Abandoned Building – Page 7 of 30

October 18, 2016

Urban Exploring: The Maughan Church

I found myself sitting in the Maughan Church on its last public opening. A handful of people were there saying their final farewells, some visibly upset. An elderly lady told me how she had come here each week for the last 20 years. To her, it was like an old friend was being ripped from her life.

Looking up, words could hardly describe what i was thinking – it was breathtakingly beautiful. The architecture of the ceiling was a masterpiece.

The Maughan Church, Adelaide — The Maughan Church Model and Scaffolding during Construction in 1965. (Photo courtesy Uniting Communities)

The Maughan Church was named after Rev. James Maughan (October 1826 – 8 March 1871). Built in 1965, it superseded a previous church on the site. Its design incorporated an octagonal, twenty-four-gabled roof designed by architect Sir Eric von Schramek.

Now demolished, a new building is to be erected on the site providing much more than the previous one. A new space for worship and church activities will be constructed, including space for conferences, large gatherings, and community events. It will also provide for disability and respite accommodation.

The new Maughan Church, Adelaide — A mock-up of the new building expected to be completed by mid-2018. (Photo provided by Uniting Communities)

	Retirement Units	Disability Units	Respite Units
Old Building	nil	nil	nil
New Building	46	21	18

What could be salvaged from the building has been saved and re-utilized elsewhere. Organ pieces have been sent to the Payneham Road Uniting Church while the intricate organ pipes (hidden behind the rear wall) have been transplanted to other churches and organisations throughout South Australia and Victoria.

Below are some pics, taken during my multiple explorations of the Maughan Church, of her beauty and final days.

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September 16, 2016

Urban Exploring: Erindale Ward Glenside Hospital

Amidst Adelaide’s high-rise apartment block developments, there are areas of Adelaide that remain neglected and forgotten.

Erindale formed part of the Parkside Lunatic Asylum which opened in 1870. The Asylum was renamed in 1913 to the Parkside Mental Hospital, and again in 1967 to Glenside Hospital. It long held the nickname The Bin; a home for the discarded — the dumping point for people that didn’t fit into society.

Erindale Disturbed Mens Ward, Glenside Hospital c2016.

Erindale housed the more mentally disturbed male patients. In 1941 Electro-convulsive shock treatment (ECT) began here as a treatment for those with mental disorders. This was the first place to introduce shock therapy to Australia. Patients were also put under the knife, with the first psychosurgery procedure performed at Glenside in 1945.

Male patient recieving Electro-convulsive shock therapy. — Male patient receiving Electro-Convulsive Shock Therapy. (Photo courtesy http://guardianlv.com/)

Is Erindale haunted? Even though approximately one-third of the souls admitted to Glenside would die here, we experienced no paranormal events. Could it be a perfect spot for an Allen Tiller investigation or a Haunted Horizons Ghost Tour?

By the mid-1970s, breakthroughs in modern drug treatments and falling patient numbers led to the site’s closure, and for the past ~40 years Erindale has sat empty and disused. Probably one the most neglected buildings of Glenside Hospital, there are currently no plans to re-use the building. It sits there decaying.

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August 24, 2016

Urban Exploring: Davaar House / TPI

The building of ‘Davaar’ was built in 1876 for prominent Adelaide wine and spirit merchant Mr William Johnston, who had migrated from Scotland to South Australia.

The mansion was described as

a handsome residence on South-terrace, consisting of 14 rooms, besides pantries, cellars, larder and bathrooms. The rooms are large and well-ventilated, those on the ground floor being 14 feet from floor to ceiling, and on the first floor 13 feet high. The house is fitted up with every requirement for comfort and convenience. The dining and drawing rooms have handsome bay windows, and ceilings furnished with enriched cornices and centre flowers. The entrance-hall is handsomely finished having at the back portion the main staircase, which is of blackwood. The building and fences cost £4,000.

“ Davaar” photographed late 1884-early 1885 , an exceptionally fine example of a residence in the High Victorian Italianate Style. (Photo courtesy State Library of South Australia)

William Johnston lived at Davaar with his second wife Margaret and only daughter Janet
until his death in 1879, after which Margaret returned to live in Scotland, taking Janet with
her, leaving the house in the hands of the Trustees of his estate. Margaret stayed in Scotland but Janet later returned to Adelaide, and after her marriage to Scotsman Dr John Henderson, in 1883, the couple lived in the family home.

The property changed hands a number of times after the Hendersons moved to Mount Lofty in late 1887. Numerous alterations and additions were made to the structure over time and in August 1950, the property was purchased at auction by the Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Association of SA (T.P.I.) for £15,000. The T.P.I. Association provided support for veterans here from 1951 to 2009.

If you’ve driven past the corner of Hutt Street and South Terrace recently you may have seen the site under development. Davaar House will be restored to its former glory as the lobby for an eight-storey $25 million hotel overlooking the parklands. Currently looking a little worse-for-wear, the ground floor rooms will be converted into the hotel’s lobby and meeting rooms while upstairs will be converted into accommodation.

But before that happens, let’s take a look inside Adelaide’s house of Davaar: