17 awe-inspiring images of abandoned America

Photographer Matthew Christopher's new book performs an autopsy on the American dream

by Tom Powell

Catskill Game Farm: fun for the whole family...we're sure it is

Matthew Christopher

This house is part of the Catskill Game Farm, which was America's largest private zoo until it closed suddenly in 2006

Matthew Christopher

Nature's been reclaiming this Pennsylvanian steelworks since it closed in the 80s (one shoot at a time)

Matthew Christopher

The Fallside Hotel in Niagara Falls had already seen better days when it was closed in 2009 – it's been demolished since the photographer's visit

Matthew Christopher

When wealthy steel investors left Gary, Indiana, the City Methodist Church fell into disrepair – now it's just a spooky gothic shell

Matthew Christopher

Despite an exterior revamp by Donald Trump in 2002, the grand interior of Gary's Palace Theater remains decrepit

Matthew Christopher

Holyoke's Victory Theater was one of America's most prestigious cinemas in the days of vaudeville – it's been gathering dust since 1979

Matthew Christopher

Detroit is the undisputed exemplar of abandoned America. The elegant vaulted ceilings of the Motor City's Lee Plaza Hotel have seen better days, and the grand piano's ivories are un-tinkleable

Matthew Christopher

Although all the humans have left Pleasure Beach, Connecticut, the town is home to endangered species birds like osprey and piping plover

Matthew Christopher

Randall Park Mall in Ohio was once the world's largest shopping centre, now its empty interiors are incredibly eerie

Matthew Christopher

The only projection in the mall's old cinema is the light shafting through the caved-in ceiling

Matthew Christopher

This room full of discarded cases is part of Forest Haven, a live-in care facility that was closed in 1991 after years of alleged abuse and medical incompetence

Matthew Christopher

When it was built 100 years ago, Schenley High School was the most expensive public school in the States. Shame they used so much asbestos – it was forced to close in 2008

Matthew Christopher

With a name like SS United States, you'd think this ship would be the pride of any cruise fleet

Matthew Christopher

Despite multiple attempts to make it shipshape and shiny, the transatlantic liner has been docked in Philadelphia since 1969

Matthew Chirstopher

The elegant 19th century Taunton State Hospital complex was once a psychiatric facility the size of a self-contained city. 40 years after its closure, fire, water and the force of nature is slowly winning it back

Michael Christopher

The Variety Theater in Cleveland is currently being renovated after being abandoned in the late 80s – maybe the American dream's still alive

Matthew Christopher

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Published: Tuesday 6th September 2016

Inspiration

Ruin porn – it's been doing the rounds for quite a while now. From exhibitions on the abandoned former Eastern bloc to guided urban exploration tours of decaying Detroit, rotting wood and crumbling concrete have become stunning staples of our visual culture.

However, with his new book – a continuation of his internationally acclaimed Abandoned America series – Matthew Christopher does something different: he encourages us to see the story behind the ruins.

From schools and hospitals to malls, movies theatres and ghost towns, Christopher's project explores the the quiet catastrophes that riddle U.S. public life, demonstrating the fragility of the American dream.

Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream, published by Carpet Bombing Culture,is available now for £25. Matthew Christopher's entire catalogue of modern ruins is available to view online at abandonedamerica.us or on Instagram at abandoned_america

Inspiration

Snaps