Talking Walls Photography

February 11, 2020 Talking Walls Photography

2 Comments

Grow Op Mansion

The Abandoned Grow Op Mansion in King City, Ontario was posted to Ontario Abandoned Places in September of 2015 by a member of Ontario Abandoned Places named Drifting Pablo. A fire had taken place earlier in the year at the house.

The whereabouts of the King City Grow Op Mansion were kept a closely guarded secret until it was mentioned on social media that the property had been used as a marijuana grow operation. This was enough information to allow other people to Google the address. The mansion was located at 14740 Keele Street in King City, Ontario. From there it was all downhill. Of course it’s difficult to keep properties secret because someone, somewhere will recognize one.

The $1,700,000 mansion was situated on five acres of land with an outdoor pool, patio and tennis court. Inside the house was a designer kitchen, six bathrooms, large recreation room, sauna, spiral staircase, water fall rock wall and skylights.

An SUV was parked on the property which looked to be in working condition. I could find no visible issue with it. It would later be vandalized by people in the future.

The way inside the mansion was from an unlocked door in the garage. Unlike homes stripped of copper and vandalized, this one retained all of it’s elegance.

King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — The “grow op” mansion in King City

main entrance realtor photo of grow op mansion Ontario, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — Real estate photo of main entrance of the grow op mansion

Elegant spiral staircase with a water fall marble wall in the background. Grow op mansion, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — Staircase and water fall wall inside the grow operation mansion (Realtor photo)

Evidence of Marijuana Growing

While I was exploring the abandoned mansion, it was obvious that the home had been used as a marijuana growing operation. The upstairs tub had been fitted with a plastic liner and filled in with potting soil. Hoses were connected to the bathroom sink. In the dusty hallway upstairs I could make out where rows of flower pots had been placed on the floor.

Two packages of unopened electrical fuses were left upstairs. Some doors were sealed, windows boarded and draft areas covered with insulating tape.

Children’s toy cars were left behind in the living room. They stood out in contrast to the purpose of the house. The washer, dryer, stove and fridge appeared to be brand new.

Drug Dealers

When word of the mansion inevitably spread on social media, people’s imaginations ran wild. Lazy people not wanting to research the house, claimed this was an “illegal grow op house” while others claimed that it was owned by “drug dealers”.

Some people claimed that it had been owned by a lady suffering cancer who grew her own medicinal marijuana. Despite the catchy stories attached to the house – the reality is somewhat less dramatic.

kitchen in grow op mansion, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — Kitchen – Before use as a grow op (Realtor photo)

The grow op mansion was originally owned by the Fejer family. It was built in 1995 for businessman George Fejer. Fejer founded “Canadian All-Terrain Vehicle Manufacturing” which sold parts for kit cars. George’s son Robert was also part operator of the business. The business closed in 2004.

In 2008 the home was purchased by the Green family. Research indicates that Jeff Green lived in the home with his four children who ranged from 8 to 17 years of age (three sons and a daughter). The family resided here for approximately four years. The home was then listed for sale with Martin Sheikhan Realty.

The tiled wall you see above had a water falls at each end where water was circulated down the tiles.

clam shell tub, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — clam shell bath (Realtor photo)

The well known clam shell bath – you either loved it or hated it.

The above photos came from a real estate advertisement for the house, taken during a time when it was occupied. The photos below were taken after the house became vacant.

Jeff and Cherri Green had a Florida based moving company named America’s Big Little Moving Company registered to the address in 2012. Whether the home was sold again is not known.

Speculation is that the home was purchased by two real estate investors who in turn began using the property as a grow operation. This information may not be entirely accurate, possibly confused with this story. What is known is that a grow operation began operating in the home, which was reported to be legitimate in origin.

grow op mansion - children's toys, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — children’s toys in a grow op house

Children’s toys in the living room contrast with the drug paraphernalia found upstairs.

kitchen, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — Grow op mansion kitchen – still untouched by vandalism

Unused kitchen appliances left behind. That’s my reflection in the centre. The kitchen has remained untouched by vandals or thieves.

staircase in King City grow op, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — staircase with fire damage

Note the fire damage at the bottom of the stairs as the result of an arson.

A package of planting soil in the bedroom next to the clam shell tub

tub filled with soil, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — the bathtub is filled with potting soil an the tub lined with plastic

Bathtub lined with plastic and filled with planting soil.

Before:

After photo of bedroom:

The house had been adapted to become a grow operation. Windows were boarded, doors sealed shut and insulation tape placed over areas in which the smell might escape.

fuses, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene

Fuses, as modification to the hydro would have been necessary

Entrance to the master bedroom. Note the soil on the floor and soot from the fire on the doors.

water falls, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — water fall

The grow operation was met with concern by surrounding neighbours concerned about the risk of fire and the “undesirable” people that the property might attract.
A public township meeting was held on February 11, 2015 for residents to discuss their concerns.

The day following the meeting a fire was reported at the house which was deemed to be suspicious in nature. Police said that the house was not currently being used as a grow operation but that they’d removed grow op equipment from the property. The fire was started in the entrance to the home and did not appear to be as a result of “bypassing” the hydro. [Link to story]

After the fire the house was abandoned and used neither for residency or growing plants. The township of King City went out to secure the property but vandals kept creating new entrances.

The basement:

Toronto skyline, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — CN tower display behin dthe bar

Toronto skyline as found behind the bar

grow op basement bar, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — Grow op mansion basement bar

The bar area

Vandalism or theft, you just know this television won’t remain here very long.

pool, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — grow op mansion swimming pool

Swimming pool

new washer and dryer, King City Grow Op Mansion in Ontario, mansion, grow op, marijuana, 420, illegal, drug dealers, drugs, abandoned mansion, abandoned Ontario, king city grow op, keene — These appliances are almost new

New washer and dryer (photo: LivingGhost)

And so the vandalism begins…

The windows on the Yukon are now smashed – November 2016 (Photo: Timo Explorer)

December 2016 – Couch tossed down the staircase, Trump graffiti (photo: Kat666G)

Some no-talent garbage – December 2016

December 2016 (photo: Kat666G)

The kitchen a year after my visit:

And so the story of the marijuana grow-op house ends in an all too often way.

The property was destroyed by vandals as is often the case with anything posted to social media.

I’m certain that the outcome would’ve been the same regardless of whether we ever posted it to social media. Social media may have expedited the process though 🙁

The Grow Op Mansion was demolished in March 2017. Young adults will have to find a new place to trash.

Photo Credits: OAP, Motleykiwi, Living Ghost, KatG666, Timo Explorer

St. Catharines General Hospital and Autopsy Room

Hospitals

2 Comments

History of St. Catharine’s General Hospital

St. Catharine’s first hospital was founded by Dr. Theophilus Mack in 1865. It was built on Cherry Street and contained four beds. The hospital provided medical care for sailors passing through the Welland Canal as well as to the local residents.

A second hospital, on Hainer Street, opened in the spring of 1867 and was three times larger with twelve beds.

In March of 1870 the board agreed to purchase the Winsor Chase house on Queenston Street. The house was remodelled to create room for sixteen beds. It opened in September of the same year. The last official address was 142 Queenston Street.

In 1924 the hospital’s name was changed to St. Catharines General Hospital.

The Leonard Nurses Home, a residence for nurses, was built to the east of the hospital. There was room left between the two buildings to add on a wing at a later date. The residence was named after Colonel Reuben Leonard, a board member who financed the construction.

Leonard Home for Nurses - St. Catharines — Leonard Home for Nurses – St. Catharines

The top two floors were demolished in 1972 and the second floor joined to the Moore Wing of the hospital.

St. Catharines General Hospital in Ontario, St. Catharines, urban exploration photography, urban explorer, urban exploring, creepy, decay, abandoned, abandoned Ontario, abandoned exploring, abandoned houses, time capsule, abandoned photography, abandoned places

The St. Catharines General Hospital closed on March 24, 2013 at 6 a.m. when services were moved to the new facility on Fourth Avenue.

Panoramic Properties

A year earlier, Panoramic Properties Inc. agreed to purchase the property to be used as multi-unit residences while preserving some of the building’s historic features. Local residents and businesses became tired of looking at the dilapidated structure as it sat idle until 2017. In 2017 a new owner, Queenston Oakdale Limited took over. Panoramic hasn’t disclosed why they didn’t proceed with the project.

Attempts were made to keep trespassers out from the property. This included German Shepherd guard dogs which were housed inside the hospital. While I explored this location, I came across the sleeping area for the dogs. Other explorers reported finding dog feces in the hallways. This seemed like a large liability to me if anyone were to be attacked by the dogs.

beware of dog sign - St. Catharines Hospital, St. Catharines General Hospital in Ontario, St. Catharines, urban exploration photography, urban explorer, urban exploring, creepy, decay, abandoned, abandoned Ontario, abandoned exploring, abandoned houses, time capsule, abandoned photography, abandoned places — Beware of dog sign

The dogs were removed some time in 2017. I’ve often wondered, how guard dogs can be vicious yet welcoming to the people who care for the property.

Cameras were installed, windows boarded and doors welded. The rear of the hospital was out of the public eye which allowed people to attempt to make entry. On my visit, an exterior door was off the hinges and laying on the ground.

A news article reported that the fence had been cut at least “100 times” by people looking to gain entry.

Demolition

In December 2018 Starnino Environmental Recovery was hired to commence demolition. Equipment arrived on site December 1, 2018 ready to demolish the property. Demolition was delayed as the property had to be searched for any squatters inside.

One of the first areas I explored was the morgue – a must see. I’m not quite sure what the fascination is with morgues, perhaps it’s because it’s an area of any hospital that’s kept out of view of the public. It represents the end of life cycle, unlike the nursery where the public can view the beginning of life.

autopsy room chaulk board - St. Catharines General Hospital — A chaulk board with areas for brain, heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, etc.

autopsy room in abandoned St. Catharines Hospital — Autopsy room

autopsy table in abandoned Ontario St. Catherine's Hospital

There was a fridge unit with samples of human tissue, and patient names on them. I’m not showing the names however I’m quite certain this was a privacy issue.

human tissue samples in autopsy room — Human samples in autopsy room

This room looked to be a laboratory of some sort. There was a board not far from here where explorers signed their names.

On the main floor down from the reception area was a large board room. I heard stories that kids were later found in here smoking marijuana. It was completely dark in here as there were no windows, and we were very much alone on our visit.

board room - St. Catharine's General Hospital — Board room

The property has seen it’s share of vandalism both from acts of mischief and scrappers looking for metals.

If you’ll excuse the pun, it’s a miracle that this beautiful stained glass window in the chapel survived the years of this hospital being abandoned. Not one broken pane.

stain glass in hospital chapel of St. Catharines Hospital

This room retains the look of what the original rooms may have looked like decades ago. The fireplace has been sealed off.

Of course there was the cafeteria to explore

St. Catharine's General Hospital cafeteria — Hospital cafeteria

And many hallways with identical looking rooms

hospital hallway with purple walls — Soothing purple walls

examination room of the St. Catharines General Hospital — Examination room

This could very well be the wing that connected the nurse’s residence. I don’t remember.

This room had been padlocked until some explorers took it upon themselves to break in. The result was that several photographers were able to take photos like this one, but also allow vandals in. The machines had paint tossed on them some time after my visit.

x-ray room of St. Catharines General Hospital — imaging room – Note ZERO vandalism

One question that often arises is, why doesn’t this equipment get donated to hospitals that could use it? That’s a very good question. I believe part of the answer is that the equipment becomes obsolete relatively quickly. Could it not be shipped to a needy country?

lone hospital bed - St. Catharines General Hospital — Hospital bed

In contrast to the morgue where life ends, this is where life begins. The nursery.

nursery in the St. Catharines General Hospital — Nursery

hair salon in St. Catharines General Hospital — Hair salon

Video

Exploring the Abandoned St Catharines Hospital. Morgue and tissue samples found inside!

Abandoned Log Mansion in Brampton Ontario

February 11, 2020 Talking Walls Photography

4 Comments

Log Mansion Brampton

This gorgeous Ontario log mansion is located in Brampton. It’s hidden away from the newer housing community just west of it and the entrance to the property is a long driveway tucked in a nestle of trees. The property is just feet away from a newer subdivision.

The history of the log house is that it was built in the 1980’s by Thomas Blake, a Quality Assurance Consultant.

There are three bedrooms on the main floor and two in the basement. There are two interior spiral staircases and one exterior one.

The main fireplace is set into a large stone wall that makes up the majority of the wall and forms an arched doorway. Just beyond the arched doorway is another room with a fireplace. Someone had lit a fire either in the fireplace or on the floor and burned a hole through the floor.

abandoned log mansion, abandoned ontario, vernosa drive, brampton, urban exploring, log mansion arson, photography, abandoned photography, explorers

The front doors look as if they belong on a business. Above the doors is a circular stained glass window. In another room is a stained glass window of a unicorn.

This is a view taken from the top of the staircase on the main floor. There’s no railing here, I felt a sense of danger standing here. As of January 2020 the interior has seen even more vandalism beyond what’s shown in these photos.

The kitchen is modern with a fireplace of its own, the other side of the fireplace opens into the dining room. There’s a large exhaust fan set over the stove and a wall unit oven. The ceiling is made up of wooden beams laid out into rectangular shaped sections.

Vandals have torn the counter off and damaged most every pane of glass.

A view of the front of the home as seen from the driveway (below). This photo was taken at 9 PM when it was almost dark.

And the inevitable…

Abandoned Clock Maker Time Capsule House in Ontario. Everything left behind!

Time Capsule

While there are no exteriors of the house I’ll be showing you, it’s evident that the house dates back to at least the 1970’s. The deck at the rear of the property is now quite rotten. There are several holes in the deck so you have to be cautious walking on it. I cautiously navigated it, keeping close to the walls. By the shed are two old rotary dial phones. They are a prelude to the past way of life to be found inside this house.

We were the first explorers ever to set foot inside this house. Upon making our way inside the house, the first room we discovered was the living room. I remember exclaiming, “This place is awesome!” Indeed it was, a perfectly preserved time capsule. So very rare.

The living room is perfectly preserved. A couch faces an older model television, a VCR and DVD player are connected to the set. On a table next to the television are some assorted DVD’s. A coffee table in front of the couch is covered by cloth, a box of Kleenex and bowl set upon it.

There was a very small amount of dust on the furniture. I ran my finger along the wood as if to prove that there was dust, and therefore the house is abandoned. (Our social media following likes to believe that no dust means a house is occupied)

There’s a hutch in the corner of the living room. I remember opening it but can’t recall what was inside. At the other end of the living room is a fireplace with assorted clocks and knicknacks on the mantle. The more I looked around, the more I noticed the clocks. Two were mounted on the wall just behind the couch. They were on the mantle. They were on shelves. They were… everywhere.

Magazines are sitting underneath the coffee table. There are cobwebs in the corners of the walls. The place looks completely lived in, yet it’s been vacant for many years.

On the table by the window rests a photo of Jesus. Whomever had lived here was religious. In today’s society if Facebook goes down, it becomes international news. I respect people who practice religion of the non-internet faith. There was a lack of family photographs which I found puzzling. On a chest in the living room I observed two framed photographs taken at a wedding. I believe that one of the photos is of the couple’s son while the other is of the entire family.

I moved on to the kitchen where I immediately noticed two things of interest: One was that the power was working. The microwave showed the incorrect time. The other thing was that there were three calendars (1999, 2006 and 2008). There was a religious Psalm hung on the kitchen wall.

One of the kitchen drawers had been removed and placed on the kitchen table. Various utensils were in the box underneath it. The dish cloths hung on the stove. The stove clock showed the incorrect time, likely due to power outage some time ago. The fridge doors were open, the contents had been removed and the fridge’s power disconnected. One of the bedrooms contained boxes of food from the cupboards. The water had been disconnected long ago which would prevent broken pipes. Besides the empty fridge there was other evidence that the home had not been lived in for quite some time – cobwebs. At some point after the owner passed away, I believe the children came to empty the fridge and turn off the water but left most of the personal effects behind.

We noticed an unusal device at the end of the hallway by the bedrooms, a box with a red light and a siren mounted on it. It appeared to be some sort of an alarm system.

Cobwebs were in the doorways to the bedrooms, in the kitchen, in the corners of the living room, everywhere! If someone had been caring for this property, they’d have disturbed the cobwebs. By the time we left this house, our clothes and hair had accumulated most of the cobwebs.

I made my way into the the master bedroom. AMAZING! The bed was still made and slippers were at the foot of the bed. The closets had clothing stull hung up inside. I noticed something that struck me as odd – a bell on the night stand. It was at this point that I wondered if perhaps the former occupant of this house had been bedridden or ill.

Factoring the calendars and cobwebs, I estimated that this house has been vacant for at least eight years, probably longer. What particularly impresses me is that in that time nobody had broken in to steal. The dresser drawers are all in place, and the clothes haven’t been tossed about. How is this possible in a society that steals and damages vacant properties?

The exterior of the house has bars on all the ground level windows. I first found this to be mildly disturbing and while I explored the upper levels of the house I really wanted to know what was downstairs. At the same time I intentionally avoided the venture into the basement, because it offered excitement and anticipation. What would we find down there?

We ventured down into the basement where I really lost my mind. There was a retro basement bar with liquor bottles still on the shelf. Along one wall was an assortment of antique clocks of various designs. Along the back wall were shelves with several more clocks, many with price tags on them. The man who lived here operated a watch and clock repair shop out of one of the rooms in the basement. In one of my photos you’ll see his workshop which is just inside from the garage where the car remains gathering dust.

The bars on the basement windows were now explained. The owner of this home wanted to protect his investment of clocks.

By now I was beginning to feel an emotional attachment to this house and to whomever had lived here. I pictured the elderly man as he tinkered in the basement on his latest project. I saw him growing older over the years until the time came where he would be moved into a long-term care facility.

The recreation room served as a makeshift showroom. It saddened me because althought we’d only been inside the house for less than an hour, I could already forsee the inevitable shitbaggery that would come when people would come to steal these. On the fireplace mantle were several candle lanterns (those too have largely disappeared).

As we were leaving, I remembering saying to my partner that I hated to leave because I knew what was to come… and it did. It always does.

It started with a few explorers learning the address from word of mouth. Then it spread to the explorers who saw it only as “baseball trading card” material. They gave it to those who were known to steal, to those who cared more about their view count than protecting the location itself.

Then the big name American 100K+ follower explorers had to come visit it. They posted exterior photos, nobody gave a shit about keeping this one off the radar. With each passing video, I noticed fewer and fewer clocks on the wall. In one video from 2012, there was just one clock. In another video, there are none. All stolen.

Monetization of online content has killed the hobby.

It disgusts me what we as a society do to these houses, it disgusts me what we as explorers do to exploit, rapidly share and think of our own social following before preservation.

Hypocritical? Maybe, but consider this: I’ve never posted a single identifying piece of information about who owned this house or any exterior images. But I digress, in a way yes, I too am responsible for what happened here.

And yes it disgusts me.

Update 1: The best locations are the ones that stay in your mind for days afterward. I found myself wondering who this man was and what happened to him? If he was in long-term care then what would happen to his collection?

I spent the next several days scouring the internet for information. I discovered that the clocks had originally been part of another man’s collection. I made some inquiries and learned that the couple who owned this house passed away several years ago. This seemed to coincide with additional information that the house had been transferred to the son for an amount of $2 in 2006. 2006 is also the time when the homeowner’s purchases of clocks ceased.

Why wasn’t the son tending to the property? This is where things get even more interesting. I found a man with the same name as the son, who grew up in the same area, now living in another large Ontario city. The man is ocnfirmed to be the son but seems to have no interest in this house.

In my research I heard from a neighbour who claimed he used to hire the son (the man in the wedding photos) during the 70’s and 80’s. He confirmed that both the husband and wife have passed away.

There is a somewhat happy end to this story though. The neighbour mentioned that the property is regularly checked on. I hope that whoever is caring for it can fix the damage before it’s too late.

Update 2: Sadly as of 2022, most of the clocks have disappeared. The oil lamps on the mantle have also disappeared. This is what happens as word spreads of these untouched houses. The son has no apparent interest in securing the house.

Living room and kitchen

clock maker time capsule house - abandoned and everything left behind in Ontario

Bedrooms

Basement

Video

We were the first people inside the abandoned Clockmaker's Time Capsule House in Ontario.

Abandoned Cat Lady House in Burlington

Bizarre and Strange

The Cat Lady House in Burlington, Ontario stands out for many explorers because it was the first place where they had an opportunity to explore their first time capsule house. It was first discovered by the explorer known as Freaktography.

A time capsule is a reference to a location that’s been perfectly preserved for several years if not decades. The house was located at 4250 Walker’s Line in Burlington, Ontario.

It belonged to Flora Fern Miller (b. 1909). Flora and her husband Simon McCullough moved to the city of Burlington during the 1970s.

Flora, now retired, decided to open a hobby farm under the name of Ferndale Farms.

Flora the cat lady, Burlington, cat lady house, abandoned cats, abandoned Burlington, cat lady abandoned house, urban exploring cat lady house

Animals on the farm included ducks, geese, and racing horses. Fern also provided care for the neighbour’s horses.

The 43-acre Cat Lady House property was home to many animals that randomly showed up to the farm, “Outsiders” as Fern called them. The animals included 24 raccoons, 3 opossums, a wolf named Pinocchio, 5 deer and several rabbits.
As Fern grew older, she sought the assistance of neighbours for help with feeding the animals and cleaning the barn.

To avoid being snowed in during the winter, Fern had a second house built close to Walker’s Line. The older house was given to a couple who in turn would help in the upkeep of the aging property.

Fern was an avid lover of cats. She owned between seven to ten cats. Her house was filled with cat decorations, cat scrapbooks, cat calendars, cat ceramics, and of course pictures of her cats.

Fern owned a Cadillac that had cats airbrushed onto the body and a custom license plate “Cats 14”.

The house was uniquely decorated with almost every room in the home covered in wallpaper including the ceilings. Even the bathroom was wallpapered!

When Fern was hospitalized in 1995, she had a friend visit her three times a day to care for her and to deliver meals. This friend would regularly visit Fern to provide her with food, take her for ice cream, etc.

With her health fading, Fern signed a “Do Not Resuscitate” order on February 17, 2000. She passed away the following day.

Fern had previously expressed a desire for her property to be used as a conservation area or wildlife refuge and that some of her belongings be given to the Oakville Humane Society.

It appears that a legal dispute arose between the person once responsible for her care and with Conservation Halton, the organization some believe Fern willed her property to.

Some of the items found by explorers included a note left on the fridge instructing “Dad” to handle the kittens three times daily. There were various items spilled across the kitchen counters though the kitchen was remarkably intact.

There were medication containers in the kitchen and personal hygiene items on the bathroom counter. The fridge contained food from 2002.

An unmistakable smell of cat urine hung in the air from the litter boxes stacked on top of another.

Within a year portions of the ceiling began to fall down. By 2013, vandals had found the property and spray painted the walls and television.

By 2014 most everything inside had been tossed about, destroyed, succumbed to natural events or been stolen. In 2014 a German medium (a person who can speak with the deceased) alleged that Fern contacted her stating that she was still living in the house.

The story of the Cat Lady House came to an end on February 2nd, 2016 when it was destroyed by arson.

A new home has been built on the property. And so ends the story of the Burlington Cat Lady.

The Abandoned Party Mansion in London, Ontario

4 Comments

This vacant mansion was located at 1343 Sunningdale Road East in London, Ontario. It was built in 1984 and sat on 1.88 acres of land. It was listed for sale at $1.5 million dollars.

In the back of the property is an indoor pool room with 26 feet high wooden ceiling. There’s a strong cedar smell and chlorine aroma as you enter the pool room. Several double doors lead to the outdoor deck from the pool room. The stagnant water has turned a florescent green color that appears to glow in the light of the sun. There’s a small wading pool next to the larger pool. Each of the four walls in the pool area is made up of windows to allow light in, and the lack of neighbours in the back offers some degree of privacy.

Electricity to the house is provided in part by a solar panel system located on the roof. The electricity was turned off when I visited the party mansion. I tried to turn the solar power on without success.

The house has seven bathrooms and five bedrooms in addition to oak wood floors and a double staircase. Thes front windows looked out to Sunningdale Road.

In the basement you’ll find a child’s play room. There’s a child-height sink and door, plastic slide and a small theatre (just to the right of the green wall). Children watch movies on a large television screen. The play area has windows that look out into the hallway.

Downstairs was a laundry room, furnace room, apartment and a bar room.

The pool is located in the pointed roof structure. The far right basement was the kitchen/bar area and the kitchen mid-way center.

Video

Exploring The London Ontario Abandoned Party Mansion

Below is an advertisement for one of the parties held in the mansion:

London Ontario, party mansion, indoor pool, party house, Sunningdale, abandoned mansion, abandoned London Ontario, urban exploring, photography, abandoned photography, abandoned mansion

The nightclub owner is said to have held events on weekends. An optional party bus would drive you to a night club afterward. Some of the event tickets were claimed to be over $1,000 and included open alcohol and drug bar as well as a seat on the bus. This seems to be somewhat exaggerated to me.

What’s more believable is that student parties were hosted (as recently as 2016) with over 500 tickets sold on a good night. The prices ranged from $15 to $30.

I can empathize with the neighbours who wanted a tranquil and quiet area to live.

It’s believed that the last owner was an overseas investor who paid $1.5 million for the property. They were asking at least $2 million and developers were not willing to pay that amount. The property remained relatively untouched.

While exploring this location we observed a couple in the lot next door salvaging metal objects. On our next visit we observed the heaters in the pool room had been ripped out.

A water pipe in the basement has broken and water is slowly filling the basement. Black mold will soon follow, rendering the house unlivable.

The house was demolished in late 2019.

The Shining Twins Time Capsule House Toronto

I came across this lovely retro home while out for a day of exploring in the Toronto area. It wasn’t on my list of places to see but the overgrown driveway and For Sale sign caught my attention. It’s not abandoned but it’s not lived in and well.. it just has a great retro appearance.

A realtor was just leaving when I pulled up so I returned a short time later and found my way inside. It isn’t technically abandoned but regular followers to my social media know that I use the term ‘abandoned’ in a vast scope of applications. The main floor is quite spacious. The walls have a distinct 1970’s appearance to them. In the far corner of the room is an old vinyl record player built into the wall unit. The couch is unusually large, able to fit at least six persons.

The highlight of the house is the children’s bedroom with the 60’s style wallpaper even on the ceiling.

There’s an outdoor pool in the backyard, filled with murky water. Someone has thrown the dolls into the pool.

I visited this location again three years later, that post can be found here.

The Shining Twins Time Capsule House Toronto

Returning to The Shining Twins House in Toronto, Ontario (urban exploration)

Abandoned Star Wars Collectible Mansion in Ontario

Bizarre and Strange Time Capsule

1 Comment

This mansion is referred to as the Star Wars Collectible Mansion with good reason. There are thousands of dollars in Star Wars merchandise to be found inside.

This home was built in 2000 for a Chinese man. He was married with a wife and had three children. The man worked as an architect for the City of Toronto. Below you can see many magazines, stereo equipment, large television and an X-Box console. Everything is left as it was.

Mail has piled up several feet from the inside of the mail slot in the front door. Mold and decay have begun to destroy the area above and to the left of the main doors.

Star-Wars-Collector-Mansion, collectibles, merchandise, abandoned star wars, star wars house, urban exploring, abandoned mansion toronto, toronto — Living room

It’s in the Toronto area but you can understand why I won’t divulge the address.

It’s believed that the parents passed away and the son is still living.

In another front room several more books and magazines have accumulated here. The electricity is still functional. I was able to turn on a ceiling fan and lights in several of the rooms.

There are clothes scattered throughout the house.

Upstairs are several boxes of shoes new in the box and clothes on racks. The Star Wars Mansion appears to have been the base of an online business. This was reaffirmed with online auction print outs in the office.

In total there are six bathrooms and five bedrooms. There’s even an elevator for the three floors of the home.

Unopened Star Wars merchandise (Photo by Canucks747)

In the dining room are boxes and boxes of new-in-the-box Star Wars merchandise. There are Millennium Falcons, C-3POs, R2D2’s, Boba Fette figures and so much more. It’s difficult to take a step without stepping on unopened merchandise.

dining room filled with unopened Star Wars collectibles — Photo: Canucks747

In the basement there’s an entire room the size of a garage filled with even more unopened merchandise that includes Stormtrooper ray guns. If I had to give an estimate on the total value of the memorabilia I’d say there’s at least $10,000 to $50,000.

In the office den are dozens of books, Star Trek and Star Wars boxed items and assorted movie DVD’s. There’s a professional television camera, a camcorder and film cameras.

After a few trustworthy explorers visited here, the owners secured the property. A private security company has been seen on the property. There is also an alarm.

Time to close the books on this one.

Exploring the Star Wars Mansion - Thousands of dollars in merchandise left behind

Abandoned Ontario Bed & Breakfast

Industrial Locations

I was provided information on a supposed former bed and breakfast in Southern Ontario. I parked down the road at a recreational business and walked in the driveway to the property. A large tree has been placed across the entrance to keep vehicles out. The land adjacent to the house is used for farming.

abandoned-Bed-and-Breakfast, abandoned Ontario, places to explore

abandoned bed and breakfast, abandoned-Bed-and-Breakfast, abandoned Ontario, places to explore

A somewhat inexplicable view. A toilet and wash basin set in a large room with at least two entrances. There is plenty of peeling paint.

abandoned bed and breakfast kitchen, abandoned-Bed-and-Breakfast, abandoned Ontario, places to explore

This would have been the main kitchen area for the guests – if this was a bed and breakfast. I can’t find any mention of such a business operating in this area of Ontario.

abandoned bed and breakfast bathroom medicine cabinet

Looking in the mirror of the upstairs washroom. This doesn’t lend itself to being items that guests would leave behind does it?

If I learn any more details about this location, I’ll be sure to update this post.

Abandoned Ontario Vaughan House of Hardwood