I had never managed to explore a courthouse before (and before anyone mentions Sheffield I've just never got around to it for one reason or another 
) so it was awesome to finally step foot in an abandoned one - and what a one it turned out to be.
The courthouse was constructed in stages during the mid-1800s, then extended to nearly twice it's size in the 1950s. It closed in 2008 and has been vacant ever since, although within the last few months the green light was given to convert it into over 100 apartments - whether this goes ahead soon or not though is anybodies guess. This courthouse is situated in the middle of the downtown area of a large city and is located right opposite the main city police headquarters. It was, at the time, also listed as government property which means if caught then the end result can be rather more severe than a simple trespassing fine.
We rocked into town late one evening just after dark and decided to scope the perimeter out to see what we'd be dealing with. After a poke around we found a ridiculously easy although very obvious way in, so made a mental note of it and decided to get some rest and head back just before dawn the next morning and get straight in. We returned full of confidence as we knew the plan of attack, but as we rounded the corner something stopped us in our tracks - a hundred or so yards away was a parked police cruiser facing the exact spot we were planning on using to get inside. So trying our best to look just like a bunch of photographers out for an early morning stroll we walked right on past and went to the much trickier, but more hidden, backup access we had spotted on the same scout the night before. One of my friends, being the most agile and slender of all of us nominated himself to go in and then open up a door to let the rest of us in and after a tense ten minute wait trying our very best to not look too shifty we were in.
The inside of this place is absolutely stunning. As soon as I walked into the central hallway/staircase I thought to myself that it wouldn't look out of place somewhere in Europe. It's wonderfully untouched by vandals, showing signs only of a decade of decay. The 1950s extension was more heavily stripped after closure and is totally empty but the older half is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever shot. No expense was spared in the construction of it and it shows, and other than the windows being replaced over time it's almost totally unchanged internally since it was constructed.
Enough waffle, here are some photos. When I got home I realised I didn't take nearly as many as I'd have liked to, I think I was too busy admiring the building itself.
Thanks for looking
) so it was awesome to finally step foot in an abandoned one - and what a one it turned out to be.The courthouse was constructed in stages during the mid-1800s, then extended to nearly twice it's size in the 1950s. It closed in 2008 and has been vacant ever since, although within the last few months the green light was given to convert it into over 100 apartments - whether this goes ahead soon or not though is anybodies guess. This courthouse is situated in the middle of the downtown area of a large city and is located right opposite the main city police headquarters. It was, at the time, also listed as government property which means if caught then the end result can be rather more severe than a simple trespassing fine.
We rocked into town late one evening just after dark and decided to scope the perimeter out to see what we'd be dealing with. After a poke around we found a ridiculously easy although very obvious way in, so made a mental note of it and decided to get some rest and head back just before dawn the next morning and get straight in. We returned full of confidence as we knew the plan of attack, but as we rounded the corner something stopped us in our tracks - a hundred or so yards away was a parked police cruiser facing the exact spot we were planning on using to get inside. So trying our best to look just like a bunch of photographers out for an early morning stroll we walked right on past and went to the much trickier, but more hidden, backup access we had spotted on the same scout the night before. One of my friends, being the most agile and slender of all of us nominated himself to go in and then open up a door to let the rest of us in and after a tense ten minute wait trying our very best to not look too shifty we were in.
The inside of this place is absolutely stunning. As soon as I walked into the central hallway/staircase I thought to myself that it wouldn't look out of place somewhere in Europe. It's wonderfully untouched by vandals, showing signs only of a decade of decay. The 1950s extension was more heavily stripped after closure and is totally empty but the older half is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever shot. No expense was spared in the construction of it and it shows, and other than the windows being replaced over time it's almost totally unchanged internally since it was constructed.
Enough waffle, here are some photos. When I got home I realised I didn't take nearly as many as I'd have liked to, I think I was too busy admiring the building itself.
Thanks for looking
