Monday, April 04, 2016

Urban Decay in Chicago: The abandoned Goodman Equipment Plant

When Carl Sandburg dubbed Chicago "the city of the big shoulders" there were hundreds of factories such as the now-abandoned Goodman Manufacturing Company plant at 4834 S. Halsted in the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood.


Yes, this land is for sale--it's "as is."

Getting to this piece of land was an adventure.


First I had to climb up the embankment from Halsted Street onto this old rail bridge. I'm not sure what happened to the rails--there is scrap value with them but owners of railroad right-of-ways usually leave the ties behind.

Is this a future rails-to-trails route? If it is it's news to me.


I snapped this pic from that bridge.


Then I walked through this container storage plot--and then I crawled through some brush and rubble and then I was finally on the old Goodman property.


The company was founded in 1888. Somewhere along the way it changed its name to Goodman Equipment Company. At least in name the firm still exists--but to learn more I had to visit the W.W. Williams page.

Goodman built locomotives for use in underground mines.


After Goodman moved out in 1989 the building was a warehouse for parade floats, including those used in the Gay Pride Parade on the North Side. In 2011 a tire on each of the floats for that year's parade was punctured while in storage here. As of at least 2014 this structure has been vacant.


Graffiti taggers always find their way inside abandoned buildings.


Nature always finds a way.


Concrete dangles from wires.


I meant to get more pictures at this spot, but despite the snowfall from the day before--which melted the next morning--the wind was blowing dust around and I didn't want to damage my camera lens.

And dust is how this building will end up. As we all will.

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8 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:49 AM

    Were you armed?
    MM

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, mine is a peaceful mission.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think that a .45 would be called for on those grounds, I would have had mine.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:36 AM

    Where is this? I couldn't find it on google

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:46 PM

      Its now a vacant lot

      Delete
  5. 4834 S. Halsted in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have a pin from the Goodman Manufacturing company with a picture of John Wayne Gacy, circa 1980(?) Mug shot with a "bullet" hole in the firehead

    ReplyDelete
  7. manus gallagher11:36 AM

    I remember as a ten year old boy I had a job selling the daily news from forty third s. halsted to fifty first and union street.I hit tavern bars, stores anyone I could sell a paper to. The guard would let me walk the floors selling the paper'Imet alot of men who bought the paper everyday at goodman. I rememer one gentleman telling me to take some drafting classes in highschool and finish and I could get a job there.

    ReplyDelete