Abandoned Neighborhood here....

[Z_Malloc]

Last week I discovered an abandoned neighborhood in the 3200 block of Clay just east of downtown Houston. It runs for a couple of blocks on both sides of the street and has some great vibrant colors. All of the houses are open and some even have claw foot tubs still in them. Only a little bit of graffiti present as well.

I am sure it is only a matter of time before a fence goes up now that the homes are vacant. It's not that bad if you are comfortable in this area of town. There are a couple of homeless people squatting there, but the few I talked to were pretty nice.

[robert t]

Shotgun houses in the 3rd ward, Houston history. Some of those houses may have build dates around 1900 or earlier.

[zasey]

Oh my...my brain is going 90MPH now with ideas. Thanks for the info!!!

[Steelsun]

Please be careful. The property may be VACANT, but there is no such thing as ABANDONED property in Texas, someone owns it, and if they wanted, or if the police wanted to, they could have you arrested for trespassing.

[Z_Malloc]

Originally Posted by Steelsun

Please be careful. The property may be VACANT, but there is no such thing as ABANDONED property in Texas, someone owns it, and if they wanted, or if the police wanted to, they could have you arrested for trespassing.

What Steelsun said is certainly true, however, the officer must find the person who has care, custody, and control of the property to say that you do not have consent to be there and therein lies the challenge. And even then notice to leave must be given.......that would be your opportunity to leave. And the street is still public domain and about 10 feet away from the houses.

Things here on this board such as "vacant", "abandoned", and "ANY picture with a gun or railroad track in it", must be taken with a grain of salt....Someone always points out the fact of ownership of the tracks and do not trespass, but has anyone here (and I know someone will have) actually seen a railroad police officer before? I'll bet most people do not even know that there are still railroad police officers around, much less what are the odds of running into them?

[MHampton]

Originally Posted by Z_Malloc

but has anyone here (and I know someone will have) actually seen a railroad police officer before?

My nephew actually applied for the job but didn't get it. That just leads me to believe that they don't really exist or he would have gotten the job.

[toverman]

Neat shots. Other than not being permanently occupied, the outside paint looks like it's in pretty good shape.

Regarding railroad tracks, for me, choosing to photograph someone on an active line isn't about trespassing, it's about the potential for getting run over by a train. It is scary how fast a train can be on top of you, especially when your focus is elsewhere.

[Bruce M. Morris]

Originally Posted by Z_Malloc

Things here on this board such as "vacant", "abandoned", and "ANY picture with a gun or railroad track in it", must be taken with a grain of salt....Someone always points out the fact of ownership of the tracks and do not trespass, but has anyone here (and I know someone will have) actually seen a railroad police officer before? I'll bet most people do not even know that there are still railroad police officers around, much less what are the odds of running into them?

as a comment on this idea of obeying laws or rules ..


Ethics-What you do when no one else is watching.....

[kenw]

RR police are masters at not being seen....until they need to be. I've met many over the years. Hang around the tracks enough and your odds go up a bit (!)....For the most part, a notch or 2 above the typical city cop.

Here's one:
http://www.mccutcheonbooks.com/

And I've been in that particular area, and I'm pretty good at fooling myself into feeling secure just about anywhere. But that area isn't one in which I would linger if alone. I like wide open spaces where I can see someone approaching long before the hair stands up on my neck.

[jeffkohn]

I won't speak to the RR issue. But in Texas, entering private property is not considered trespassing unless the property owner has posted notice that entry is forbidden, and/or taken measure to secure the property from entry (eg, fencing, doors, etc). Of course the owner (or his 'agent') can always ask you to leave , and at that point refusing to leave would be trespassing.

So shooting those houses from the yard should be fine as long as there aren't any "No Trespassing" signs and you don't enter a fenced-in area. I'm not so sure about entering the houses though. Obviously entering an occupied house is trespassing, regardless of whether anyone is home or not. But I'm not sure how abandoned houses would be treated under the law; it may make a difference whether there are open doors but I don't really know.

[Z_Malloc]

Originally Posted by toverman

Regarding railroad tracks, for me, choosing to photograph someone on an active line isn't about trespassing, it's about the potential for getting run over by a train. It is scary how fast a train can be on top of you, especially when your focus is elsewhere.

Of course, and there are a ton of inactive tracks in Houston as it is now I really do not see a need to photograph on an active line at all. It's just too easy to find empty ones that do not even connect to anything.

[lockedillusions]

this is super cool!

[angiem357]

All of the talk about the legalities really doesn't matter anymore, as it applies to this strip of houses. They're gone. :-( I went by there this afternoon and all but 3 have been completely demolished, and the three that are there are just empty shells and will probably be gone by tomorrow evening.

The best part is I bet some developer is going to put up townhomes that resemble trailers set up on end! Yay for zero-lot-lines! It's so hip to live in a neighborhood with such authentic looking warehouses next door! Don't you just love the common vibe?! I love to live close to downtown, even though all these trailers - I mean, luxury townhomes - block the view of the skyline and sunsets...*tries to wipe the sarcasm off her mouth*

Sorry. You would think I would just make peace with the attitude of Houston developers by now...

[Z_Malloc]

Wow, that was quick.....fortunately last week I have discovered another place over in southeast Houston that is even more abandoned (errr vacant) than the last one.

Hope to have a few pics up next week.

[jun0]

Feel free to share where THAT place is. *grins*
I was reading through all the posts all excited and going to head there on my way home from work. *sigh*