and would love details if anyone out there has some...

I wonder how long it took for this roof to start growing the plants that seem to add an interesting "trim."

Urban decay

This is the main entrance to the abandoned Rancho Los Amigos south campus facility. It's been a while since I photographed here, but I still find myself drawn to it. I am fascinated that it was just deserted, abandoned 25 - 30 years ago, (couldn't find the actual date). While there are some buildings in use on the 62-acre property, the vast portion of it remains boarded up pieces of our history. Along with the mostly Spanish-style buildings there is also an example of turn of the century Craftsman-style and Art Deco architecture that still remain.

I'm sure one of these days a decision will happen and plans will begin to demolish the old and start to rebuild. I'm just hoping to be able to figure out a way to get access to photographically document the character of what still remains on the south campus before it's too late.

To see some of the other posts on Rancho Los Amigos, click here.

Corbels

One of my favorite fellow city bloggers is Mary Ann, of Beirut Pursuit. Her recent interest (some might call it an obsession) with the corbels of Beirut have made me more aware of the corbels, or balcony supports, in Downey.

So when I passed by these beautiful iron corbels supporting the balcony of this abandoned building in the old Rancho facilities (click here for more pictures from Rancho), I had to stop and take a picture.

Shelter thoughts

It is a bittersweet feeling going to one of our Downey Shelters. Although the animals are properly cared for, I can't help feeling sorry for every single one. They look at me with their soulful eyes and it breaks my heart.

On the other hand, they are so darn cute, I can't help but want to take pictures of them... And maybe take a few home...

Rancho ruins

This is a view of some of the buildings on the back side of Rancho Los Amigos - more of the abandoned area south of Imperial. This area is bordered by both old railroad tracks and barbed wired topped fencing. One of the reasons I keep photographing this area is because I'm afraid that one day it will just be bulldozed with no warning and then there will be nothing left from the legacy of the poor farm and polio wards that helped so many over the years.

Urban decay

I am so drawn to Rancho Los Amigos. There is history here and mystery too. I heard it aptly described this past week as urban decay. It is accurate, but it seems so odd because it is right here, in Downey, middle class America.

It feels like such a waste. It was once this thriving city within a city. Hundreds of polio patients were treated and housed here. Now, it is empty, silent and fenced off. There are acres of abandoned buildings falling apart as we look on. I read stories of asbestos and other improper building materials. I'm not sure what the resolve will eventually be, but it feels like it is dying right in front of us.

Rancho Los Amigos, south campus

This traditionally Spanish-style building was apparently built in 1926. I love the look and the details (if you zoom in on the small picture to the right, you'll see some of the great architectural details). I'm not sure what it was originally, other than part of the hospital/medical center campus. Today it is a Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety.

It is one of the few buildings located on the south campus of Rancho Los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital that is actually in use. The 70-acre area is odd in that most of the buildings are abandoned and boarded up.

I find it hard to believe this area has remained abandoned for such a long time. There are stories to be found everywhere that talk about it being haunted... I don't know about that, but driving through the area does give you a feeling of loss and abandonment. See previous posts for another peek at this intriguing area.