chemical plant: catwalk fever

[August and September 2001]

My first visit here was late at night. But for an eerie fluorescent light swaying from the ceiling on the main floor, the enormous building was completely dark. And quiet. Every step I took, every door I opened echoed loudly, the sounds bouncing off the brick walls all around me. It was perfectly creepy- having never investigated the plant before, I had no idea what or who else might be inside. I crept cautiously around every corner, my flashlight searching for signs of anything strange. Slowly, throughout my first hour of exploring, I became more relaxed, having encountered nothing unusual. And just as I had let my guard down, I heard a horrible moaning sound, and then I saw them, ahead of me, stumbling directly at me! Zombies! Their putrid flesh hanging from their wobbly bones, the zombies looked at me with their bulging eyes. Yes, I knew immediately that they wanted to feast on my warm flesh ...

My next visit was during the early evening hours, when the sun cast long shadows on the cement floors and bathed the steel beams in a warm orange light. On this occasion I was able to make it up the tangled maze of catwalks all the way to the roof where a magnificent view of the city awaited me. After climbing so far to the roof, I was exhausted and hungry. On my climb down, I looked below me through the metal grates of the stairs and catwalks, noticing my fellow explorer's smooth and delicious looking cranium. Yes, I knew immediately ...

But seriously folks ... the chemical plant was originally a generating plant for the Pennsylvania Railroad and later part of the New York and Queens Electric Light and Power Company. This structure was designed by the famous architectural firm McKim, Mead, and White, designers of the original Penn Station. This architectural team is also responsible for one of the more beautiful buildings in the city today, the Pierpont Morgan Library. During his time, J.P. Morgan was responsible for saving America's bankrupt railroads and almost single handedly rescuing it's economy. A great collector of art, he spent much of his wealth acquiring many magnificent paintings, manuscripts, drawings and sculptures which can be seen today in the original Library building. If only the Library had the magnificent empty space of the chemical plant to display more of the collection- it's seems a fitting place- I like to imagine the spirits of the architects look kindly on the chemical plant.