Then and now: incredible abandoned home transformations

Rising from the rubble

From desolate distilleries and empty prisons to ill-fated holiday resorts and redundant industrial structures, the world is full of forgotten abandoned places with a distinct haunting beauty about them. However, some derelict buildings have been restored or repurposed, giving them a new lease of life. Here, we take a look at some of the places where new life is springing from old ruins.

Bodmin Jail, Cornwall, UK

Looming on the edge of a foreboding Cornish moor, the old jail of Bodmin has sent shivers down the spine of passers-by since it was first built by prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars in 1779. It was primarily used as a debtor’s prison with a wing later occupied by the Royal Navy for crimes at sea. Public executions were carried out here with the last hanging recorded in 1909. After the outdated jail was banged up for good in 1929, the Grade II-listed building has lain largely in ruins. Until an investor saw its potential and began an ambitious project to transform it into a 70-room luxury hotel. 

Bodmin Jail, Cornwall, UK

Now people are paying serious money to check-in to the Bodmin Jail Hotel. The architects have retained the unique heritage of this old jail, while transforming it into a well-lit and welcoming place to stay with sophisticated and contemporary touches. Former cells have been combined to create the hotel’s airy stone-walled rooms. The old jail chapel is now a delightful restaurant while the Chapel Bar sits in the old governor’s office. For guests wanting to know more about the building’s dark history, the Bodmin Jail Attraction is next door. 

Great Northern Hotel, London, UK

When it opened in 1854 to cater to patrons of the Great Northern Railway Company, the Great Northern Hotel was London’s first purpose-built railway hotel and a handsome one at that. Designed by the acclaimed Victorian architect Lewis Cubitt, the Italianate building had a distinctive tall, slender and curved shape that soon became a landmark in Kings Cross. 

Great Northern Hotel, London, UK

After it was shut by the Compass Group due to major developments at Kings Cross station, the historic hotel lay neglected and derelict for 12 years. There were briefly plans to demolish it but thankfully it was eventually rejuvenated when a £40 million ($49.9m) renovation transformed it into a luxury hotel once again. It re-opened in 2013 with its curved form incorporated into the station’s striking new domed roof. From its spectacular windows to its ornate stair railings, sensitively restored original features and nods to its railway heritage can be seen throughout the now Grade II-listed building.

 

Baltic Flour Mill, Gateshead, UK

A gigantic flour mill built by Rank Hovis in 1950 dominated the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead for decades. At its height the Baltic Flour Mill employed around 300 people and about 100 of these were still employed when the company decided to close the mill in 1981. The vast building was vacant for 20 years until, much like the transformation of London’s former Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern, it was repurposed into a capacious contemporary art gallery with construction beginning in 1998.

Baltic Flour Mill, Gateshead, UK

The new £46 million ($57.4m) art gallery, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, opened in the converted flour mill in 2002 and was one of the flagship buildings in the major regeneration of the industrial city’s Gateshead Quays area. Overlooking the new Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the contemporary art hub is set over six floors and covers an impressive 32,291 square feet (3,000sqm). Its top-floor restaurant is the place to drink in the views of this transformed industrial zone.

Battersea Power Station, London, UK

Built in the 1930s in south-west London, the former coal-fuelled Battersea Power Station once supplied a fifth of London’s electricity. However, the huge structure – the biggest brick construction in Europe – was derelict for decades after being decommissioned in 1983. Having lain empty ever since, few Londoners believed the Grade II-listed building would ever find a new lease of life after various ambitious (and sometimes outlandish) plans to transform the landmark fell by the wayside. 

Battersea Power Station, London, UK

After a £9 billion ($10.1bn) restoration and redevelopment that took a decade to complete, the Thames' most striking ruin has become a pilgrimage for pleasure-seekers. In October 2022, Battersea Power Station reopened its doors to visitors after 40 years, greeting Londoners with 250 new shops, cafés and restaurants to explore. The complex comes complete with its very own brand-new Underground station.

Tegel Airport, Berlin, Germany

Built in 1948 in just 90 days, Tegel Airport initially served as a French military base but opened to commercial aviation in 1958, and in 1975 replaced Tempelhof Airport as Berlin's main airport. PanAm, Air France and British Airways served the popular airport in its heyday but increasing passenger numbers took its toll and, despite its best efforts, the airport became outdated and was forced to close. The last flight departed from Tegel Airport in November 2020 to make way for the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, which opened in October 2020.

Tegel Airport, Berlin, Germany

A £6.8 million ($7.9m) development project, dubbed Berlin TXL, is now underway to transform Tegel Airport into a residential smart city and environmentally friendly hub. Pictured here is a rendering of the planned renovation which will include 5,000 homes, a university campus and one thousand businesses. The project is due to be completed by the end of the 2030s but the first residential area is set for completion by 2027. Buildings will include vertical gardens, solar panels and a 500-acre nature reserve is also part of the plan.

Charles Street Jail, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Boston’s Charles Street Jail was built at the foot of Beacon Hill in 1851 to house the city's criminals. With architecture typical of the Boston Granite Style of the mid-19th century, the jail was large and innovative for the time with a design that allowed for plenty of natural light and fresh air. However, over the decades it became overcrowded and gained a reputation for poor conditions that led to various riots. It was eventually closed. 

Charles Street Jail, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

When the last prisoners were transferred from the historic jail in 1990, the structure was abandoned and left derelict. The forlorn and forgotten institution became something of an eyesore in the gentrified Beacon Hill neighbourhood rather than recognised as an architectural gem. After being used for storage on and off over the years, plans were put in motion to restore the historic landmark and transform it into a smart hotel. The Liberty Hotel opened in 2007 to great acclaim with its sensitive and striking restoration. It’s now one of the city’s hottest hotels with a restaurant aptly called the Clink and its historic catwalks now balconies running above its elegant lobby. 

Prora, Rügen, Germany

Built between 1936 and 1939 in Nazi Germany, this Baltic beach resort spanned an astonishing 2.8 miles (4.5km) along a lagoon on the Baltic isle of Rügen. A particularly striking example of the Brutalist architecture during the Third Reich, the eight vast holiday buildings, that became known as the Colossus of Prora, were never used for their intended purpose as a holiday resort for German workers.

Prora, Rügen, Germany

When the Soviet Army took over, the complex was subject to various uses before it was sold off by Germany in 1989 to private developers who left it to ruin. While some parts remain deserted, somewhat controversially works began in 2017 to repurpose areas of the vast complex as a residential development and holiday resort, that includes the world's largest youth hostel. A section has also been bought by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to house a museum about the complex's dark past. 

 

Kupari, Croatia

The now crumbling seaside resort of Kupari was an early pioneer in Croatia’s tourism industry. The Grand Hotel, the most impressive of the ruined resorts that line pretty Župa Bay, was the first hotel to open here in 1920. More hotels were soon built around it and the Kupari holiday village became a military resort for the elite of the Yugoslav army from the 1960s on. When the Croatian War of Independence broke out in 1991, its hotels and apartments were heavily bombed and abandoned.

Kupari, Croatia

Just near the bustling port city of Dubrovnik, Kupari has stood desolate and all but forgotten for 30 years. Although, it has become a popular attraction for urban explorers, particularly the haunting remains of the Grand Hotel Kupari (pictured) with its faded elegant façade and period details. But this won’t last for long: numerous investors have been linked to the prime piece of real estate over the years and the dilapidated seaside village finally looks set to be replaced by a new 5-star resort.

Spreepark, Berlin, Germany

Originally known as Plänterwald, this German amusement park opened in 1967 and attracted 1.5 million visitors a year during its prime. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, it was renamed Spreepark, after the river Spree that runs past it, but decades after it opened the park ran up millions of euros worth of debt and it couldn't renovate its rides. The attraction eventually fell completely into disrepair and has stood abandoned east of the German capital since closing in 2002.

Spreepark, Berlin, Germany

But a new chapter has opened in the park's history. Thanks to a major regeneration project that got underway in 2016 some original rides, including its landmark Ferris wheel, are set to turn again. The wheel – pictured here being dismantled in February 2021 – is being revived and artistically redesigned to be reinstalled in 2024. Other abandoned buildings are being restored as cultural spaces and a restaurant. The green space will host a large beer garden too. The new Spreepark is opening in stages, with the entire park expected to open to the public again in 2026.

Dexamenes wine factory, Peloponnese, Greece

Set on Kourouta Beach on the north-western tip of the Peloponnese with uninterrupted views of the Ionian Sea, the Dexamenes Seaside Hotel is quite the beachside idyll. It wasn’t always so idyllic, however. Dexamenes has an extraordinary industrial history that is celebrated throughout its architecture. The contemporary hotel was created in an abandoned 1920s wine factory. Over 30 empty concrete tanks, such as this one pictured, that pumped wine directly onto waiting ships, now house luxury breezy bedrooms with sea views. 

Dexamenes wine factory, Peloponnese, Greece

Athens-based k-studio converted the ramshackle wine factory into this gorgeous beach-front boutique hotel, after owner Nikos Karaflos realized a childhood vision to breathe new life into the decaying structures. They took great care to honour its raw industrial beauty and architectural heritage. The use of materials such as concrete, steel, timber, engineered glass and reclaimed bricks all play into the hotel’s sensitive and striking design. 

Canfranc International Railway Station, Spain

This grand station building is nestled high in the Pyrenees, right on Spain’s border with France. It was once hailed as one of Europe's most important rail hubs, providing an international link across the mountainous border, and opened to much applause in 1928. Its ceremony was attended by Spanish royalty and the French president. Due to the Second World War, Spanish Civil War and various other political and economic factors, it has been left largely abandoned since the 1970s.

Canfranc International Railway Station, Spain

The conversion of the elegant old railway hub into a luxury hotel are now complete, while long-awaited plans by the government of Aragon to restore the France-to-Spain Canfranc railway line are expected to be fully operational by 2026.

Wm. Mulherin's Sons, Philadelphia, USA

A 19th-century whiskey blending and bottling factory built in Philadelphia’s now on-trend Fishtown neighbourhood stood empty for several years before a major restoration project transformed it into one of the city’s hotspots. Named after the original business, owned by Irish entrepreneur and whiskey baron William J Mulherin, Wm. Mulherin's Sons is a buzzy restaurant and boutique hotel set within the striking industrial building on the corner of Front and Master Streets. 

 

Wm. Mulherin's Sons, Philadelphia, USA

Great care was taken by Philadelphia-based design agency Method Co. to preserve the architectural integrity of the old whiskey distilling factory while reinventing the space. Wm. Mulherin's Sons opened in 2017 and features two trendy restaurants – an urban Italian concept and a newly launched elevated Japanese restaurant – as well as four large loft-style rooms within its three floors. Some striking features from its industrial past remain, including a pulley system, arched windows and exposed brick walls. 

Stadtbad Oderberger, Berlin, Germany

The Stadtbad Oderberger, a free public bath house, opened in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in 1898. It was designed by Ludwig Hoffmann, architect and head of the municipal planning and building control office of Berlin, as somewhere for the capital’s rapidly growing population to wash. As well as central indoor swimming pool, its side wings had 63 showers and bathtubs. The historic leisure centre closed for good in 1986 after cracks appeared in the pool and it lay empty until it was resurrected in 2016.

Stadtbad Oderberger, Berlin, Germany

The listed building on Oderbergerstrasse was taken over by private operators after a community campaign set out to save the building from its neglected state. Work began to preserve and transform the structure into a modern hotel with 70 rooms and two apartments. The historic swimming pool was returned to its former glory (with the addition of a spa) and remains central to the building – it can still be used by the general public as well as hotel guests. With a great location, good restaurant and many original features, Hotel Oderberger is a lovely spot to explore this central part of Berlin.

The Baker Hotel and Spa, Texas, USA

The grand and glamorous Baker Hotel opened in 1929 in Mineral Wells, a Texan town that sprung up around the area’s reputed healing waters. It played host to well-heeled visitors, including Hollywood stars Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and Lawrence Welk, as they flocked to enjoy the spa resort’s bathhouses, drinking pavilions and spas. Designed by prominent Texas architect Wyatt C Hedrick, the imposing 14-storey hotel was groundbreaking, featuring the state’s first outdoor swimming pool and air-conditioning. However, as the town's tourism numbers dwindled the Baker closed in 1972 and has stood empty since.

The Baker Hotel and Spa, Texas, USA

After a few stalled attempts to restore Mineral Wells’ loved but long-neglected landmark – listed on the National Register of Historic Places – a major renovation project is now well underway to revive it. The new hotel is slated to open in 2024 and will feature a luxury spa making use of the town’s famed mineral water. All 997 original windows have so far been restored and its top-floor ballroom, known as the Cloud Room, is being meticulously renovated. Plans also include an on-site museum that will house items recovered during the hotel’s restoration and tell its story.

Inujima copper refinery, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

First used as a granite quarry, the little island of Inujima that lies off Okayama in the Seto Inland Sea, became an important smelting site in the early 20th century with a copper refinery built at its centre. When copper prices plummeted just ten years after it opened, the refinery closed and many residents left the island. Less than 100 now remain. Its distinctive smokestacks and crumbling brick structure were left unused and vacant for nearly a century when the structure was creatively repurposed into a unique art project. 

Inujima copper refinery, Okayama Prefecture, Japan

Built into and restoring the old industrial ruins, the celebrated eco-gallery Inujima Seirensho Art Museum opened in 2008. It is located mostly underground and uses local materials such as granite and discarded bricks from the refinery. Impressive art installations also dot the walkable little island, left from previous Setouchi Triennales, the modern art festivals of which Inujima is a venue along with dozens of other islands and islets in the Seto Inland Sea. On these islands various abandoned industrial structures have had a new lease of life through art too. 

The Zwarte Silo, Deventer, the Netherlands

Disused since 1990, this architecturally arresting silo has sat on the inner harbor of the city of Deventer in the Netherlands since the 1920s. It was built to store grain. Once a hive of docklands activity, the forlorn and empty structure underwent an imaginative revival in 2015 when Dutch architects Wenink Holtkamp were commissioned to reimagine the site as a food hall. It's a hive of waterfront activity once again. 

The Zwarte Silo, Deventer, the Netherlands

As well as renovating the large silo, the architects restored two adjacent low-lying brick warehouses, which were used for salt storage, to create the new venue that is now home to a food market, restaurant and event spaces. In the revitalised De Zwarte Silo the old silo's authentic industrial character has been beautifully preserved while also incorporating striking new elements including large steel-framed windows that allow diners to overlook the historic harbour. 

Bokor Palace Hotel, Cambodia

One of the buildings in the Kampot resort known as Bokor Hill Station, the Bokor Palace was built as a mountain retreat for Europeans in the early 1920s, when Cambodia was under French rule. It was first abandoned by the French in the 1940s and was then used as a stronghold by various political movements, including the Khmer Rouge, until the early 1990s when it was left battered and forgotten.

Bokor Palace Hotel, Cambodia

After being painstakingly restored and reopened by Sokha Hotels & Resorts in 2018, the historical hotel is an elegant mountaintop retreat once again. With plenty of appealing period features, gorgeous grounds and incredible views of rice fields and the Opal Coast from its perch on Mount Bokor, it’s hard to imagine the horrors that unfolded here not so long ago. 

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