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At around 36:17, there's a Gatrorade bottle on the floor that has the current label on it, which was introduced in 2009. So someone else has been in this building, possibly exploring the place, within the past 11 years.
Yeah... Plus the gas thing: Standing in front of the room for like a whole 2 minutes... And hanging out and looking down old elevator shafts.... Very smart. This guy does not have brains, that's for sure.
Imagine him babbling on about how "ornate" the ceiling lights are and some poor bum trying to sleep has to listen to him yammering. OMG these cash registers are AMAZING, I can't believe it. Lol ok dude, cool old stuff but chill.
I was hoping that Dan was hanging onto the outside of the elevator and/or standing on solid ground. I recall Dan telling us urban explorers NEVER to go into elevators as we don't know what condition they're in, that it was potentially dangerous.
That electrical room was an old telephone exchange. That gas leak is highly dangerous, if it made you feel light headed it had reached a high concentration. If it was ignited the resulting explosion could demolish the building? The local fire department should be informed. While these videos are interesting this highlights how dangerous old buildings can be.
Don't blame that shit on the building, it got like that from NEGLECT. There are plenty of perfectly safe buildings that have been around for centuries, so don't judge ALL old buildings because people let some of them rot away like that. It can happen to a new building too if given enough time without maintenance.
The building I'm living in was the old Amherst regional high school. My friend (that lives in the main part of the building, and yes VERY ORIGINAL.) The old high school moved up the street not very far of a walk from us. They moved sometime in the 70's to a bigger building.
Crazy to realize that old structures like this, that are sitting for decades uninhabited, uninspected, completely off anyones radar... Yet their uppermost floors in many cases are still to this day, holding up incredible amounts of weight from previous infrastructure. The water tanks here, the series of them, incredibly heavy.... I mean, heavy to a degree that most coudn't fathom. Then the elevator systems, motors, electricals, plumbings, so much... And as far as anyone is aware, it could all be compromised to the degree of it coming down tomorrow... or it'll hold up for another hundred years. Who knows? That's the thing... no one... no ones looking.
It's happened in Baltimore too where abandoned buildings have fallen and killed people. So many of them, walking past them you can see the sky through the window.
@@randomvideosn0where it makes me nervous to walk past the buildings with brick faces being held up by wooden posts. I'm not sure of their official title.
These old buildings boarded up and abandoned make me sad; I grew up in a time when businesses like these were wonderful, full-service, and affordable to the Everyman.
What killed it? Was sending everything offshore truly necessary? or was that just to allow some to become richer, with thee guise of trickle down? I'm asking as a young person, because my whole life it seems as if things were always better a bit before my birth, when the focus was on family and then working, and not a 24/7 hour economy. Who gained from the 24 / 7 economy? I believe any small gains it provided the common man, it took much more from him as well.
@@Wassenhoven420 WE killed it. We opted for Easier, Faster, Cheaper. We were willing to abandon businesses like this for businesses like Walmart. We claim that malls and department stores couldn't keep up with the current shopper, and there IS some truth there, but it does come down to the consumer choosing to get their shoes from the cheap shoe store just to save five bucks, which meant that this kind of business couldn't survive. It wasn't that these businesses failed to change with the consumer, it was that they could NOT change. You'll have peeps claim that mismanagement, or stale and unpopular goods, maybe the eventual shortage of staff, and non-competitive prices killed them, but these were the symptoms. No, it was US that did it. I grew up on a farm and the Sears catalogs were big deals. Going to malls back when they could do window displays without them getting smashed-in was a real treat for us. Now, click on your soulless tablet and China will mail you your shirt within a week. Maybe not everything about the good old days was better, but look around today and few will see much improvement.
There was some vandalism on low(est) level(s) but I really think your average person who goes into such places would also find going higher too creepy and unsafe? This video was horrible for me 😂
@@Lint6 I watched the abandoned children's asylum video several times and read comments about seeing humans' shadows several times before I finally saw the damn things! He was alone, as he often is and was, and he didn't notice, either, until later. Scary to think of him seven or eight floors up in a huge abandoned building. Even if he has cell service, i might rake them hours to find him if anything happened.
When that pigeon flew out I literally jumped off the couch - can't imagine how you felt. Between that and looking down elevator shafts - anxiety!!! It's a shame the building is just being left to rot.
As a kid and even now, I was always curious in history and exploring old things. I would like to explore old buildings, run down barns, extremely old abandoned homes and I never understood why. Always found it fascinating. Now I work constructions so I’m literally helping erect Buildings and facilities, I bought my first dream car when I had the chance, 1969 chevelle. I own hundreds of records and play them on this old record player my grandpa handed down to me. I have an old black and white 1950’s tv in my bedroom along with my flatscreen lol. And your videos, they are so soothing to watch. Almost therapeutic. I must be wired differently or something haha much love
When B&G closed in 1984 it became Epstein's until 1991 and sat vacant before becoming "Youngworld", a children's clothing store in 1994, which the newest ad I could find for it was from August 1996 Also from what I've heard is that B&G had manually operated elevators all the way until their demise in 1984!!
This is why I ❤ what you urban explorers do, you are bringing (while documenting) a piece of history that will soon be forgotten to some. As for this store, this place is gorgeous. Even though it has been semi gut out...the foundation, frames, original decor, walls, elevators and escalators can bring forth what it looked like in its heydays. When he went up the 3rd floor and the clock bells were ringing, I could almost feel the 1930's.
I love the end "I'm going to actually go back because the gas smell is pretty overpowering" not because it's highly dangerous or anything, we all know Dan has no sense of self-preservation lol
It's a shame that these beautiful old buildings are just going to rot. The 1930s was the last era of architecture where buildings included distinctly ornate elements, even if the styling was subtle. Most everything built after was just too utilitarian with little style, or fake architectural elements to evoke earlier styles, but just doesn't work well. Also... BIRD! 33:16
Ornate detailing is a lost art. These places are all we have left. The carved wooden stair railings, the ornate elevators..you just won't see things like that today. There's just something about the ambience of being in a place where all those elements are present.
What an amazing place! Imagine going there back in its heyday? Useless info: at 20:10 on the side of the cash register. That metal thing which was grey/silver? That's the end of a 1950's Electrolux canister vacuum! I know as I have one and use it regularly, a top notch vacuum indeed.
saw other comments talking about him editing in gas leak noises, im pretty sure the wind is an effect it stays constant through the video. at first it freaked me out too
@@eduard8857 it's Dan Bell's signature sound . His Vapor wave music to enclosed dead or dying malls is classic Dan . I've noticed everyone is copying his theme now .
I was born in the 70s and seeing this old registers I just remembered that the cashiers were fast af. They punched in the price on the number keys and then confirmed it by pushing that big black key on the right with the right outer side of their hands. I don't know exactly how it's called. The ball/heel of the hand? And for me as a child it appeared to happen in light speed. These are early early memories because not soon after the electric registers came along and were doing that all by themselves.
The only people I know of that have explored this place before you and documented it are the Proper People and Nation Decay, and knowing them I HIGHLY doubt that they left that Gatorade bottle there. So this place might be more popular than we believe despite the lack of vandalism. Edit: Also this would be a good place to record some ambient sounds for a horror game
Shame, these buildings could have been preserved, or been adaptive reuse projects. It's a shame that this country would rather build new buildings than preserve and reuse older structures. Thanks for showcasing this wonderful historic building, Dan!
well we usually get rid of the old buildings BECAUSE they're old, the foundation of that store is nearly 60 years old, and since it was built im gonna bet both regulations and the way they make them have changed, not everything old is worth keeping for its function, if its super old and still around. its for the beauty.
souls , understandable, but I would argue that the structure (from what I could tell) is in decent condition for a nearly 60 year old building. It is very common in contemporary architecture to adaptively reuse buildings like this, but yes regulations, cost and probably size dictate this will never be used.
@@Dark_Star98 especially cost, while it may be emotionally worth it to restore the building, it would be cheaper to make a skyscraper out of 100 dollar bills.
New earthquake regulations make this building not viable (yes Bmore gets earthquakes about once a decade). Plus asbestos removal, unsafe fire escapes, et cetera.
I worked a Thalhimers in downtown Richmond Va. in the 80’s and it had a bank of elevators I believe 11 of them for shoppers. And had original wood escalator. And in the men’s department there was a restaurant called the Soup Bar, tucked away on an old mezzanine. And it was men only. That store had 3 restaurants and a bakery. I worked in the salon. There was a time ......... great memories for aure
It really was a great place to work. The store took up a whole block f downtown and I think was 11 or 12 story’s. And they had the bells that would chime different numbers like 2-1-1 would be the manager of shoes. On Saturday in the restaurant on the top floor they would have fashion shows. Unfortunately by the 80’s a lot of the specialty departments where gone. They had men’s, women’s, children. But sports, furs,books, records, stationary, hats men and woman’s. Hair salon where I worked, and pets. Before the malls, there was the downtown department store.
Wish we could fix these places for smaller stores or startups to inhabit. Itd be a fun vibe to have an oldschool building full of small businesses. Or a big club for alternative people
@@gtas321 I never said anything about Baltimore. Abandoned buildings are spooky, Baltimore is fine. I bet the dude that says it's a shit hole lives in a trailer park just outside of the city limits.
It completely baffles me how you can have a building like that in the middle of a city untouched for so long. By both people who would save it, and by people who would trash it. Nothing like that in my part of the world. Great video as always.
Those registers were awesome! Especially the wooden one. This kinda reminds me when I explored a partially abandoned department store from 1925. The basement, first floor and mezzanine were in use as a craft store. The owner caught me looking at the defunct main elevator. ( I love elevators ) he then invited me on a tour of the motor room and all abandoned and restricted areas. He showed me an archive of all the old department store advertisements in bound volumes. The whole thing was awesome maybe more so cause it was guided and my aunt whom I was staying with had stories from when she was little.
27:09 I was watching this in my living room and at the exact moment you said that, one of my books fell off my shelf. I almost peed my pants, LOL. Excellent video as usual!
Very interesting. In the 1950s my father worked in downtown Baltimore. At that time all the major clothing stores were downtown. For a new suit or dress my parents would shop there. The stores were quite regal with excellent service. Malls did not yet exist. By the way, please inform the fire department about the gas leak in the basement--it could ignite and demolish the whole building and maybe hurt people.
22:25...jfc Dan that sound scared me. Also you telling us that you were drunk while filming this, and then seeing you hanging over elevator shafts...not very reassuring LOL.
Amazing to see this building abandoned for almost 30 years. Real talk though, I appreciate the hell outta you for exploring places like this for everyone. That shit is dangerous. Potentially unstable flooring, gas leaks, and you never know who or what could be dwelling in these places. Thank you for your public service and letting everyone see these historical buildings. This one is an absolute beauty.
Wow. I've missed this series and this did not disappoint. The footage was so good you didn't have to add much editing with this one. So cool to see all of the old signs. I knew you wouldn't find any mannequins because they have a lot of value and don't ever really go out of style.
there wouldn't be insurance this building has a ton asbestos lead paint and mercury it would be a giant disaster there is a reason there are abandoned buildings like this the environmental clean up on it would be in the millions of dollars
That huge tank at the 34min mark is pretty damn unique. I'm going to assume it worked like the water tower at the now former Sears I worked for which closed Feb 2, 2020. That water tower we had in our parking lot provided water for the fire suppression system in the store. Our former Sears building was built in the mid 1950's and was quite large so there were a lot of neat hidden areas, building was only one floor but we did have an "upstairs" which was the HVAC system area and access to the roof which naturally I explored a few times when I discovered an unlocked door.
Some buildings from the late 19th century were lit with gas lanterns. I wonder if this building was, right before electric lighting became the norm. It would have been a good idea to have a fire suppression system like that in place.
Great find and another great video. To those who are complaining about CURSING, please put on your adult pants. I watched this whole video last night and I don't even recall when/if any cursing even occurred, so the problem must lie on your end.
Dan Bell is the master! I’ve tried watching other abandoned videos, but everyone else just annoys me with their constant talking, shaky video or rushing through just as I’m trying to see something closer. Keep me coming!
@Bill Williams Smoking weed going to the weed shops here in Los Angeles Cali gets to be an expensive habit so I quit.Its to high powered for me and enjoy having a clear mind.A few years ago getting weed from one of these shops almost killed me.They were spraying it with spice or doing something to jack it up because the effect I got was an angel dust effect.Had to be put in a mental facility for a 72 hour hold took a couple months for me to feel sane again.
Amazing video. Surprised how good a condition it is in for being abandoned so long. Sad to think of so many buildings out there once bustling with people are sitting empty for decades, with no one giving them a 2nd thought
Hi Dan! You probably don’t remember me but i used to talk to you and your homies a couple years ago. So glad you’re still doing this. By the way, our Kmart here in Chico, California finally went out after all these years.
Bitchney Nicole Aww I’m sorru to hear that. Chico is definitely a nice town. It’s definitely seen more than its fair share of homeless people, and our Kmart is gone. I remember going to that Kmart when I was in high school
My cousin went to Chico and aunt worked at the college. Also my grandparents lived in Orland so I know the area well! Miss those big jars of olives from shop in Corning!
Ground floor: perfumery Stationery and leather goods Wigs and haberdashery Kitchenware and food Going up First floor: telephones Gents' ready-made suits Shirts, socks, ties, hats Underwear and shoes Going up Second floor: carpets Travel goods and beddings Materials and soft furnishing Restaurant and teas Going down
Jesus Christ this is some found footage stuff. I keep waiting for the jump scare and then: "This is the last footage we have of Dan Bell". And he keeps climbing. OMG this place looks out of a horror movie and I think crazed stalkers are in the background. Let's go up a floor!
That was AWESOME! Loved seeing the old fixtures and architecture, would’ve liked seeing more of the electrical room and the mechanical area. Thank you fearless Dan Bell!
Thanks Dan, Brager Gutman was the first downtown store to have escalators. I remember shopping there with my Mom back in the 50's when that area was the shopping district.
Large quantities of gas traveling through steel pipes makes a hissing noise, so it wasn't necessarily a leak making the noise. If gas was leaking fast enough to hiss that loud, that whole building would smell and the block would have been leveled. My question is why was the gas turned on to the building, or what was a major gas main doing in the basement of a building? Could be why they took so much care to keep the building sealed.
(44:05) I'll help you out a bit here - The reason that the fancy metal work was done at the top of the elevators was to really make those new-fangled wizardee light things really stand out. Keep in mind that those lights inside that vertical transportation unit box were a very, very new thing at that time. Consider for a moment that I approach you with this crazy contraption that requires that you stand in a steel box that closes you in completely and you can't get out ......but then follow up with the ability to see fine when the doors close and *now* you have something that people will be amazed about.
@@Cssfiend ill point out that i just looked it up, and there is a stat that half of all homes by 1925 were electrically lit in USA. Was still pretty new to a lot of people, kinda neat.
Daza's C3 My home is an old farmhouse and we just redid the floors. The original floors were layed in the 50s and shattered quite a bit, (the more accurate term would be splintered.) I can’t even imagine how fragile wood would be from the 30s.
@@mar.716 i mean i think it depends on the conditions it was left in, i have furniture from the 1800's which is rock solid and had some from the 60's that was water damaged and fell apart
This was one of the most amazing abandoned buildings I've ever seen! I'm so happy it hasn't been destroyed by vandalism (yet). Thank you so much for sharing, Dan! Wonderful!!! 😁❣👏👏👏
19:43 "Shrinkage" is a term used for in-store theft, theft of mechandise where the thief is an employee. Can also apply to goods accidentally destroyed prior to being sold. Just to give context to the couple little doodles on the sign, "oh yes indeed" is hilarious.
What a wonderful end to a quiet weekend. ❤️ speaking of quiet, will there ever be another Quiet Little Stories? I’ve listened to them so many times, and while I could never get tired of them, I’d love to hear some new ones! Stay safe, Dan.
A new episode of The Dead Mall Series *AND* it's 45 minutes long??? Maybe some good can come from the coronavirus & being on lockdown! Thanks for this Dan! Stay healthy & safe!!
Be careful going up and down the disused escalators, they can give way underneath you if they’re not properly secured, which in an old building like this is likely. Stay safe Dan.
Dang, that was super cool! Can't imagine how you'd have the guts to go there alone though, yikes. It was awesome to see all the old and abandoned things, so much for mannequins though!