Back before there were pipelines criss-crossing the country, natural gas was created in areas that didn’t have it naturally occurring. Built in 1906, the Milwaukee Solvay Coke and Gas Co. built a plant on Milwaukee’s near south side. It operated until April, 1983 and the remains of the company have been abandoned ever since.
It’s a large parcel of land in a desirable area that the city has hoped to clear and reuse for years. But due to the nature of the work done there, it needs to undergo intense – and expensive – cleanup under the eye of the EPA to take care of toxic arsenic, lead, asbestos and other chemicals. These dangerous substances were used in the plant’s operation and are present in the mold that has grown in the years since it was abandoned.
The entire location is overgrown and has been overtaken by graffiti.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
A favorite of photographers and urban spelunkers, the buildings show crumbled remains mixed with the bright spray paint.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
The light pours in through old windows and cracks, creating gorgeous shadows while displaying the true decay.
Flickr/Alex Block
The company was built in this spot as it was railroad accessible and tracks ran right into the space.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
The rubble on the floor is a mix of bits of collapsed ceiling and walls as well as ephemera left over from when this building was the main production floor.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Hard hats, instruments and even bottles of chemicals dot the surfaces.
Flickr/Alex Block
This pamphlet is dated 1971-1973 and has somehow survived mostly intact.
Flickr/Alex Block
There’s a macabre beauty in the play of light and shadow among the dilapidated and broken bits.
Flickr/Alex Block
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
It’s easy to imagine this building as it once was, with workers busy and production rolling.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Old walkways and ladders make for gorgeous symmetrical pictures.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
These old cubbies look like steel spiderwebs taking over the space.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Amazingly, the smokestacks still stand among the rest of the falling buildings.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
A testament to their masons and construction, they are one of the bright bits not marred by decay.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
The more decrepit buildings are a stark contrast to the bright blue sky.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Standing against the sky, the buildings look gloomy and forgotten.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
But they’re a reminder of an industry and its workers that provided for the city 100 years ago.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Want to see more abandoned beauty? Check out 13 Abandoned Buildings Across Wisconsin That Are Creepy Yet Beautiful.
Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Flickr/Alex Block
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