Cornell's Hydraulic Lab

Clambering down some very icy cliffs that ended in shallow water was pretty dangerous... but there was a mysterious thing down in this gorge. An intriguing structure had been built into the cliff next to a pounding waterfall; the deterioration of the old stonework had almost blended it into the surrounding rock. Gaping holes decorated the rough surface in arched rectangles and ovals that were once windows. The steely gray day made a great opportunity for a few quick infrared photos...

This was Cornell's Hydraulic Lab (originally owned by the College of Civil Engineering), built in 1898 to study water flow and purification. It was last used by Cornell University until 1963; abandoned after a flood, the site had been sitting vacant since. I had some reservations about going inside, as it looked very unstable, but I wouldn't mind getting closer to see...

Finally approaching the structure inside the gorge, it was apparent that we couldn't get any closer without getting soaked in the freezing waters. The icicles dangling off the cliff's edge above us are apparent in the next photo.

Getting at it from the top might have been possible, but I wouldn't have trusted any kind of staircase or flooring in there.

While driving through Ithaca a year or so later, I stopped by the old lab once more, and again it was too cold to traverse the water without waders. It was still a beautiful sight and a great walk.

Unfortunately the lower section of the lab collapsed into the river early February 2009, as reported by the Cornell Daily Sun. Supplied is a photo, post-collapse by Giffen Ott:

The place was probably a shell of a building, but it was definitely a unique kind of abandonment! Here's a postcard from vintageviews.org; check out the outfall spewing straight out of the facade: