Abandoned America

All too often, the stories of abandoned places end in tragedy. In this episode, however, we're going to discuss an amazing success story: after nearly 30 years vacant, the gorgeous Lansdowne Theater is being rebuilt! My guest, Matt Schultz, the Executive Director of the Historic Lansdowne Theater Corporation, shares with us how this miraculous turnaround is taking place and his experience on how to save a local landmark.

Photos/history of The Lansdowne: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/historic-lansdowne-theater

Support the Lansdowne Theater Restoration efforts: https://www.lansdownetheater.org/

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠⁠⁠

Get Email Updates: ⁠⁠https://us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=24ba303f6c1b17ce6e5f37d49&id=88f0dd85ff

Did you ever wonder how someone could become so obsessed with abandoned buildings that it engulfs their whole life? This is my story: the strange tale of of how and why I began photographing abandoned buildings across the world and started the Abandoned America project - an origin story for the podcast and website, if you will.

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠⁠

Get Email Updates: ⁠https://us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=24ba303f6c1b17ce6e5f37d49&id=88f0dd85ff

There's an odd overlap between dreams, abandoned spaces, and photographs - they all present distortions of the reality we are familiar with. Why is it that we find all three so compelling?

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠

Get Email Updates: https://us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=24ba303f6c1b17ce6e5f37d49&id=88f0dd85ff

In this episode Matthew interviews Stacey Tenenbaum, a Canadian filmmaker who produced and directed a beautiful documentary called Scrap. Scrap takes a poetic and meditative look at what becomes of the objects we use after they've ceased to fulfill the function they were originally intended for. The documentary shares the story of some incredible people and spaces, including a photographer who documents e-waste processing facilities in India, an architect who is repurposing parts of ships into buildings, families living in decommissioned aircraft, and an artist who makes amazing sculptures out of old machinery. Perhaps our favorite segment is a thoughtful feature on Ed Metka, the gentle owner of the trolley graveyard featured on Abandoned America. Stacey explores the challenges of filming in the early days of Covid, the behind-the-scenes stories of her production, and much more.

You can watch the trailer (or rent/buy Scrap) at the following links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rUcpvU 

Apple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/scrap/umc.cmc.6zorr6gt9htb4lat36rm6kjaf 

Show Notes: ⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/scrap-abandoned-america-podcast

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠

Gould Street Power Station in Baltimore was once the most impressive power plant in the city and considered a technological marvel, but now its demolition seems inevitable. In this episode, we'll trace the wild history of the site through the bitter public utility wars that led to its construction to its eventual closure and abandonment - a trip that includes a forgotten inventor, a brutal murder, and a look at what might be in store for the area in the years to come.

Show Notes: ⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/saying-goodbye-to-gould-street

Forest Haven photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/gould-street-power-station

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠

Forest Haven was a developmental center in Laurel, Maryland for children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities and chronic illnesses that was the site of what was described as "the deadliest known example of institutional abuse in recent American history." Today Forest Haven lies abandoned and mostly forgotten, but in this episode we'll explore how profound and often fatal neglect shattered lives of residents for decades, and why it was allowed to continue for years after some of the facility's most horrific injustices were brought to light.

Show Notes: ⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/forest-haven-a-fatal-history⁠

Forest Haven photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/forest-haven-developmental-center⁠

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica⁠

Rumors of why the small neighborhood of Lincoln Way wound up abandoned abound: did some monstrous beast scare away the residents? Or was it for some more realistic and relatable reason? In this episode we'll explore the mystery of how roughly 40 homes on a quiet Western Pennsylvania street were left vacant for years, still littered with the former residents' belongings, and uncover the true story of what became of the community.

Show Notes: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/lincoln-way-abandoned-america-podcast

SS United States photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/lincoln-way

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica

The SS United States is about as unique and incredible as it gets: an entire ocean liner that's larger than the Titanic, out of use since 1969 and moored in Philadelphia since 1996. Both the fastest liner ever built and the largest constructed on US soil, it's one of only two surviving relics from the entire age of passenger liners, and yet its future has been imperiled for decades and it seems like its time might finally be running out. We'll explore why the SS United States is so significant and meaningful, the desperate efforts to save it, and what it's like touring a ghost ship that ceased operations long ago and on which only echoes remain.

Show Notes: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/the-ss-united-states-abandoned

SS United States photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/ss-united-states

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica

Located a short distance from one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States, it's hard to imagine why the Fallside Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY would have been abruptly closed and left abandoned. To tell the story we need to look at the boom and subsequent implosion of the area's tourist economy, caused by industrial pollution and misguided urban renewal projects. We'll also talk about what the town's plans for the future are and how the fate of the Fallside Hotel may in fact be a symbol of rebirth for the area around it.

Show Notes: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/the-fall-of-the-fallside

Fallside Hotel photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/fallside-hotel

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica

What would you do if the only bridge to your community burned and the town refused to rebuild it? The residents of Long Beach, CT found out the hard way and it destroyed their entire neighborhood, leaving nearly 50 beachfront homes abandoned. In this episode of the Abandoned America podcast, we'll explore the tragic story of what went wrong, how the fate of Long Beach was tied to the defunct Pleasure Beach Amusement Park located next to them on the peninsula, and what happens when the towns around you turn their back on you in a time of crisis.

Show Notes: https://www.abandonedamerica.us/the-story-of-pleasure-beach

Long Beach/Pleasure Beach photo gallery/podcast text on Abandoned America: ⁠https://www.abandonedamerica.us/pleasure-and-long-beach

Support the podcast on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/AbandonedAmerica