Mother Hubbard. by nikon peeper on Flickr.
Via Flickr: An alternate take on the lobby in the old Sterling Hotel.
Master Bedroom by 95wombat on Flickr.
Via Flickr: Of the lobby in the second floor of the Sterling Hotel in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. This might have been a dining room or meeting room at one time. Now it appears to be the dumping ground for the work lights used in the pre-demolition asbestos removal. It’s also where a couple of squatters had their bed rolls. You can see a pill bottle and coffee cup on the lower left -- the sleeping bags were just beyond that. Think I’ll wrap up my photography before they come home for the night.
Grandeur Lost by 95wombat on Flickr.
Via Flickr: Ye old Sterling Hotel in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The hotel dates to 1897, when the city was booming with money from the coal industry. It was a grand place for many years, but time caught up with it. Toward the end it was converted to college dorm rooms and retiree apartments, then it went vacant in 1998. Since then there has been a fire, a major flood and 14 years of roof leaks, vandalism and the freeze-thaw cycle that ruins old buildings. It was on borrowed time when I snuck inside this spring. In April 2012, the planned demolition was halted when the local officials could not agree how to pay for the work, which may cost more than $1 million. It’s one of the best examples of “faded grandeur” I have photographed. You can still get a sense of how nice this hotel once was, despite all that’s been done to it.