I’ve taken two different trips so far to the Farrel Brothers Foundry in Ansonia, CT. The first time I stumbled across the building after deciding to go down a side road I’ve past a hundred times on the way back from the local Target. Heading down the road you get a narrow road between some questionable apartments and the railroad tracks. Eventually it opens up into the loading dock area of the abandoned Foundry.
I was immediately drawn to the beautiful patina on the outside the building. The areas of peeling paint giving the old building some characters. It’s far more vibrant than some other abandoned factories in the area. The green, peeling paint combined with the vines slowly overtaking the area makes the building seem alive and slowly dying.
But the real pleasure of the trip is venturing inside the building. This is the reason that I took two trips to the Foundry. The first trip I panicked and ran away from the old building assuming, at the very least, dangerous particles in the air.
It was on the return trip after buying a mask for the potential dangerous particles and bringing along a friend for the potential wild animal that I ventured further into the factory and got some stunning images.
Now of course even with the minimal precautions that I took, I should not have been in this building. The structure itself was found but there was various levels of decay, discarded equipment that contained god knows what type of chemicals, and the glass ceiling that once brought light to the men working on the factory floor was shattered with large shards of glass hanging precariously on metal beams and cables high above. The ground itself was covered with these shattered panes. Being hit with even a small piece of that thick glass would probably not be a survivable event.
Still, the outside of the factory is more than enough to draw me back here. Especially with winter approaching, seeing those vibrant greens contrast against pure white snow must be a set to behold.
Stopped Along the Way 