This was my final explore in D-Town, the most unexpected to happen, and most incredible all in one. It's by far the best abandoned school in the city largely thanks to the active alarm system which has only recently been removed - sadly it probably won't be too long until word gets out and the place is wrecked.
We had first planned on exploring this massive high school first thing in the morning after the warehouse, but we drove a lap of the place and spotted a city energy worker sat in a van on the access road. So we parked up and watched, and she drove off. Or so we thought. We parked ourselves behind a fairly seedy looking cheque cashing shop next to the school and sent one of our party in to scope things out. He came running back fairly speedily and said the van we thought had gone was now parked at the entrance to the inner courtyard where we thought the way in would most likely be! So we left and explored the other things I have posted recently in order to come back later.
About 4.30 in the afternoon we returned and parked in the same spot, beside a very nice 1964 Lincoln convertible which I was drooling over. We sent the runner in to scout and to phone us if there was a way in. Just after he went through the fence a large Cadillac Escalade appeared and parked next to the Lincoln (Escalades are driven almost exclusively by drug dealers or gang bangers). Our friend phoned to say that he had found a way in but we were like 'we can't come out now, big Escalade next to us'. The guy in the Escalade was talking to someone else, so we waited. Then we waited some more. Five minutes turned into ten, turned into fifteen. Just as we were leaving the spot and driving off to go in from the other side the guy outside the Escalade called over to us as we must have only driven four feet.
'Hey are you guys wanting to go shoot the school?'
'Y..yes.'
'I don't care, go in there, burn the damn place down if you want for all I care'
'Awesome!'
'Just make sure you're out of this parking lot by six thirty, as we lock up and leave then and you really don't want to leave your car behind here' *points to the two cars next to us one of which has smashed windows and the other flat tyres*
It turned out the guy talking to the man in the Escalade was the owner of the cheque cashing shop and a friend of the big man in the Escalade, they were really cool people and real friendly.
Sadly because of the time constraint we only ended up with just over an hour inside this utterly incredible school, it's the best example I have ever photographed but such a shame the auditorium is so difficult to shoot being absolutely pitch black inside. It was a rush job, we didn't see the old gymnasium or swimming pool (pitch black and housed in the modern extension) but I tried to make my way around as much as possible.
Thanks for looking, more here https://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157683069268026
We had first planned on exploring this massive high school first thing in the morning after the warehouse, but we drove a lap of the place and spotted a city energy worker sat in a van on the access road. So we parked up and watched, and she drove off. Or so we thought. We parked ourselves behind a fairly seedy looking cheque cashing shop next to the school and sent one of our party in to scope things out. He came running back fairly speedily and said the van we thought had gone was now parked at the entrance to the inner courtyard where we thought the way in would most likely be! So we left and explored the other things I have posted recently in order to come back later.
About 4.30 in the afternoon we returned and parked in the same spot, beside a very nice 1964 Lincoln convertible which I was drooling over. We sent the runner in to scout and to phone us if there was a way in. Just after he went through the fence a large Cadillac Escalade appeared and parked next to the Lincoln (Escalades are driven almost exclusively by drug dealers or gang bangers). Our friend phoned to say that he had found a way in but we were like 'we can't come out now, big Escalade next to us'. The guy in the Escalade was talking to someone else, so we waited. Then we waited some more. Five minutes turned into ten, turned into fifteen. Just as we were leaving the spot and driving off to go in from the other side the guy outside the Escalade called over to us as we must have only driven four feet.
'Hey are you guys wanting to go shoot the school?'
'Y..yes.'
'I don't care, go in there, burn the damn place down if you want for all I care'
'Awesome!'
'Just make sure you're out of this parking lot by six thirty, as we lock up and leave then and you really don't want to leave your car behind here' *points to the two cars next to us one of which has smashed windows and the other flat tyres*
It turned out the guy talking to the man in the Escalade was the owner of the cheque cashing shop and a friend of the big man in the Escalade, they were really cool people and real friendly.
Sadly because of the time constraint we only ended up with just over an hour inside this utterly incredible school, it's the best example I have ever photographed but such a shame the auditorium is so difficult to shoot being absolutely pitch black inside. It was a rush job, we didn't see the old gymnasium or swimming pool (pitch black and housed in the modern extension) but I tried to make my way around as much as possible.
Thanks for looking, more here https://www.flickr.com/photos/mookie427/sets/72157683069268026
