City
The Charred Remains of the New York Pork Slaughterhouse
At the far edge of Toronto's Junction rests the charred carcass of New York Pork. An unassuming boarded facade masks the remains of a terrifying abandoned slaughterhouse, left to rot.Since the fire of 2006, I had heard various rumors of its unsettling innards (a basement so contaminated a friend had to have chest x-rays done after a visitation, machinery so cruel as to make even the most carnivorous individual cringe), that I simply had to go check it out for myself.
City
An Uncertain Future for the Ontario Power Company Plant
The ominous beauty of disused industrial space is very powerful. Earlier this week, I took a look at the mothballed Rankine power station in Niagara, and today we slide to the base of the Falls where the now 10-year-decommissioned Ontario Power Company hydroelectric plant lies.Opened in 1905 at the foot of the Horseshoe falls, this massive complex once seemed a symbol of steadfast power and industry. During those decades, conduits almost 2000 meters long fed water from the falls to the 15 massive generators at the facility. Sadly, the generators are no more, the turbine hall now a sealed-off tomb to a once mighty giant.
City
Exploring New Beginnings at Rankine Hydroelectric Station
The Canadian Niagara Power Company recently decommissioned the William Birch Rankine hydroelectric station. I was invited along with a school of restoration artists earlier this month to pay a visit.Our Niagara Parks Commission leader jokingly referred to the impressive edifice as 'the building no one ever sees,' as it rests just behind the roadway overlooking the curve of the Niagara Falls themselves - the natural destination of all passing eyes.
The sheer size and grandeur of the place, coupled with the raw sense of industry (and even this, charmingly detailed) creates a profound impression of space.
City
Revisiting The Ruins of the Hearn Thermal Power Station
Just over a year ago, I wrote a piece here outlining the history, importance, and final degeneration of Toronto's Hearn Thermal Power Station. In err, I had assumed that my many years of photo-documenting its decline from activity to decay were at their end.On a recent journey back to the site, however, I realized that although much hollowed (even since my last visit), substantial portions of the space remain standing. The sense of scale in this building is almost unfathomable, and always leaves me in awe. I have spoken to many of the workers (whether plant or demolition), and they all seem to agree on this point: no matter how many times one returns, it is a perennial shock to bear witness to its mass.
City
Mega Machines in The Junction
My love/hate relationship with super-sized industrial machinery likely began when I was about four years old. While visiting Cape Kennedy with my folks in Florida, they thought it would be a wonderful idea to surprise me with an up-close look at a NASA Space Crawler. After I had finished wetting myself and shielding my eyes, I began to peek through my fingers... Skip ahead 22 years to this past weekend, when what began as a short-cut between between two abandoned buildings in Toronto's Junction turned into an auspicious detour that revealed some very impressive, very large construction equipment near the railway line.
City
Autumn Colours from a Toronto Rooftop
In lieu of my yearly saunter down into the Don Valley to take snaps of the changing colours of the leaves, I decided instead to do something a little different. Me and a friend climbed over 50 floors in order to gain a more holistic view of fall in Toronto.As opposed to my usual spread for the season -- macro shots of the red, yellow and green hues, with the usual smattering of twigs, branches and joggers in the background -- I was able instead to appreciate the not-so-greenery from an incredible height.
