The Descent of Humanity

Early this year, the City of Dayton finally got approvals to tear down the abandoned Admiral Benbow Hotel behind our building in Downtown Dayton. They, of course, demanded that the RTA pay for it. We did have a grant to do it, and the land we will use to enhance our downtown hub and allow the buses to be off the street. It will be easier and more convenient for our customers.

Before the teardown began, our favorite engineer, RDW, was tasked to find a company to do the teardown and run the project. During the pre-proposal meeting and tour, RDW asked if Chris and I would like to join them for a tour of the abandoned hotel. We, of course, said yes. We both brought cameras, of course, in case we find anything interesting. And, boy, did we ever!

Fig. 1: Exterior Balconies

We saw many things that were startling. Before the Dayton Police boarded it up, people had broken out the windows and would actually live in there! If you are homeless and have no where to go, then this might be your only option.

Fig. 2: Entrance from Market Street

The building was in bad shape. It was build in the 60's, and has sat empty since 1986. Some time around 1988, whomever owned the building had done asbestos abatement on the building. Since it was abandoned, there was no need to clean up the mess that was left behind.

Fig. 3a: 8th Floor Hallway

Fig. 3b: 4th Floor Hallway

The rooms were no better.

Fig. 4: 9th Floor Typical Room

We found some unusual stuff, too.

Fig. 5a: Chris with a weird 70's porno mag

Fig. 5b: Human Poo (in the back corner)

Fig. 5c: Toilets in the Lobby

There have been people living here off and on for a long time. Before the police boarded up the building for the last time, I actually saw some young people...a young man and woman, younger than I, in ragged clothing and a couple of backpacks filled with what I would assume to be all their worldly possessions...squeeze through a fence in front of the Market Street entrance, and climb in to the building through a jagged, broken window. They looked like they were tired and ragged, like they had not eaten in a few days.

Fig. 6: Makeshift Lobby Living Room

The one thing that was most shocking to me was the lack of electrical wiring in the entire hotel. It is not because it wasn't built without wiring, but because the homeless had removed every bit of it to sell. Copper prices are traditionally high, especially now, so this was a veritable gold mine for those with the gumption to make the effort to remove it. There's been no electric service to the building since 1986, and the stairwells we traversed were very, very dark, even with flashlights. These people were desperate to do all this.

Fig. 7: Circuit breakers strewn about

Next to every circuit breaker box on every floor there were breakers strewn all over. The homeless left them after removing the copper wiring. They also removed the copper and aluminum buss bars from the breaker boxes, and the main electrical cables going to each floor.

Fig. 8: Elevator motor sans copper coil

The homeless had also removed the copper coils from the elevator motors. This hotel had four elevators. The motors are huge, about the size of a typical V6 automobile engine. The coils from them would weigh several hundred pounds. This would net someone a nice chunk of change from a recycling center...but to remove it and then tote it down 14 floors?

Fig. 9a: Miscellaneous Filth (2nd Floor)

Fig. 9b: Miscellaneous Filth (3rd Floor Restaurant, with Chris)

Fig. 9c: Miscellaneous Filth (3rd Floor)

Fig. 9d: Miscellaneous Filth (Lobby)

This building was in absolutely atrocious condition. After we left I went home and immediately showered and washed my clothes. While it was filthy, it was an interesting study in how some people can be so desperate as to invade a filthy, abandoned building to use as shelter when they have no where else to go. So desperate that they have to rip out copper wiring to get enough money to survive, or for their next dose of "recreational pharmaceuticals".

It is a shame, really, that in this day and age people have to descend to nearly the state of animals to try to survive. I guess it is a primal instinct to want to survive, and do all that it takes to do so. I was shocked and appalled to see this place and would never, ever want to set foot in it again. I was, however, not in a desperate state...I have a car to drive, a house to live in, a job to work at, friends to have fun with. I'm sure if I was homeless and had no where to go and had to do whatever it takes to survive, it might just look like paradise.

Thankfully, I cannot set foot in it again, because it is gone. Congrats to RDW for a successful project!