For Ord - New Barracks


The "new" barracks were constructed in 1957; additions were built in 1970. This area is dense with murals and the sublime splendor of abandoned, large-scale, institutional architecture.

We took thousands of photographs and decided to present here all the murals that we discovered, unedited and with contextual images.

Exploring the barracks was frightening. Some of the buildings could only be accessed through dark basements. Many buildings were boarded up. In an effort to offset the spookiness, we purchased on the Internet a bona fide Ghost Hunting Kit that measured electromagnetic fields and put it to use.

The electromagnetic field reader warned "Danger" in the areas that we also felt were most terrifying. These buildings were the darkest, most boarded up, and most destroyed by humans of the Hammerheads (Korean-War-era barracks) close to campus. The Hammerheads to the south, mostly occupied by birds, foxes, and marked with mountain lion tracks, gave readings of "Caution." The newest of the barracks, built in 1970, gave us "Safe" readings.

We present our travelogue of the New Barracks catalogued by electromagnetic field levels—from "Safe" to "Danger."

Please enjoy the incredible murals created by generations of soldiers.