School’s Out

By Zoe Cassell

EERIE images show inside a rotting abandoned elementary school which was closed two decades ago due to budget cuts.

These photographs show crumbling corridors and collapsed ceilings covered in thick grey dust witch graffiti adorned on every corner.

The pictures were captured by the urban explorer known only as Abandoned Southeast (32) at the desolate F.D. McArthur Elementary School in Birmingham, Alabama in the States.

“This abandoned school has been sitting empty and neglected for the last 20 years. Today it looks like a bomb has went off inside with the busted windows and crumbling brick,” said the urban explorer.

“The building was eerily quiet.”

The school was originally built in 1910 and named the 17th Avenue School. It was later renamed after local attorney and Birmingham Board of Education president F.D. McArthur.

Sadly the elementary closed in May 1997 after budget cuts and low numbers of new students enrolling meant it could no longer survive.

It has since been up on the market but two deals have fallen through and the building stands derelict and destroyed.

When asked about people’s reactions to Abandoned Southeast’s images he said: “They are amazed at the neglect and decline of the building.

“A once thriving city school has been left to rot.”

He hopes his photography gives his audience a glimpse into the past.

“I got involved in photography after exploring so many abandoned places and watching them get demolished or renovated,” Abandoned Southeast added.

“I wanted to capture the places I was visiting in photos and share them with others.”

For more information, please visit Abandoned Southeast.