Silo No. 5

This gallery was taken December of 2014. I had traveled to Montreal for the first time on the premise that "It's ok if you don't speak french." It's not. So while my french speaking friends scurried off around town wooing girls, I decided to check out the city... which mostly consisted of driving furiously in circles, battling one way streets and funny looking stop lights. (why are they square?) Alas, with a bit of luck this mammoth structure caught my eye on the horizon. After a few more circles, I managed to find the little side road that brought me right up to the silos. I paced up and down the fence, straining to take the first couple shots through the chain link, expecting they would be the best I could do... I assumed something like this would be sealed up pretty tight. Following the fence I found some interesting abandoned machinery and a odd sculpture, interestingly enough, having the gorgeous backdrop of Habitat 67 in the background. Feeling pretty fortunate, I collapsed my tripod and started to head back to the Jeep. That's when I noticed the train tracks seemed to head straight into the property and was not fenced off... worth a try right? To my amazement I walked right in! No fence... no lock... no warnings... just a good old "arrêt" sign. Jackpot. I was in. At the time I knew nothing about Silo No. 5, a massive grain movement plant constructed between 1905-1959, and closed in 1994 to just loom on the horizon. Even with the super-wide angle lens, you can't begin to appreciate the sheer size of this structure. One of the most beautiful industrial sites I've ever seen. Unfortunately, creeping around alone makes me a little timid so I couldn't find the bravery to try my way inside. Besides, I noticed the place was rigged with cameras all over. One day. Maybe. It's the kind of place Dexter would carefully select for a kill room.