Philadelphia was once called the Workshop of the World.
Factories throughout the city churned out everything from Stetson hats to beer to ships. But in the 1970s, when many manufacturing jobs moved away, these production facilities were shut down and left to rot.
Revitalization across the city has resulted in some being knocked down and others repurposed, but a few remain; their hulking, rusting walls still casting eerie shadows on some neighborhoods.
Matt Satell drove by a few of these shuttered factories and wondered what they looked like from above. Luckily, he's an aerial photographer who uses drones.
Satell, owner of Philly by Air, sent his remote-controlled copters into the air over six buildings around town hoping to get an up-close view of their ruins. The spots include the Willow Steam Plant in Northern Liberties, Quaker Storage in Poplar and Richmond Power Station in Port Richmond. He put them all together in a short video just in time for Halloween.
"I picked out those six specifically because of their architectural appeal and interesting history," he said. "It was fascinating to see them all up close and personal."
He put together some background on each building on Philly by Air's blog.
