The Abandoned: Heart Art

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Hearts, Hearts, Everywhere - Guest Heart Thursday

Hearts are everywhere in The Abandoned. They march down the stairways...

They hide behind doors and dance over old plumbing...

They even decorate the trees growing along the edge of the building. Both nature and Graffiti Artists have bedecked The Abandoned in hearts!

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

WARNING: You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker. If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Art in The Abandoned - Guest Heart Thursday

One can often find heart art in graffiti here and there in The Abandoned. The collection of hearts with bright candy stripe flower above, are a delight to my eye. This artwork is found in the lower loading dock area.

Walking on the ground floor through the jagged edges of a jaggedly bashed wall, Sissy and I chanced upon some odd looking residents. These are new.

It looks like some giant insect, or perhaps a fanciful being from the future--whatever it is, I love it and feel intrigued.

In a nearby hallway there is another incredibly colorful work of art.

Birthday Boy Uter sems to have made his mark here.

I adore the color of this piece.

It is the color of the Forgetmenots Sissy and I found growing outside in the cool shade of the trees.

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

WARNING: You shouldn't visit The Abandoned without permission from the owner or caretaker. If you do, you risk getting arrested for trespassing.

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.