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[abandonedpa]

All,

I had the opportunity to speak with Paul Lonie of Westrum Development today who is in charge of the Byberry redevelopment.

I now present to you the most up to date information on the demolition of Byberry. I'm sure you all have been wondering and awaiting further news. For those of you who have taken the "not believing it" attitude, there's nothing stopping things now.

1 - All concerns of residents nearby have been met. They've shaken hands exchanged happy faces and everything is 100% go, all issues are closed.

2- The sale of Byberry from PIDC to Westrum will be completed on tomorrow June 1st. The sale will take place at PIDC or the offices of PIDC's attorneys. No ceremony is planned.

3- Demolition will last 8-11 months. Contractors are lined up and ready to go. It will begin on June 14th with a small "ceremony" of pushing over the sign. They can't have a ceremony on the site of actually hacking into a building due to debris and dust. I do not have any further details on the pushing over the sign ceremony.

4- Demolition of buildings will take place in the following manner
- The "C" buildings have the least asbestos remediation needed and will come down first in sections.
- The "N" buildings will then come down one at a time once asbestos remediation is complete..
- The "W" buildings will be last and come down one at a time once asbestos remediation is complete.

5- Demolition will consist of bulldozers, etc. No explosives or implosions will be used to bring any of the buildings down.

The end is near, for real! Sad days are near...

-abandonedpa-

[Jude]

This chokes me up so badly,   I can't even imagine how awful it must be for all of those who have had the pleasure of exploring there....  

Ma

[Porcelain Doll]

so sunday night me and chip we sitting by the main stairs in W7 and a bat went fly by us, a million times. It was then that he informed me that Radical Ed had told him there might be brown bats residing in ole berry. Brown Bats are endangered. So you cant take away an endangered animal's habitat, now can you?  :wink:

part of me wants to save her, and part of me wants her to go.  :?

[Sanitarium]

That sucks!!!!! Even tho I've never been there I hate to see it go....

[abandonedpa]

I've done some research, because I've heard this from multiple people. I'm also a bat fan since one of my other hobbies is caving.

The Brown Bat is not an endangered species. (It does live in PA though) There are plenty of Big Brown Bats in PA and the Little Brown Bat is the most common bat in PA. I have run into an occasional Brown Bat at Byberry.

In fact the only endangered bat that lives in PA is the Indiana Bat. I haven't run into any of these at Byberry and they tend to stick together in large groups 250 or so.

Info is here:
http://www.batmanagement.com/Batcentral/batspecs.html

Sorry if I bursted anyones bubble

Also I remember hearing this debate in the news before, some people out west were trying to save a building that I believe an endangered snake nested under. I don't believe a "built structure" can be saved if an endangered species lives in it. It's not considered natural or part of their original habitat.

-abandonedpa-

[Andrew G.]

All I can say now is: FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK!!!!!  :evil:    :cry: I expect a massive pilgrimage to Byberry in the upcoming weeks or even days. I want that sign!!

[abandonedpa]

For those who have been e-mailing me for an update, I've received an update on the Byberry situation.

As we speak, the meeting in regards to the sale of Byberry is taking place right now. I'll confirm to you all when I receive word that Byberry is no longer owned by PIDC and the dotted line has been signed.

-abandonedpa-

[foxtrot_xray]

Sonofabitch.
And I was planning to head up there later this summer for a tour. Crapola.

On top of that.. all that fabulous architecture.. the stories.. *sigh*

I'm gonna go cry now..
Fox.

[psychadellic one]

I envy those who had the opportunity to explore these magnificent places,
and thanks to all who gave us the excellent pictures of these places.

[Jude]

You know what?   I'd have never even HEARD of this place,  and all the other great old beauties,  if it hadn't been for Motts and the rest of you who have taken and shared your photographs.

Yes,  a big thank you,  to all of you!

Ma

[Miss Ariel]

i can't believe this shit's going down like this. i honestly always thought if it ever did come down to demolition, we'd blow it up first or something. but nah that crushed my heart watching them knock down the sign on the news. calling us nothing but 'teenage beer parties' half my friends are over the age of 21, and beer is always an accessory never the main subject.  :x

anyway, those of you that know me, i love you guys you know that and you know what you and the berry mean to me.

[Ectoplasmic Terrier]

:?: To the bona-fide Byberrians:
Is there more to discover and document at Byberry? I have never been, but for all I have seen and read online, time is deteriorating the structures and vandals and arsonists have run amok. It is only due to political and administrative delays that the buildings have stood for the last fifteen years. If the buildings remained standing, would not dilapidation and decrepitude make subsequent visits ever more risky? Wouldn't it be a question of time before another person died in an accident?

I am grateful to all those who took the care, the time, and the risk to document the remains of one of the world's most notorious mental hospitals. What you have done has been both thrilling and thought-provoking. If it had not been for all that asbestos, the entire campus would have been razed in 1991, and I may never have heard of the place.  A time comes to let go, however. Perhaps 2006 is it.

Though abandoned mental hospitals are intriguing and alluring, I am ambivalent about preserving them. They symbolize humane intentions gone most horribly awry. The legacy of these institutions ultimately is one of injustice, discrimination, denial, cruelty, filth, and exploitation.  These horrors overwhelm whatever social good the big old mad houses did serve.