In the late 1960s, the Niagara Falls suburb of Chippawa was predicted to be the direction that an explosive expansion in city housing was headed. The Niagara District School Board tried to plan ahead for this, hitting the area with as much fire-power as they could. They drafted up plans for a massive 38,000 square foot elementary school and snatched up 33 acres of land - which included a historic rear perimeter forest thought to be the location of a significant encampment and battle in the war of 1812.
Construction in 1970 by
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However, after only 42 years of operation, the school proved to be not economically viable. Although Chippawa continues to expand with new neighbourhood developments, the growth of the area fell far short of decades-old predictions. Although they tried to modernize it - they knocked off the front corner chimney, for some unknown reason, and added an elevator in 2006 - it was a losing battle.
The school was closed and put up for sale in 2012, with a price of $1.8 million. It sold to a numbered development company and a minor variance application was made over a year ago with a proposal to turn the building into a private school. Whether that plan was going to be adopted by the new owner or not was unknown at the time. This week that question was answered: heavy wrecking equipment showed up and instead demolished the building.
FJ Rutland - 01 by
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The school has been tightly secured for many years, but with the demolition crew showing up on site every day, I figured a lackadaisical locking up of the building each night was likely. I did a quick jaunt in just to make sure.
FJ Rutland - 02 by
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Then it was time to get my vehicle out of there and make my way back the long way. I surprised a small herd of deer nearby at Legends International Golf Course while searching for a place to stow my vehicle. Then it was off to the empty hallways....
Off Season - Legends Country Club by
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FJ Rutland - 04 by
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FJ Rutland - 05 by
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FJ Rutland - 06 by
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FJ Rutland - 07 by
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FJ Rutland - 08 by
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FJ Rutland - 09 by
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FJ Rutland - 10 by
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FJ Rutland - 11 by
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FJ Rutland - 12 by
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FJ Rutland - 14 by
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FJ Rutland - 15 by
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FJ Rutland - 17 by
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FJ Rutland - 18 by
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And a successful sunny evening of urbex was completed, the deer running off as I approached my vehicle. However, when I got home and fired my pics up on the computer, the following flash photo of the pitch black gymnasium bothered the heck out of me. I just couldn't stomach the lifelessness of it and felt that I had missed a photographic opportunity. Not to mention the orbs of dozens of dead people haunt the photo and I really felt they deserved better.
FJ Rutland - 19 by
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It gnawed at me so much that I had to return to the school and redo the gymnasium with some real effort. I figured I could also spend a bit of time practicing my light-painting skills (or should I say "development of so-called skills") in the darkest areas. No deer this time!
End Game by
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FJ Rutland - 21 by
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FJ Rutland - 22 by
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Late for Class by
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