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It’s like they say: ashes to ashes, dust to dust. While some great monuments have stood the test of time, other places and buildings get left behind in history and fall apart away from the public eye.

Here are photos of past buildings and locations in their prime vs. now that they have been abandoned or put out of use.

BEFORE: It Was The Central Subway Stop

Financiers, city officials, and policemen ride New York City's first subway on October 27, 1904 at City Hall station

Pictured here are city councilmen taking the subway in New York City for the first time in 1904, coming in to stop at City Hall Station, which has not been in use since 1945.

NOW: It’s Used For Tours And Events

New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) volunteers wearing period customs usher guests to historic City Hall Subway Station.

Now, the abandoned City Hall Station can only be accessed for special tours or during special events, such as the historical celebration pictured here. It also has been used to film scenes in period pieces, including Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

BEFORE: Ohio State Reformatory In Its Prime

Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield - black and white photo taken in 1911

The Ohio State Reformatory was opened in 1896 in Mansfield. The prison held some of the country’s most dangerous criminals, and at its peak in 1955, it held 5,235 inmates.

NOW: It’s A Museum

people photographed at rusted Ohio State Reformatory

The prison officially closed in 1990 and now is a museum. Visitors can take guided tours, one of which is led by a past prisoner. The facility has also been used as a film set and is most famously seen in The Shawshank Redemption.

BEFORE: The Astrodome Was The Stadium In Houston

AN INTERIOR SHOT OF THE HOUSTON ASTRODOME IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.

The Houston Astrodome opened in 1965, and it was the first domed multi-purpose stadium in the USA. The stadium hosted sports games, conferences, and was the home field for the Houston Astros and Houston Oilers.

NOW: The Stadium Has Fallen Into Disrepair

interior of the Houston Astrodome in Houston, TX is pictured on Feb. 2, 2017. The stadium, once called the

When the Oilers and the Astros moved to newer stadiums, the Astrodome became irrelevant. The last event was hosted in 2002 before the stadium closed. Now, the space is only used as a shelter in emergency situations, like hurricanes.

BEFORE: Pripyat Was A Bustling City

Prior to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Pripyat was a growing city in Soviet-controlled Ukraine. The city, which was founded in 1970, was built to help staff the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

NOW: The City Is A Ghostown

In this aerial view an abandoned ferris wheel stands on a public space overgrown with trees in the former city center

The entire city had to evacuate following the Chernobyl Disaster and is still in the “exclusion zone.” The threat of radiation poisoning is still too high for people to inhabit the area, and over the years, the city has been overgrown by nature.

BEFORE: It Was A Beautiful Landmark In The City

Postcard of Michigan Central Station in circa 1913 in Detroit, Michigan.

Michigan Central Station was opened in Detroit in 1913, and, at the time, it was the tallest railroad station in the world. The building was a testament to the thriving city which was growing with the auto industry.

NOW: It’s Worn Down And Overgrown

The abandoned Michigan Central Station on July 18, 2014 in Detroit, Michigan.

The station was last actually used in 1988, and in the years following, it turned into a site for vandalism and theft. The building was scheduled for demolition in 2009 but was saved due to its historical significance. Ford Motors has since proposed a plan to restore it to its former glory.

BEFORE: A Thriving Resort

Crowded pool at Resort in the Catskills.

Grossinger’s Catskill Resort Hotel was one of many hotels located in the Borscht Belt, an area filled with summer resorts in upstate New York. They were a popular destination for Jewish citizens in New York City from the 1920s to the 1960s.

NOW: Abandoned And Overgrown

A lawn chair sits as nature takes over the indoor pool area of Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel

The hotel closed in 1986, beginning an economic decline in the town of Liberty and surrounding Sullivan County, which the community has failed to reverse. The property, now in foreclosure, is considered abandoned.

BEFORE: It Was A Fairly Popular Location For Researchers

A pair of unidentified members of the United States' Operation Deep Freeze mission as they band Chinstrap penguins on Deception Island, Antarctica, March 10, 1960

These photos of tourists were taken on Deception Island, which is located in Antarctica. It was fought over by many countries for years (including Norway and Chile) and has fascinated whalers and scientific researchers since it was first inhabited in 1820.

NOW: It’s Been Left To The Penguins

An old building of a British shipping base, which was consumed by a mudslide sparked by a volcano, crumbles at Whalers Bay in Deception Island

After the active volcano on the island erupted in 1967 and again in 1969, the island and the bases on it were abandoned. Now, the main inhabitants of the island are penguins.

BEFORE: They Were Military Forts During WWII

Pictured here are the Maunsell Forts at Shivering Sands, Kent, England. They were constructed in 1943 to defend shipping lines and the port of London from enemy aircraft and V1 rockets during World War II.

NOW: They’re Abandoned In The Water

The sea Maunsell forts towering above the mouth of the river Thames estuary in Kent rusted and broken

While there were 265 men living in the forts at any given time during the war, they were fully abandoned in the 1950s, were used again as a radio headquarters in the ’60s, and have since been abandoned to erode in the water.

BEFORE: It Was One Of The Finest Prisons In The Country

No. 8 Cell Block, known also as Bad Block, in the Eastern State Penitentiary.

The Eastern State Penitentiary located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was first opened in 1829. The institution used a radical (at the time) philosophy where prisoners were kept in strict isolation to encourage penitence. One famous inmate was Al Capone.

NOW: It’s Abandoned And Falling Apart

Hallway with crumbling plaster at the abandoned Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The building officially closed in 1971 and was completely abandoned. Now, it’s a national landmark and used as a museum. Visitors can see the cells and learn about the methods used to inhumanely treat prisoners.

BEFORE: The Islands Were Home For Some

Three generations of women on the archipelago of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, circa 1880

St. Kilda is a small archipelago located off the west coast of Scotland. The islands had been inhabited from early prehistory but were declining in population in the early 1900s due to malnutrition, disease, and isolation that plagued the inhabitants.

NOW: Only Wildlife Inhabit The Islands

goats stand on grass of The islands of St Kilda archipelago in Scotland.

In 1930, the remaining survivors living on the islands of St. Kilda were evacuated and taken to resettle in mainland Scotland. To this day, no one lives there, but it is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Here’s What These Places Looked Like Before They Were Abandoned

Here’s What These Places Looked Like Before They Were Abandoned

BEFORE: It Was The Central Subway Stop

NOW: It’s Used For Tours And Events

BEFORE: Ohio State Reformatory In Its Prime

NOW: It’s A Museum

BEFORE: The Astrodome Was The Stadium In Houston

NOW: The Stadium Has Fallen Into Disrepair

BEFORE: Pripyat Was A Bustling City

NOW: The City Is A Ghostown

BEFORE: It Was A Beautiful Landmark In The City

NOW: It’s Worn Down And Overgrown

BEFORE: A Thriving Resort

NOW: Abandoned And Overgrown

BEFORE: It Was A Fairly Popular Location For Researchers

NOW: It’s Been Left To The Penguins

BEFORE: They Were Military Forts During WWII

NOW: They’re Abandoned In The Water

BEFORE: It Was One Of The Finest Prisons In The Country

NOW: It’s Abandoned And Falling Apart

BEFORE: The Islands Were Home For Some

NOW: Only Wildlife Inhabit The Islands

RecordsOnRepeat

Here’s What These Places Looked Like Before They Were Abandoned

BEFORE: It Was The Central Subway Stop

NOW: It’s Used For Tours And Events

BEFORE: Ohio State Reformatory In Its Prime

NOW: It’s A Museum

BEFORE: The Astrodome Was The Stadium In Houston

NOW: The Stadium Has Fallen Into Disrepair

BEFORE: Pripyat Was A Bustling City

NOW: The City Is A Ghostown

BEFORE: It Was A Beautiful Landmark In The City

NOW: It’s Worn Down And Overgrown

BEFORE: A Thriving Resort

NOW: Abandoned And Overgrown

BEFORE: It Was A Fairly Popular Location For Researchers

NOW: It’s Been Left To The Penguins

BEFORE: They Were Military Forts During WWII

NOW: They’re Abandoned In The Water

BEFORE: It Was One Of The Finest Prisons In The Country

NOW: It’s Abandoned And Falling Apart

BEFORE: The Islands Were Home For Some

NOW: Only Wildlife Inhabit The Islands

RecordsOnRepeat

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