No one I would rather go Trespassing with (or the Iola Tuberculosis Sanitarium Outing)
So here is the other day’s outing that we were looking for and had never posted. I think I had mixed feelings at the time about posting it. We were most definitely not supposed to be there. In addition, neither one of our spouses is really thrilled when they find out we have been out exploring abandoned places without them and/or some other suitable defense system. In this instance it was a spur of the moment trespass and we didn’t have good shoes (or much further exploration would have occurred). Fortunately at that point my camera was still working and I did have it with me. So here is some of what we discovered at the Iola Tuberculosis Sanitarium. I have heard that it has since been torn down so I am extra glad we went in.
My favorite photos are these shots down the hallways. So much history. So many questions. You can definitely see from these photos why hiking boots would have been a grand idea. You can also see why they would have torn this down. Not much chance of re-purposing the building at this point.
Of course where there are abandoned places there is graffiti.
Love the texture of peeling paint.
Some stairs I probably wouldn’t have tried out even if I had better shoes.
and some really inviting stairs…
An example of just bad graffiti
Would have liked to find the area underneath these. I really like when they do this in old buildings and subways and what not to let the light in below. In has a weird quality of light that nothing else can quite capture. Especially on an overcast day like this was.
Would have been happy to have gone home with any of these old doors.
Clearly lots of people had been heading into the basement from here. But once again since this was an impromptu adventure there were no flashlights either.
The idea of a studio with a bank of windows like this appeals to the artist in me. Of course the practical part of me would never want to have to pay the heating bill!
These doors were tempting. They were in great shape, easy to get to and in a place where I could have pulled the truck pretty close to grab them. I obsessed over them for several days afterwards. I tried to comfort myself by imagining having to explain why I had been arrested for trespassing and theft for taking doors that I could probably find on a curb for free. Looking at the photos part of me still regrets not having gone back for them.
If you google “Iola Tuberculosis Sanitarium” there are a lot of other great photos of this place out there on the internet and some of them include history on the place as well.
Happy exploring and remember to keep good hiking shoes (and flashlights) in your car. (Or perhaps you could remember to stay out of condemned buildings, but I personally have no intention of following that advice)