Abandoned by us but reclaimed by nature
For all the buildings in rapid decay that are eventually reclaimed by us and turned into flooring there are many that are simply left to rot. This process is geologically slow but the results of nature's reclamation are fascinating. Here are a few very interesting examples.
Bennett College.
Bennett College was founded in 1890 by Mary F. Bennett in Irivington, New York. Around 1907 the college was moved to a 22 acre plot in Millbrook, New York. Enrollment at the time the school moved was around 120 students and 29 full time faculty members. The school was initally named The Bennett School for Girls. Bennett College had a unique approach of four years of what we would call high school followed by two years of more advanced education. Eventually the school converted to the status of Junior College. As the 1970's approached more and more schools were converting to a co-educational situation and this rendered Bennett College somewhat irrelevant. Despite many efforts to keep the institution alive it finally failed and closed its doors in 1978.
At the time of its closing, enrollment was around 300 students.
The school has been long abandoned but the results of nature's take over are stunning. Follow the link below to see the images.
The abandoned poison gas factory of Okunoshima.
Up unitl 1925 this tiny island was inhabited by three families who made their living fishing. That all changed once the Japanese army decided to embark on a secret munitions plant that would produce poison gas. The island was chosen entirely for its isolation and thus could be kept secret as Japan had signed on to the Geneva protocols banning the production or use of chemical agents in war. Even the residents of the island and the workers in the plant were not told what was going on. With the conclusion of the war the Japanese were quick to destroy all documentation about the plant and forced secrecy on any civilians regarding what had gone on there.
The island was ultimately turned into, oddly enough, a park for tourists. But the unique thing that has gone on here is its rabbit population. During the war rabbits were used by the plant scientists for testing. The rabbit population was destroyed when the plant closed but as Jeff Goldblum notably said in Jurassic park, Nature always finds a way. The rabbit population exploded. Cats,dogs and hunting are strictly forbidden from the island and the rabbits now are one of the main attractions.
Follow the links below for some fascination information.
Bangkok, Thailand and the mall that became a fish pond.
The death of the mall is a common occurence here in the U.S. We see this pretty regularly thus it is nothing terribly new. This abandoned mall in Thailand though presents us with something very unique. The New World Mall was built in the 1980's and the plan was for an eleven story building to house multiple retail spaces. A failure to get the correct permitting in 1997 though stopped all construction. In the ensuing years there was a large fire and a death leaving the mall without several stories of floors and a roof. Rainwater poured in over time and filled the base levels of the mall to a depth of roughly 5 feet. The water subsequently attracted large bodies of mosquitoes which deeply annoyed the local population. Their solution was to add koi fish to control the bugs. Unsurprisingly the koi reproduced quickly and the mall became a giant fish pond. The images are stark and apocalyptic Follow the links below to see more.
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