Regarding abandon properties, there is always the front door! In other words, ask the security people who the owner is and make contact. Most would welcome the extra cash, even if it as small amount. The only stopper would be they would probably want an insurance certificate to make sure they would not get sued if you got injured. Worth a try! Especially if there is old Altec at state! You would not believe what collectors pay for that stuff! (Mint 288-16
driver, $800.
etc) Mint multicell = Sky's the limit.
I would think it better to ask the security people, or
call the various phone numbers often listed about the building for access to it.
At times perhaps a 501c3 Tax Credit for the value of any gear you might find of use in the place might be enough. Owner of the building be it a bank or someone else, still owns it and the gear within. Never did one of those contact the owner or seller type deals, but I would believe they are more on the up and up for getting it done properly.
On the other
hand, I have been part of a few end of place selling off gear sales, and even did one at my old theater in it's demise.
In our case, I had lik 200gal. of paint in various colors, full lumber racks with all sorts of lumber, endless costumes, seats, lights
etc. and while we sold off a bunch, nobody really had money to offer, or even in offering a buck did that at times. In the end, couldn't even give away much of the gear. Just too lazy in us leaving the building with much of the above except the lights, still there. Dozen or more
stock platforms as with flats, that didn't even get a bid, much less anyone to even take them away for free.
I often found that common in the 90's that before the iternet, but such sales listed if you had the right sources in findin them, and or even plopped an inventory on the door step to most interested parties, even than it was hard to sell off your gear. Literally drove about town in multi-page inventories of what we wanted to sell off, and very few showed up to the sales weekend for them. Cash flow was always a problem for us and others. That they didn't make offers was also a problem in coming out. Very few other theaters came to absorb our gear and even offer a buck for what they wanted. Stuff like a
stock plat for a buck in best offer.
Also been to a few close outs of other theaters, found a new 1Kw
PAR 64 lamp for like $4.00 at one
point, on the other
hand, most of the pickers had alerady been about the place with better bids. Last place I went to was already fairly well picked clean.
On the other
hand there was this one pick that I went to. City of Chicago was closing out is main
park distract scene shop. Used to be a railroad round
house in revolving locomotives about so they could operate on a number of
track systems. Really cool building, even had a sceneic painter's rig for drops sunk into the floor and rigged to fly.
Stuff in it was everywhere but there was a lot of local companies better staffed and funded than I and my buddy. Lekos we didn't try for in already grabbed up. Did get some really interesting stuff out of the place, this including a vertical lumber table saw
jig that found its way back to the city ownership by way of Mayor's Office of Special Events. Wish as city staff but different department, we had first choice of gear we could use... but that wasn't the way. Instead we were there in working for our small off hours theater in getting gear for it.
Total rush for gear, one of three places I was shopping for and had friends in helping me claim gear for the rush. Had to either
stand by the gear until the rush was over, or get it out the door, pay and get it into your
vehicle. Standing by something that would take time to remove would remove someone from your crew to find stuff in.
Overall, good day, obviously the larger places got the better gear, I got some stuff, and those that came with more people could grab more. Wasn't really a bidding thing I remember, more make an offer and out the door. Was a strange building and type of offers for gear that I do remember.
What was probably demolished with the building was perhaps a half century worth of scenic painting and who knows who did it. Back than, who cared about pre-painted drops or scenery.
Park Distract round
house scene shop I believe went under the wrecking ball after our few hour getting what we could from it. A shame. (Further thoughts, was everything for free?.. possibly as long as you had the proper doccumentation to get into the run for free stuff.) Been a few years in possibly the case. Had to be non-for profit in getting the free stuff and you only had so much time to get it out of there. I do remember the other person and I that went to the place both had SUV's to pile from scrap steel to dimmers into. We filled them up as did others in the race for time, fill up their trucks.
Better bid or find than others. Don't know if such things still go on. Too bad we didn't have room for old scenery in storage as I'm sure it would be worth some.
I really want this thing. Actually, I want ten!
