Have you ever wondered what's inside the abandoned and boarded-up buildings in your city? I always assumed they stood empty, aside from some cobwebs and a stray cat or two. If you're a fan of The Wire, then I'm sure you're thinking, perhaps a dead body. So it's not surprising to learn that a few have let their curiosity get the best of them. Chris from Studio Tempura, wandered into a deserted factory that wasn't so bare. With camera in hand, he captured some amazing pictures of a building steeped in history and frozen in time...
From what I can gather, the Lebow Clothing Factory was built in the 1930's and was the manufacturer of the high-end Lebow Clothes label, best known for its men's suits and sportcoat collection. At its peak in the 50's and 60's, it employed several thousand blue-collar workers in Baltimore until it closed its doors in 1985. The building was sold, but after sitting vacant for the last five years, the city seized the property. Currently, there is a lawsuit pending against the city over the seizure of the property. The pictures vividly tell a story of a city's bygone days. It's as if the factory workers punched their time card, went home for the day, and never returned.
Via: Kempt.
(Images: Chris Folsom)







White Enamel Flatwa...
Amazing, creepy, evocative. And the shallow part of me is thinking, Free fabric!
that's creepy. and kind of sad.
The clothes should go to the homeless.
Couldn't those coats clothe all of the homeless in Baltimore?
It does have a bit of an eerie tone to it, doesn't it. The broom leaning against the suits... sad indeed. Wonderful photos...
One of the most interesting sites I have found for this kind of photography is http://oboylephoto.com/ruins/index.htm a site called "Modern Ruins" evocative, sad, and so fascinating!
If you like this kind of photography you should check out Brad Pogatetz http://www.bradpogatetz.com/
And I know what you mean Carlitadee... all that fabric, and all those buttons!!! Upcycled...
Right, mollymcg? Let us at it!
At first i thought "free fabric!" too
then i saw the wooden hangers... those things aren't cheap! just laying around... imagine that id be happy to give them a home
everyone needs to check out artificialowl.net then!! this however is amazing, if not given to the homeless (even if outdated, i doubt they care about that!) then it should be shredded up and used for things like blown insulation!
how sad....
More photos of Lebow:
http://community.livejournal.com/abandonedplaces/1518816.html
Before you jump in and take free fabric, think about the bugs, rodents, pigeons, etc. that may have take up residence in said fabric over the last 24 years...
The imagery is as haunting as it is captivating. Such waste! It's truly sad.
It is sad, but all of those buttons get me weirdly excited.
Trespass much?
The coats are probably moldy.
Interesting.
There used to be a website that had old abandoned buildings, sites,etc. on it (even a nuc plant). Wonder if it is still there...
So cool! This looks like it could be taken from a history book.
I'm surprised these haven't already been sold by the owner of the building. Hopefully they will find a great use for all these fabric items.
darkpassage.com is a site devoted to this sort of thing--urban exploration, abandoned subway spelunking, modern archaelogy, whatever. One of their more haunting adventures was a trip through an abandoned mental hospital, where a lot of horrible things happened to patients at a time when no one cared. PBS did a documentary on dark passages some time ago.
Cool pics. Lots of good ideas for the stuff inside, but like LilyC said, I'm sure there's a lot of piegeon poo. And bepsf, it's not trespassing if you don't get caught!
Oh, yes, vintage buttons and fabrics!
I recently visited the abandoned Polaroid factory in Waltham - soon to be razed so that the mall across the highway can expand. Yay for progress! :(
Flickr set here
<A HREF="http://www.flickr.com/photos/46982219@N00/sets/72157615619797162/">here.</A>
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