Winter was slowly turning to spring, and believe me, in the North of Finland it really happens slowly. In mid-April we were finally over the worst, and it was no longer completely dark at 9 pm. I was driving home from my other hobby (yes, I have other hobbies than UE too), when I noticedContinue reading “Let the Destruction Begin”
Tag Archives: demolition
The Lights Are On, But Hopefully There’s No One Home
A few days after they started demolishing the old school with the lights still on, I noticed that another well published demolition site had commenced. For years there had been plans to build a hotel in the marketplace of Oulu next to the market hall. The plans had been drawn, yet nothing had happened. ThereContinue reading “The Lights Are On, But Hopefully There’s No One Home”
The Workers’ Institute That Vanished Again
When the workers’ institute moved away from the premises, where I photographed in 2014, 2016 and 2017, it was given new spaces in a former school. Built originally in 1964 as a secondary school and high school, it was enlarged in 1968 and 1972. A curious detail about the building was that it was designedContinue reading “The Workers’ Institute That Vanished Again”
The Day the Chimney Fell
The newspaper said that the battle was over. The forest giant owning the old Martinniemi sawmill’s power station was given permission to demolish it along with the huge chimney, which had been the landmark of the village for close to a hundred years. I found the place in 2011, photographed there in 2014 and visitedContinue reading “The Day the Chimney Fell”
Not All Lost Souls Will Be Missed
My friends and colleagues, municipal politicians and construction professionals had long complained to me about my will to preserve every single building slated for demolition. If you have read this blog this far, you might probably have an idea whether they are right or not. If you haven’t maybe you should go to the beginningContinue reading “Not All Lost Souls Will Be Missed”
No Fame Can Save You When Fortune Speaks
This, my dear readers, has for years been the most famous buildings that have been abandoned in Finland in years. A restaurant was founded here in the 1930’s, and the building was enlarged to its current shape in 1939. The restaurant was in the wing closer to the camera, the large firewall seen in theContinue reading “No Fame Can Save You When Fortune Speaks”
The Game’s Over, Boys
I hadn’t even finished my tour around the Vilnius Palace of Concerts and Sports, when I already had spotted something in the woods. A majestic gate surrounded by an old fence. The place seemed a little strange. It looked like another monument, but it also looked like being demolished at the same time. And monumentalContinue reading “The Game’s Over, Boys”
White House Comes Crumbling Down
A new year, but sadly nothing new in terms of adventures. The massive rebuilding of the city of Oulu continued. Almost every single meeting of the city council included several new plans, where old parts of the city was demolished to make way for new buildings, mainly apartments. And this included places abandoned at anContinue reading “White House Comes Crumbling Down”
Saying Goodbye at the end of the Summer
The last few posts have been more about demolition than exploring abandoned buildings. I believe these two things go hand in hand, after all they are successive phases in the life cycle of a building. First it’s planned, then constructed, abandoned and eventually demolished. Sometimes demolition comes quickly, sometimes the place sits abandoned for decades.Continue reading “Saying Goodbye at the end of the Summer”
From Coaches to Couches and Fading Away
I had been looking at this place for a long time seeking a way in. It was a massive, U-shaped complex on the outskirts of the town, and its latest inhabitant had been a furniture store. The chain was declared bankrupt in 2011, and since then the place had been empty. It stood there peacefullyContinue reading “From Coaches to Couches and Fading Away”