CHESTERFIELD MANOR

sits hidden from sight on a busy road amongst an upscale suburban neighborhood in St. Louis County.

Built in 1964 it operated as a retirement/nursing home until 1998 when many legal issues (including the death of a resident who was on a soft food only diet and was given polish sausage which he choked on) forced the closure of it's doors.

Well the doors were closed... but they were not locked as I delightfully discovered one sunny afternoon in late 1999.

...and thus my obsession with the place began. My love for it grew like the fungus growing on the walls inside.

Pitch black inside even on the sunniest days, all the beds & equipment left to rot along with the building, long echoing hallways, and a basement reminiscent of the video game Silent Hill, and a "looming" someone's-looking-over-your-shoulder kind of vibe... it's a wonderland for someone who enjoys a "spooky" atmosphere.

Over the years I have had many adventures involving this place, including having to go to court twice for being caught trespassing (I can't stay away...), hiding in basement closets when others have entered when I was inside, and above all: documenting it's decay over the years. By now the decay is quite ripe, it's come a long way since I first entered when everything was clean and still in it's place.

The photos behind the cut are from recent explorations... the graffiti is mostly recent, which I find kind of annoying for photography but oh well. Also included is a clip of a recent news broadcast where they used some of my video footage I uploaded on youtube.