Abandonments receive new life in Ironton
Ironton, Ohio, a former industrial community along the banks of the Ohio River, was once teeming with coke plants, iron mills, furnace manufacturers and cement plants, supported by a hardy downtown district and well manicured residential neighborhoods. The
Ironton-Russell Bridge tethered the community to Kentucky, and the U.S. Route 52 expressway allowed the city to gain cross-traffic exposure.
Carlyle Labold Tile and Brick, before:
After:
But the industrial giants that anchored the prosperous city of 16,500 died off, one after another, during the 1970s and 1980s that had a devastating effect on the community.
Today, Ironton's hopes are looking a bit more promising.
Memorial Hall, the long-abandoned
Ro-Na Theater, in the heart of downtown, are both seeing life and now the neglected
St. Lawrence O’Toole Catholic School is being restored into an assisted living facility. Elsewhere,
Ironton's historic high school is being rebuilt to serve another generation, and an industrial park developed on an old Semet-Solvay plant is gathering tenants.
Memorial Hall, before:
After:
While the heyday of industry in Ironton may long be over, it does not mean that the city has given up and called it quits. You may be looking at one of the brightest periods in the city's history.
You can read the full blog entry at Abandonments receive new life in Ironton at Abandoned. You can keep up with the latest updates as well on
our Facebook profile and you can find me tweeting about various abandonments
on Twitter.
Ironton's High School, before:
After:
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