26 replies to this topic

[Radical Ed]

Hey everyone! I haven't posted here in quite some time but it's good to be back.
Here's a new(er) take on Edison High in North Philly.

This set features the Julia DeBurgos public middle school for Hispanic immigrants. While only named this for three years, it was named Thomas Edison High School for over fifty years and Northeast Manual School for fifty-four years before that.
It was built 1903 in what was then a suburb of Philadelphia.
Now it's nestled in the very heart of North Philly surrounded by a bleak ghetto full of row-homes and crackheads.
When DeBurgos closed only seven years ago, the school was in fine working order and was vacant, but ready for use should another institute desire to set up shop.
Unluckily for the school, a spider-monkey colony of angry crackhead scrappers descended upon the unfortunate school and tore it to pieces, gutting it of every piece of copper and aluminum available. Plumbing, electric wiring, window frames, everything.
One time we were there, there were at least FIFTY sweaty crack-addict scrappers tearing window frames out of the walls with hammers and crowbars. The local cops are so preoccupied with the ramapnt shootings, robberies, drug dealing and prostitution that they just turned a shy eye to the army demolishing the school.

This is a vintage shot from 1912.


...and here are mine.

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[Chaindrive]

What a great old building.

[noiseandkisses]

holy crap! i love number 2!

[Urban_Explorer]

noiseandkisses, on 11 May 2011 - 09:08 AM, said:

holy crap! i love number 2!

Agreed! Awesome shots, What a great ol' relic.

[Marcel]

AWESOME photos! 11 is a fantastic shot!

[schwim]

It looks to me as if Philly has stumbled on an untapped labor pool You could hire all the crack heads as demolition experts. You don't have to pay them, just let them take home all the recyclables they can carry at the end of the day.

[Marcel]

schwim, on 11 May 2011 - 05:41 PM, said:

It looks to me as if Philly has stumbled on an untapped labor pool You could hire all the crack heads as demolition experts. You don't have to pay them, just let them take home all the recyclables they can carry at the end of the day.

LMFAO

[Radical Ed]

Thanks for the love folks!

Here's a couple of dusk shots from the turret-tower.

[Chaindrive]

Can you get inside the turrets?

[Savanna]

Absolutely wonderful pictures, as usual. Welcome back Ed

[Radical Ed]

Thanks for the welcome-back Savanna!
*
The turrets themselves are just architectural embellishments Chaindrive.

[noiseandkisses]

Radical Ed, on 12 May 2011 - 05:57 AM, said:

Thanks for the welcome-back Savanna!
*
The turrets themselves are just architectural embellishments Chaindrive.

hahha badass ed!

[CatAndTie]

Dude, when did you go? I was just here with a couple people from UER over the weekend. When we were there, we ran into at least 2 or 3 different scrappers. One walked by up with a crowbar, then later in the day a van pulled up right next to the building and busted out a power saw. I've never seen anything like it. The fence outside only covered half the sidewalk, haha, not to mention the syringes laying right by the entrance. It's a pretty rough neighborhood if anyone is thinking of going. The place is totally trashed, but the view from the gargoyle roof was well worth it.

How about the sketchy climb up there, Ed? The one ladder was propped up on a huge crack in the floor. Speaking of which, when are we going out?

[Radical Ed]

I've been here at least a dozen times over the past five years. That second ladder to the roof is missing a few rungs, 'tis true, but not an unsurmountable obstacle by a long shot. I'm more worried about the floor TO the second ladder. That shit sags whenever I traverse it.

[hlgphotography]

amazing shots ed!!!!