Come One, Come All... ([info]dark_fetus) wrote in [info]abandonedplaces,
2009-12-18 01:58:00
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The Conifer's Fall From Grace

I thought that this location would be a good one to follow the previous entry I made.
It serves to show the contrast between two similar places under different circumstances.
This place, like "The Grandview" is a resort.
Also like "The Grandview", it lays in the Catskill region of NY state.
However, unlike "The Grandview", this place has been posted to numerous "Urban Exploration" websites.

I think everyone knows where this is going...
Please keep in mind that this place was abandoned ten years LATER than "The Grandview"

Now, the entry...



The Conifer (Alias) is a rotting monument to a bygone era.
What was once a gorgeous resort is now a decaying husk...
A victim of neglect, nature, and those that falsely call themselves "Urban Explorers"

Please understand that I have no issue with people investigating locations such as these, I do it myself.
However, there's a guideline that needs to be followed:
"Take only pictures, leave only footsteps"
Sadly, this seems beyond most people's comprehension, and The Conifer has suffered dearly for it.
This post serves not only a portrayal of a forgotten place, but also an essay on disrespect.

Walking the grounds, you can grasp what the place must have been like in it's heyday.
The bustle of people checking in and out in the lobby,.
The smell of chlorine floating down the main hall from the indoor pool.
Faintly music playing in the background, coming from the grand dining hall.

Now just silence, and the smell of decay.

The lobby lies in ruin.
Holes cover the walls, and in some cases, sections of wall are missing altogether.
The furniture is thrown in all directions, most no longer upright.
A majority of the windows have been smashed, allowing for a rather surreal situation,
wherein grass has rooted over the entirety of the lobby carpet.
Creating a grassy field where once the lobby floor was.

Moving on to the building containing indoor pool,
you still almost expect the echo of splashing as you walk about the room.
It's obvious from the size of it that the pool was once a very popular spot at the resort.
It now sits drained, a giant tiled pit in the center of the room.
Fountains can still be seen around the edging of the pool,
along with the many many pool chairs that now occupy the deep-end...



The theater hall must have been glorious at one time.
The room is massive, with the capacity to fit a very large audience.
The giant curtains still hang, slowly being eaten away by fungus.
Same can be said of the ceiling, which appears to be on the verge of collapse.



Walking the hallways of the wings that contained the bedrooms,
you start to understand just how many people came here.
Like the resort itself, the rooms are for the most-part in ruin.
Windows are broken out, walls are all but torn down, spray paint and garbage is everywhere.
As you go up a few floors though, things become less devastated.
At one point the rooms even smelt eerily of clean linen.
Somehow sealed away over a decade ago...
















































































































































- Additional Historical Images -














As usual...
Filmed by Christina ([info]deadgirl1307)
edited by us both...









Thank you for your time,
~Rusty

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[info]xelandria

December 18 2009, 07:03:57 UTC 2 years ago

Incredible- you've got quite an eye for detail. Wish I could experience this place too.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:44:33 UTC 2 years ago

Why thank you,
from the looks of the place you're the only one that hasn't been there.
Haha

[info]synnoveaevael

December 18 2009, 07:04:08 UTC 2 years ago

the "suspended" lock image is amazing!

thanks for sharing :)

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:45:20 UTC 2 years ago

Right?
I found that by chance on my way down to a basement.
Looked so cool, I took like ten shots of it to make sure I "got it".

[info]synnoveaevael

2 years ago

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[info]__radio___

December 18 2009, 07:06:19 UTC 2 years ago

I know what place this is! Great pics.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:45:55 UTC 2 years ago

You better not be one of the paint-ballers... :P

[info]jasonhackwith

December 18 2009, 07:08:12 UTC 2 years ago

What an amazing place. Beautifully captured. Thank you!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:46:43 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you.
Sadly I think it would have looked much better,
too bad we'll never see it without all the holes and paint.

[info]dragons_wine

December 18 2009, 07:12:57 UTC 2 years ago

I love the disembodied lock!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:47:22 UTC 2 years ago

I made sure not to bump it...
I was afraid it would just flop out of the wall.

[info]boycunt

December 18 2009, 08:21:17 UTC 2 years ago

These pictures are amazing. I'm not interested in finding out more about the place.

What's really amazing how some stuff will be in such disrepair, while other areas seem perfectly in tact.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:47:56 UTC 2 years ago

The more intact rooms were near, or on, the top floor.

[info]unholypassion

December 18 2009, 08:44:37 UTC 2 years ago

It should be a crime to let a place that beautiful rot away. Great pictures!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:49:16 UTC 2 years ago

I read a very interesting article that my girlfriend found.
The old owner (who's family ran it before him) still lives close by it.

He walked the grounds once and it seemed like his heart was breaking...

[info]unholypassion

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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[info]unholypassion

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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[info]estrange

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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[info]giddykiwi

December 18 2009, 08:56:30 UTC 2 years ago

Simply stunning. My favorite object is the cash register with the key still in it. Heh. Thank you for sharing this place.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:49:45 UTC 2 years ago

I love that old thing, too bad its pretty much destroyed.

[info]sushiho

December 18 2009, 09:24:29 UTC 2 years ago

Great photo set and background info, as ever. Such a shame to see it being physically destroyed & deliberately trashed, but great that you have captured so much and shared it with us!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:50:49 UTC 2 years ago

I didn't really do too much background on it, the post was more about people being destructive.
I still wanted to include old photos though...

[info]suitandtieguy

December 18 2009, 09:56:31 UTC 2 years ago

you do a good job.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:51:04 UTC 2 years ago

My thanks.

[info]lindsaytheho

December 18 2009, 10:31:09 UTC 2 years ago

I LOVE that tree wallpaper!

I wish that you lived in Oregon and that we could be friends and photograph amazing places like this. :)

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:51:51 UTC 2 years ago

I liked it too, though I do not think it can be peeled and re-used. Haha

Yea, Oregon is a bit of a trip from NJ...
Perhaps some day.

[info]psychofish

December 18 2009, 10:36:39 UTC 2 years ago

<3's the tree wallpaper too.

For some reason, the place could make a nice school...

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:52:38 UTC 2 years ago

Or a Juvenal Detention building. Haha

[info]rheavon

December 18 2009, 14:53:23 UTC 2 years ago

<3

You knew I was waiting for this post after the last one!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:52:54 UTC 2 years ago

;)

[info]mackinzie

December 18 2009, 16:00:59 UTC 2 years ago

The bandwidth was exceeded on some pictures but from the ones I saw, beautiful! I am in agreement with the other posters on the wallpaper. I would love to have that in my bedroom.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 18:53:22 UTC 2 years ago

Fixed it!
Embarrassing that it happened though...

[info]laurapalmer813

December 18 2009, 18:59:53 UTC 2 years ago

Beautiful pictures! I guess I'm the other person who has never been there (cause I live far away!), but I know the place, and you've captured it perfectly!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 23:44:48 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you very much.
The shooting was difficult that day because I was without my tripod...

[info]craving_vintage

December 18 2009, 20:09:54 UTC 2 years ago

I love your posts because you give the history, the old photos and what it looks like now. These are just amazing (I use that phrase a lot, lol) and I'm just astounded by how the place looks now. Wow, just wow!

Thanks for posting.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 23:45:48 UTC 2 years ago

You're very kind.
I do wish I could have seen it while operational.

[info]despitethesnow

December 18 2009, 20:39:39 UTC 2 years ago

Great post. Nothing intrigues me more than abandoned hotels. I'm sure you're familiar with the Catskill Mountain House- I make sure to visit that site every summer, even though its been demolished since the 60's. So fascinating though.

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 23:52:36 UTC 2 years ago

Well, if you're into abandoned hotels and resorts,
then the Catskills is the place for you. Haha

As for the Mountain House, I have not been.
It is one of my planned stops once spring arrives though...
It is worth the trip?

[info]despitethesnow

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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[info]armandlegg

December 18 2009, 22:50:06 UTC 2 years ago

WOW....

I stood on that stage, more than once. Spoke to a packed house. Swam in the pools, skated on the rink...

Sad to see the old girl in such a state now...but amazed that some of my friends and my predictions about the place came true - especially the grass growing in the promenade carpet...

Thank you so much for sharing!

[info]dark_fetus

December 18 2009, 23:56:16 UTC 2 years ago

That's so awesome, do you have any old photos or interesting experiences?

I do very much enjoy talking to people who had experienced these places while they were running.
I once spoke to a very elderly woman for over an hour, about the abandoned Overbrook Asylum.
She had learned medicine there in the 1940's, it was so wonderful to listen to her stories and first-hand accounts.



[info]armandlegg

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

December 19 2009, 05:01:24 UTC 2 years ago

A lot of the locations I post are discovered via the internet, or the occasional person mentioning that they may know of a place that would interest me.

As for this place, and "The Grandview", I found them by searching online.
I looked into all the resorts that once stood in the Catskill region
(Of which I knew many were no longer being used)
Then I simply went down my list and looked into what had become of the places.
If it sounded like the place had become abandoned, I looked it up with Google Maps.
(Google Maps is also a great help when planning where to park/hide my car.)
Haha...

For you, I suggest perhaps just searching on Google for forums about abandoned locations in your area.
Just know that if it's popular online, then it may be trashed or patrolled.

If you need any more help with anything, feel free to message me.

[info]gaudete1066

December 19 2009, 04:15:57 UTC 2 years ago

Strange sense of... quasi vertigo? when I saw the shot taken from down in the deep end of the pool. Felt like I was underwater for an instant! Eek...

[info]dark_fetus

December 19 2009, 05:02:36 UTC 2 years ago

When I look at it with that mind-set I feel the same way...
It is an angle you only (usually) ever see with goggles on.

[info]estrange

December 19 2009, 04:46:46 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you for posting, I really love & look forward to your posts! You do an amazing job. I can't believe they would let such a huge place like this just go to waste.

[info]dark_fetus

December 19 2009, 05:03:47 UTC 2 years ago

Thank you, makes me happy to hear that :)

And I completely agree with you, it's a horrible thing to have happen.
Sadly, it's not all that un-common throughout the Catskills...

[info]xydexx

December 19 2009, 08:36:56 UTC 2 years ago

Nice pictures as always! And thanks for including the historical photos.

A suggestion, perhaps for future visits if you have the historical photos ahead of time: Try to get pictures from the same angle/viewpoint as the historical ones and post them to [info]then_now? I'm sure folks would love to see the "before" and "after" comparison.

[info]dark_fetus

December 20 2009, 19:37:48 UTC 2 years ago

Not a bad idea.
It's just that when I go somewhere, I like not knowing what I'll find...
Also, sometimes it takes a lot of looking to uncover old photos,
though this location in particular was the easiest.
Perhaps it's something I can do when I re-visit a location.

Also, thanks for linking the group.

[info]laaviebohemei

December 19 2009, 09:24:00 UTC 2 years ago

wow, how did you get access/entry? Did you have to get permit? Also what is the song used in the video? It's magnificant! Is it a free domain song, since I'd love to use that song in one of my films. thanks!

[info]dark_fetus

December 20 2009, 19:42:08 UTC 2 years ago

I walked in... haha

The music I put into the videos are all cedited if you read the video info.
This one is actually an ending theme from an anime series called "School Rumble".
Sadly, it is copyright protected, so using it in your film won't work out.

[info]onyx_noir

December 19 2009, 21:45:10 UTC 2 years ago

Amazing pictures again. I can't pick a favorite between the suspended lock picture and the one of the stage with all the torn curtains.

[info]dark_fetus

December 20 2009, 19:44:14 UTC 2 years ago

The curtains on the stage were quite big.
I do not include people in any of my images, so scale is sometimes lost.

[info]themushroomtree

December 20 2009, 04:48:52 UTC 2 years ago

That lamp...those little paintings...that tree wallpaper...LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.

The lock suspended in the hole in the door...how??

[info]themushroomtree

December 20 2009, 04:52:51 UTC 2 years ago

Looking at it again, that carpet is the exact same carpet my grandparents have in their house. And it's probably just as old.

[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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[info]dark_fetus

2 years ago

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