I was walking along when I spotted this little gem. Through a chance run-in with the owner of this building, I was able to get a guided tour of the entire structure. Although there wasn't much to actually explore, it was nonetheless very interesting to look at and to photograph.
As I snapped photos, the owner told me about the building, its history, and his plans for it. A developer, he was currently in the process of turning it into unfinished spaces to sell. The building, which was a former cold-storage facility, had suffered through years of neglect, rain damage and rot before he'd acquire it. A four-storey brick shell housed an interior that was almost entirely made of wood. The roof had rotted through in years past, allowing water inside, which in turn rotted the floors. At present, the building was little more than its component parts; everything else having been ripped out for the conversion. Exposed brick walls and wooden joists and posts were all that were left of the original, along with a staircase that had somehow survived. Sheets of plywood had been lain down loosely over the joists to form a temporary floor. Lots of the joists had been replaced, and a new wooden truss roof was being installed.
The staircase looked dodgy, but he assured me it was sturdy as we climbed to the upper floors. For some reason, one of the floors was concrete up here. An interesting view of the basement could be had from the loft by looking down through the gaps in the plywood. A nagging fear of plunging to my death kept me somewhat distracted as I shot photos up here. I could see sparks down below, where a worker in the basement was cutting something metal.
Apparently, the building used to be divided into cold storage compartments, walled with 12 inches of sawdust insulation. There had never been a furnace/boiler, but concrete foundations in the basement told of some sort of machinery since removed. I don't remember if the original elevator had been removed, but there was an enclosed shaft for one.
Really just a fascinating place to look around and take photos. With the building's raw skeleton exposed, there were many interesting angles.
It'll be nicer when it's finished.
In the basement, with a good view of wooden supports, old and new.
The dodgy, ancient stairs.
Joists, new and old, supported by the original posts and beams.
Wood everything.
At the top of the dodgy stiars, with a few boards missing.
The loft, with brand new roof trusses.
A house made of sticks.