The Art/Deco School

Insane abandoned school in Essex County, NJ. Not the best area, but a fun trip. everything is vacant now, since they are tearing it down, but its still one of the coolest places we have ever been. We went on a rainy day, during the aftermath of a storm that left most of my town without power for 3 days.

That auditorium pics looks like the stage that was used as the front pic of this site.

Are they tearing it down as we speak, or is there time for a trip to take exterior pics.

There are no plans to tear it down. Another 10 years vacant and it might be a different story, but that is a fantastic building and the town is kicking themselves in the head for selling it. Last I heard they were planning on leasing it from Urban Smart Growth, the current owners as a Preschool, but I've seen no evidence of that. Contractors were onsite over the summer but all they did was put up fencing.

I used to live 2 blocks from here it's not really what I would call a bad neighborhood, but I guess that matters on where you're from, it's a CRAP neighborhood in comparison to Franklin Lakes for example.

Here's my set on Flickr along with a touch of history. Sorry I'm too lazy to attach images just click the link
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That is an ollld set from when I was just learning my N70 I have a much more recent set to add as well

*edit*
I REALLY do not like how wet the auditorium has gotten it's been bone dry every time I've been. That is bad news.

LithiumBaby wrote: That auditorium pics looks like the stage that was used as the front pic of this site.

it is and its really not a bad neighborhood its just somewhat close to lower montclair, which is bad

abandonednj wrote: it is and its really not a bad neighborhood its just somewhat close to lower montclair, which is bad

Montclair? Bad?! I grew up in that town, it's getting kinda posh. No hoodlums can afford $16k in property tax each year for an average house. Maybe 25 years ago on the south side of town was pretty rough, but nowadays it's a suburban yuppy heaven. No, you have to go further down Bloomfield Ave. to Newark or over to E. Orange or Kearny to run into an actual bad neighborhood.

insanebuslady wrote:
Montclair? Bad?! I grew up in that town, it's getting kinda posh. No hoodlums can afford $16k in property tax each year for an average house. Maybe 25 years ago on the south side of town was pretty rough, but nowadays it's a suburban yuppy heaven. No, you have to go further down Bloomfield Ave. to Newark or over to E. Orange or Kearny to run into an actual bad neighborhood.

yeah but lower monclair over by lackawana plaza is slowly getting worse and worse

You mean by Glenridge/Claremont Ave? There is not one part of Montclair that is getting worse, that place is a town on the rise. Unfortunate for it's cultural identity really, it used to be considered one of the most diverse towns in the US, now it is quickly becoming gentrified. We can thank Michael Plofker and other such developers for much of that. The part of town you mentioned is the south side of town, and like I said before, maybe 25 years ago it was rough, but not now. There is still the shadow of what it used to be, and maybe I wouldn't want to be on Mission St. at two in the morning, but all that is changing pretty quickly. Those homes are selling for $500,000 and up, no bad folks can afford to live there anymore. My parent's just sold their house on Grove St. this summer and I spent a pretty good amount of time looking at the listings. Trust me man, that town is only getting more yuppy friendly, and it's actually a crying shame.

I lived on Sherman St. off Pine St. in MTC. for four years. People said it was a bad neighborhood but I didn't think so. There were gangs (Bloods) and I did see alot of drug dealing. I never had a problem though. In the mid 90's I lived on the corner of Carol and Godwynn in Patterson, that was a bad nieghborhood!

Well my friend thats when you bust out the RPG'S or rig a few well placed IED'S around your property, LMAO!!!.

Paterson is a pretty rough neighborhood.

Rattlehead wrote: Well my friend thats when you bust out the RPG'S or rig a few well placed IED'S around your property, LMAO!!!.

Actually we did keep alot of guns and pitbulls at that house. Nobody messed with us though, 4 heavilly tattooed white guys with pitbulls.
I also lived on Myrtle Ave. in Irvington for awhile with my dad. Another shithole. My stepmom was black so everyone accepted us no problems.

I grew up in Irvington too! Laurel Avenue just off Stuyvesant. That whole town is crap now, I remember when it was actually kinda nice.

hidinginshadows wrote: I lived on Sherman St. off Pine St. in MTC. for four years. People said it was a bad neighborhood but I didn't think so. There were gangs (Bloods) and I did see alot of drug dealing. I never had a problem though. In the mid 90's I lived on the corner of Carol and Godwynn in Patterson, that was a bad nieghborhood!

Ya Pine street by Claremont is still a little rough I guess. Another place I wouldnt really wanna be at two AM. I guess that block is kinda ghetto but it gets less so each year. Ha I used to pick up booze in highschool at cagiannos we thought that neighborhood was the wild west.

Now Paterson and Irvington, those are rough neighborhoods

msterscary wrote: I grew up in Irvington too! Laurel Avenue just off Stuyvesant. That whole town is crap now, I remember when it was actually kinda nice.

When we went up to the Stuyvesant/Rutherford estate in Allamuchy (Heres a link to my album www.overbrookhospital.net/index. ... emId=21965 ) we almost wound up going to stuyvesant ave in irvinton by a mistake. that would have really been bad

Video

When did you go here misterpat? and below is a link to our youtube video of this place

abandonednj wrote: When did you go here misterpat? and below is a link to our youtube video of this place

We hit it up right after the isolation hospital.