In pictures: 17 empty industrial buildings that once buzzed with life

Dilapidated reminders of our manufacturing past

Countless factories around the world that were once buzzing with industry now lie eerily silent. 

From American megafactories to a textile plant that was taken over by the Nazis, read on to explore the long-forgotten buildings that hark back to the world's industrial heyday. 

All dollar values in US dollars.

Fordlândia, Aveiro, Brazil

The Amazon rainforest is the last place you'd expect to find an abandoned factory. On the banks of the Tapajós River lies Fordlândia, an industrial ghost town that was the brainchild of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. Ford struck a deal with the Brazilian government and was granted 3,900 square miles (10,000 square km) of land in exchange for a 9% share of any profits made.

He planned to take advantage of the region's rubber trees in order to break Britain's monopoly of the market and envisaged building a factory that would produce car tyres, as well as creating a surrounding town to house its 10,000 workers. In 1928, one year after the Ford Motor Company ceased production of its iconic Model T, Fordlândia was founded, but the project was rife with problems. 

Fordlândia, Aveiro, Brazil

Developers had planted 3.6 million rubber trees but they were positioned too close together, making them easy targets for blight. The Brazilian workers also objected to the harsh rules imposed by their American managers and staged a revolt that saw them cut telegraph wires and intimidate management. The dispute only ended after the Brazilian Army intervened.

By 1934 the dream was over, and Fordândia lay abandoned. Ford's estate ultimately lost over $20 million, more than $310 million (£245m) in today's money. Henry Ford's grandson, Henry Ford II, sold the land back to the Brazilian government in 1945, by which time the invention of synthetic rubber was making natural rubber plants obsolete. Today, many of the American-style workers' homes have been reclaimed, but the water tower, sawmill, and workshop still stand empty. 

Tintic Standard Reduction Mill, Genola, USA

This bizarre structure, built in 1920, is all that's left of a former metals refinery. The Tintic Standard Reduction Mill in Genola, Utah was in operation for just four years and abandoned when the particular technology it was based on was deemed obsolete.

Tintic Standard Reduction Mill, Genola, USA

The mill was left to crumble, but the foundations for the water tanks, crushers, roasters, iron boxes, leaching tanks, and drain boxes survive. Covered in colourful graffiti, they make for an arresting and extremely strange sight in the surrounding hilly landscape.

Canada Malting Silos, Montréal, Canada

This imposing grain malting factory was built in around 1904, sitting adjacent to the Lachine Canal in Montréal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood. A well-known landmark in the area, the Canada Malting Silos produced an impressive 250,000lb (110,000kg) of malt per year in its heyday and supplied a plethora of local distilleries and breweries. 

Canada Malting Silos, Montréal, Canada

The factory was sold in the 1980s and had a brief second life as a soya and corn warehouse before being abandoned in 1989. Since then, the crumbling building has been the setting for several urban art projects. Unfortunately, the graffiti-covered building has also been subject to vandalism.

Community group À Nous La Malting! has been trying to get funding to turn the site into social housing, and in August 2018 received $10,000 (£7.3k) from the Southwest borough to develop a project proposal. However, there are currently no firm plans to restore or redevelop the building.

Hudson Plant, Detroit, USA

Founded in 1909 in Detroit, Michigan, the Hudson Motor Car Company was one of America's biggest car manufacturers in the early 20th century. By 1925, it had become the third-largest automobile maker in the US behind Ford and Chevrolet, and it employed roughly 17,000 people by the time World War II broke out.

Hudson Plant, Detroit, USA

In the 1950s, demand for Hudson cars slowed, with sleeker models – and smoother production lines – becoming the norm. Standing at 6501 Mack Avenue, the Hudson Plant in Detroit is one of the company's few remaining factories.

Although many other plants were taken over by the car company Chrysler, the Hudson Plant has stood empty for decades in what was once one of the busiest streets in the city. 

Hartford Mill, Oldham, UK

Oldham's Hartford Mill was completed in 1907 and served as a cotton mill until the 1950s, when competition from overseas prompted its transformation into a warehouse.

Retailer Littlewoods used the building to store stock until the early 1990s, when it was vacated and left to decay, despite garnering Grade II-listed heritage status. 

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Hartford Mill, Oldham, UK

A devastating fire ripped through the mill in 2014. The following year a teenager was killed after falling through the roof. In fact, the hazardous structure, which has been described as a death trap, was the scene of 250 emergency incidents in recent years.

Unsurprisingly it was recently earmarked for demolition, and its distinctive chimney was destroyed during a controlled explosion at the end of last year.

Continental Rubber Factory, Hanover, Germany

Built in the late 19th century and expanded in the 1920s, the Continental Rubber Factory in Hanover has a chequered history. During World War II, Continental used forced labour at the factory, with the enslaved workers provided by the Nazy Party and subjected to horrific conditions.

Continental Rubber Factory, Hanover, Germany

Operations ceased for a time towards the end of World War II, but resumed again in 1945 and continued until 2000 when the factory was finally abandoned.

The derelict site, which has attracted more than its fair share of urban adventurers, is being demolished to make way for a housing development. It's unclear how much of the original factory remains today.

Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, USA

The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit first opened its doors in 1903, with its premises eventually expanding to a bewildering 3.5 million square feet (325,000 square metres).

At the time of its opening, the factory – which belonged to the Packard Motor Car Company – was considered the world's first truly modern automobile manufacturing facility. At its peak, the plant employed 40,000 people across 80 different trades.

Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit, USA

The colossal factory was shuttered in 1958 after the Packard Motor Car Company went bust, but the site continued to house other businesses until the late 1990s. It then became a venue for underground raves and a haven for urban explorers. The largest abandoned industrial complex in the world, the derelict plant was undergoing redevelopment until October 2020, when plans were suddenly scrapped.

Efforts to demolish the vast site have hit a number of obstacles in recent years, and while some sections have been removed, much of the plant remains to this day.

Oustau Ceramic Factory, Aureilhan, France

One of the most beautiful abandoned industrial buildings in our round-up, the stunning Oustau ceramic factory, nicknamed the "Red Factory", stands in Aureilhan in southwest France.

The factory was co-founded in 1873 by the industrialist Laurence Oustau, who was famed for perfecting a unique technique for glazing bricks. The factory specialised in producing bricks and tiles and reportedly boasted the first brickyard in France to use kilns with gas burners.

Oustau Ceramic Factory, Aureilhan, France

The Red Factory's halcyon days came in the early part of the 20th century before the business fell into a gradual decline, finally closing for good in 1970.

The building was declared a historic French monument in 1994. Despite this impressive status, the once-thriving factory stands in a state of disrepair to this day.

Abandoned textile factory, Forst, Germany

Forst, a town in Brandenburg, was once dubbed the "German Manchester" due to its abundance of factories and other industrial buildings. Among them was this textile factory, built in 1923.

The Nazi Party took control of the site during World War II, and when the conflict ended the factory was used as a district administration office by the Socialist Union Party. Germany's Peaceful Revolution of 1989 brought an end to this tenure, and the building has stood empty ever since. According to reports it's been completely stripped of all contents, with a rotten staircase making it too dangerous to explore.

Abandoned textile factory, Forst, Germany

As well as the austere factory buildings, a large number of grand villas remain. These once-elegant mansions originally housed the owners of Forst's factories and are believed to have been erected at great expense.

Today, many of them have been allowed to go to rack and ruin, although several have been restored.

Crystal Mill, Crystal, USA

Perched precariously over the Crystal River in western Colorado, this ramshackle former compressor station is reportedly one of the most photographed structures in the Centennial State. Built in 1893 near the Sheep Mountain Mine, the mill was shut down in 1917 when the mine was abandoned and has remained unused ever since. 

Crystal Mill, Crystal, USA

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and over the years local residents and historical societies have worked to preserve the wooden structure, which no doubt would have rotted away.

Travelling to see the mill in all its glory is no mean feat. The site is only accessible during the warmer months of the year and the trip requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle at the very least.

Vallone dei Mulini, Sorrento, Italy

This cavernous mountain cleft in the resort town of Sorrento near Naples was formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred 35,000 years ago. It became home to a number of ancient saw and flour mills, the first of which was constructed way back in the 10th century. 

Vallone dei Mulini, Sorrento, Italy

Today, only one of the long-abandoned mills remains. Overgrown with greenery, the building makes for a remarkable sight. Needless to say, the Insta-friendly stone structure is now one of Sorrento's leading tourist attractions and one of the most photographed abandoned places on the planet.

Tonedale Mills, Wellington, UK

Tonedale Mills in Wellington, Somerset was founded in the 1700s and flourished during the 19th century. The wool factory complex became famous for its Taunton serge cloth and produced 21,300 feet (6,492m) of material per day at its zenith.

Tonedale Mills, Wellington, UK

The largest woollen mill in southern England entered into decline during the latter half of the 20th century as a result of cheap competition from abroad. It was largely abandoned during the 1980s, but parts of the site are still used to this day by small-scale artisans.

Fisher Body Plant 21, Detroit, USA

Yet another factory left abandoned in Detroit, Michigan is the Fisher Body Plant 21. The Fisher clan is considered one of the founding families of the American car industry, and they branched into automobiles after first making a name for themselves with their horse-drawn carriage shop in Norwalk, Ohio. 

Fisher Body became the world's largest producer of car body parts, and the Fisher Body Plant 21 (pictured) was its biggest factory. It was located on 700 Piquette Avenue in downtown Detroit and was just a short walk from the Ford Piquette Plant. The Piquette area was synonymous with car production at the start of the 20th century.

Fisher Body Plant 21, Detroit, USA

The fortunes of the Fisher family and their factory changed when integrated chassis were invented in the early 1900s. As car companies started to produce their own body parts in-house, demand for the goods manufactured at the Fisher Body Plant 21 dropped. 

After changing hands numerous times in the 20th century, the 3.7 million square feet (344,000 square metre) plant was eventually abandoned. Bar visits from urban photographers and graffiti artists, it's been empty since 1993. Bold plans to redevelop the site have stalled and its future remains uncertain.

Petroplus Oil Refinery, Reichstett, France

Inaugurated in 1963, this oil refinery in Reichstett, France was under the ownership of Total before passing to Shell. The refinery was sold on in 2007 to Swiss company Petroplus, Europe's leading oil refiner at the time. 

Petroplus Oil Refinery, Reichstett, France

Petroplus was forced to shut down the refinery in 2010 for financial reasons and ended up going bankrupt in 2012. Though plans were floated to convert it into an oil terminal, the site remains abandoned. The facility is slowly rusting away, with nature reclaiming the myriad pipes and tanks.

Carbide Willson Ruins, Quebec

In the early 1900s, Canadian inventor Thomas 'Carbide' Willson used these premises to investigate the production of calcium carbide. When water is added to calcium carbide, it produces acetylene gas, which burns with a bright light and can be used to illuminate everything from headlamps to lighthouses.

To protect his experiments, Willson kept his workshop hidden, nestled in 460 acres of forest near Meech Lake in Gatineau Park. However, the venture soon grew expensive and he began missing interest payments. 

Carbide Willson Ruins, Quebec

Now known as the Carbide Willson ruins, Willson's workshop complex originally consisted of an acid concentration tower, a generating station, and a dam. But after Willson was forced to leave – and sadly died shortly afterwards – the buildings fell into disrepair.

The tower was destroyed by a fire and the station and dam have been left open to the elements.

White Bay Power Station, Sydney, Australia

The Australian capital's longest-serving power plant, White Bay Power Station is situated in the suburb of Rozelle. It entered into operation in 1917 and was expanded in the mid-1920s and again during the mid-1940s.

The coal-fired facility eventually closed in 1983 and was fully decontaminated during the 1990s.

White Bay Power Station, Sydney, Australia

The power plant was awarded listed status in 1999 and efforts have since been made to preserve the structure. The building has been used as a location for various TV and film productions, including The Matrix Reloaded and The Great Gatsby, and plans have been floated to transform it into a mixed-use development.

Millennium Mills, London, UK

Millennium Mills in Silvertown is a remnant of the UK capital's industrial past and one of the few major factories in London that hasn't yet met the wrecking ball. It dates from the turn of the 20th century, but the main building was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt during the 1950s.

At its height, the facility had a workforce of 100,000 people.

Millennium Mills, London, UK

The flour factory closed in 1981. Since then, the building has been used as a TV and movie set but has been left more or less derelict. Planning permission was granted in 2015 to redevelop Millennium Mills and the site is currently undergoing decontamination, though a fire affected the structure a few years ago.

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