Padova is one of those local places that holds such history... and mystery for teens of all ages. The stories growing up of rabid dobermans, and shotgun shooting security guards... all braved just to walk through a door of a condemned building, pull of a piece of paint... or even just touch the building.
Everyone in this town has stories of ghosts and goblins in this place...
Although most think the stories are within reason of the fabled 'insane asylum... Little do people know it actually started out as a tuberculosis sanitorium. There's a neat book written about the property "A Whole Little City in Itself", that actually covers the history quite well. Back in it's prime, the property only brought in electricity from the surrounding city, and otherwise grew, and produced everything else they needed. It was a self reliant city (minus electricity of course).
And... When the sanitorium closed... the insane asylum arose. Yes, it did house the 'insane' and the 'mentally ill', but it also had areas for other 'quirks' like midgets... It wasn't your typical asylum.
And now that it's completely closed... it's turning into a resort, slowly, one building at a time.
History lesson completed... Padova has to be one of my favorite places to go. I love to drive the frontage road, along the river, and peer into the buildings. I'm not brave like most, and haven't ventured into a building (without permission)... but there's not a time when I return home with photos, ignoring everything I've taken before. It's so much fun to compare one year to another. And for whatever reason, it always ends up being a fallowed 'haunt' of mine.
I can go there every month and come out with a shot I am super happy about, and can't wait to share. This time was no exception. There was something about the fall colours that just accentuated the photos.
That being said... now that the property is turning into a resort... a cross between moving foward, and going back... it's very bittersweet.
It is going to be a mash up of new buildings, and renovated ones... and it's not going to to be cheap. Each building is filled with asbestos insulation, just adding to the cost. It's going to take years, and depending how many buildings are compromised and cannot be used, it will be interesting to see what Tranquille on the Lake will become. Speaking with the property owner - the son-in-law of the mastermind behind the transformation - he informs us that they are trying to use as many of the old buildings as possible... renovating them, moving them, and giving them a new view on life...
Although, I think I will always stand by the point that the property should become a 'Barkerville' of tuberculosis sanitoriums. Hell, although it's not as much fun as a gold rush, it was a huge thing 'back in the day'.
If only walls could talk...
