T H E   G R E E N H O U S E

The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life --Jean Giraudoux

Greenhouse, Route 33, New Jersey

explored & photographed by: Shady

One day as I was driving along Route 33 near Freehold, completely lost and frustrated, I saw this amazing forgotten old greenhouse on the side of the road...

Happily, I had my camera with me... I pulled over; I only had about 15 minutes of daylight left, so I hurried to get as many pics of the greenhouse as I could.

It was an awesome sight- the massive, rusted skeletal girders of the greenhouse itself... overwhelmed with heavy vines and vegetation. Parts of the low building are nearly obscured by growth

It's a startling and ironic image- the greenhouse devoured by wild plants. The whole are exudes a sense of untamed beauty and a lonely, flowering splendor.

I wanted to get inside the greenhouse itself, but it was literally wrapped tight in a web of thorn-bearing vines and bushes and I couldn't get close (well, not without a nice sharp machete, anyway!) The foliage has even grown through the doors themselves, organically sealing them tightly in place

There are still light fixtures hanging inside the structure, although it's doubtful they would work now. There is a very weird tree on the property that looks like it has half-a-dozen sets of roots (below, bottom middle) The low green building attached to the greenhouse is empty, barren, and filled with murky sunlight. Thorny bushes hug the entire place, and a verdant green field stretches out beside the weed-choked area where the greenhouse lies.

I have always found greenhouses kind of creepy, ever since the movie Silver Bullet (remember... the part where the little girl talks about the strange noises coming from the old greenhouse at night?? That totally creeped me out) This place looked harmless, beautiful even, just minutes earlier... but now, in the dimming light, it was starting to look kinda ominous. When I looked up and saw the huge, heavy moon hanging just above the bare branches, I decided it was time to go

I climbed back into the truck and pulled out of the desolate country road and back onto Route 33, watching the abandoned greenhouse dwindle into twilight in my rearview mirror...

Do you have any background information or stories to tell about this abandoned site?

Want to purchase one of these, or any of my other photos...?

O W N   A   P I E C E   O F   L O S T   H I S T O R Y:


All of my pics are available for purchase as high-quality prints on Kodak glossy paper, in 5x7 or 8x10 size; framing is available. Click here to order!

+OUT OF BUSINESS+