The Abandoned: Rubble Hearts -Guest Heart Thursday

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Rubble Hearts -Guest Heart Thursday

On our last walk together through the rubble of The Abandoned, Sissy and I found several hearts, held barely in place by twisted rebar.

There are few walls left standing. In a year or two, thankfully all of this will be gone. Brand new homes with manicured lawns will take its place. All that will be left of The Abandoned will be the memories and photographs of what once was here. It will be abandoned no more.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

WARNING: If you visit The Abandoned without permission, you risk getting arrested for trespassing. Please be careful. Since the buildings have been demolished, some question the presence of surveillance cameras. Don't assume there aren't cameras in place. Individuals who come onto the property without permission, should know the owners are VERY serious about identifying trespassers.

1 comment:

Laura said...: well I won't tell anyone you were there... how it has changed over time.; April 18, 2013 at 10:21 AM

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The Abandoned

Years ago, I dedicated this blog to The Abandoned, a huge complex of abandoned buildings in rural Oregon.

Surrounded by wetlands and old growth timber, The Callahan Center was built in the 1970's by the State of Oregon as a rehabilitation center for people recovering from injuries on the job.

In 1992, the property was bought by a mega church. However, the Living Enrichment Center closed in 2004, amidst financial scandal and the property was abandoned.

The buildings stood empty for many years. Over that span the property was vandalized and looted. Yet the beauty of its rare architecture shone through the shambles of abuse and disrepair.

In the summer of 2013, the complex was completely demolished. We were all sad to see the buildings go, but because of trespassers and vandals, it was necessary to take them down.

The area where The Abandoned once stood is filled with $500,000 mushroom houses (homes built so fast they pop up like mushrooms) built on postage stamp lots. There are sidewalks and tall lamps where I once watched the foxes of the field leaping above the grass, hunting rodents.

The surrounding woodlands still survive. It is my prayer the wetlands and forests with their pristine creeks, native trees and flowers, as well as the wildlife which shelter there, will be protected.