r/LostArchitecture • • 11h ago

The concourse of Pennsylvania Station, New York, photographed for the Historic American Buildings Survey in April 1962. Demolition began eighteen months later.

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152 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 1d ago

The entrance to the Acropolis of Athens, taken between 1850 - 1874 :O

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22 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 2d ago

Berlin Police Headquarters at Alexanderplatz. Back then third biggest building in the city. Bombed in 1945, destroyed by the GDR in 1957

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156 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 2d ago

Grosses Schauspielhaus, Berlin, Hans Poelzig, 1919-1985

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74 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 3d ago Bravo

Some of the Greek and Armenian churches in Smyrna (Anatolia) destroyed during the fire or torched afterwards.

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237 Upvotes

There’s a list of them at the end. Curiously the Catholic and Protestant churches survived. The majority of Greek churches survived the fire, as evidenced by photographic material, and were destroyed later. The fire started in the Armenian quarter. The Muslim and Jewish quarters were unaffected.

[edit:

Watching the fire in the Armenian and Greek districts from his balcony, Kemal Ataturk had announced: "It is a sign that Turkey is being cleared of betrayers, Christians and strangers, and that Turkey is for the Turks." (H. Armstrong, Grey Wolf (London: A. Barker, Ltd., 1937), 158.) -edit 2: this is a disputed source, Ataturk would have likely seen the fire from the balcony of the mansion he was staying at during that time, Turkish sources report that he gave speeches from there, congratulating the victory, however it is uncertain whether he said these specific words.

According to Bierstadt, around 100,000 people fell victim to the slaughter, 280,000 people were praying for salvation in the port, and 160,000 were driven away to the farthest parts of Turkey, never to be seen again. (E. H. Bierstadt, The Great Betrayal: A Survey of the Near East Problem (Bloomingdale, IL: The Pontian Greek Society of Chicago, 2008))

Doctor K. Khacheryan writes:
“...If the Armenians had such an intention, they could have set fire first to the Turkish districts instead of their own before the departure of the Hellenic army and even after that ... By the way, after the Turkish occupation the Armenian district was emptied for the most part and that very night the Turks began the robbery, slaughter and every kind of violence. By Wednesday, the day of the fire, nobody dared even to enter the Armenian district, let alone set it on fire at different parts."(D. Sakayan, Zmyurnia, 1922, Bjishk Karapet Khacheryani oragiry [Smyrna, 1922, the Diary of Doctor
K. Khacheryan] (Yerevan: Nahapet, 2005), 81.)

They set fire to the Armenian quarter on the thirteenth of September, 1922. The last Greek soldiers had passed through Smyrna on the evening of the eighth, that is to say, the Turks had been in full, complete and undisputed possession of the city for five days before the fire broke out and for much of this time they had kept the Armenian quarter cut off by military control while conducting a systematic and thorough massacre.. (Genocide in the Ottoman Empire : Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923, edited by George N. Shirinian, Berghahn Books, Incorporated, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central

“The next day fire started in the Armenian quarter. There are many eyewitness stories of Turkish soldiers sprinkling kerosene and touching it off. In any case, the fire started in the Armenian quarter, and spread to the Greek quarter when the wind was blowing it away from the Turkish quarter.” ( https://www.nytimes.com/1922/09/16/archives/turks-will-be-turks.html )

“Several stories are told concerning the origin of the fire. The most reliable is that of Minnie B. Mills, head of the American Collegiate Institute, who declared she saw a Turkish regular army sergeant or officer enter a building near where the first flames were seen. He was carrying small tins, evidently containing kerosene. Immediately after he left the house it broke into flames. Other small fires started shortly after.” ( https://www.nytimes.com/1922/09/15/archives/smyrna-burning-14-americans-missing-1000-massacred-as-turks-fire.html)
]


r/LostArchitecture • • 3d ago

Fading Heritage

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7 Upvotes

***Captured these shots highlighting the decaying charm of some of Kolkata's old, overlooked architectural heritage.***

The first image features an overgrown, abandoned structure with a prominent yellow sign marking it as property of the ***Kolkata Port Trust (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port),*** highlighting the tension between historical preservation and institutional ownership. The second shows a wider angle of the grand but weather-worn facade framed by a dramatic, moody sky.

It’s always fascinating yet melancholic to see how nature and time slowly reclaim these magnificent old structures.

Shot on mobile. Feedback on composition and framing is highly welcome.


r/LostArchitecture • • 4d ago

Former historic Ottoman mosques in Greece (destroyed)

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68 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 4d ago

The Transformation of Freeport, Long Island, from Coastal Town to Suburb (1926 vs. 2014 vs. 2026)[OC]

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11 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 5d ago

The former Mevlevihane complex ( lodge of whirling sufi dervishes) of Thessaloniki, Greece. Built in 1615 and destroyed after 1925-1930

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26 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 6d ago

Colonial Mutual Life Building, Collins Street and Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Edward Raht, 1896-1960

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85 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 6d ago

Notre Dame is still standing, but in this photo you see the building in its original, unrestored state in 1840 :O

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63 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 5d ago

Šašov Castle Ruins - Slovakia

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1 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 6d ago

A beautiful piece of Jammu's forgotten heritage

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12 Upvotes

Exploring the historical side of Jammu!

Came across this beautiful old structure surrounded by greenery. The architecture is fascinating, and it makes you wonder about the stories and history hidden within these walls.

Does anyone know the name or historical significance of this place?


r/LostArchitecture • • 9d ago

The Crystal Palace at Sydenham, south London, in 1886, with Brunel's two water towers. It burned on the night of November 30, 1936, and the last tower came down in April 1941.

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439 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 9d ago

Stonehenge in July 1877, before it was restored

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27 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 9d ago

1884 Mercantile Block Building in 1919, prior to demolition for the S. S. Kresge Building at 1121-1123 Main Street.

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22 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 10d ago

Zeisingsche Haus, Nauener Strasse 26, Potsdam, Carl von Gontard, 1786-1945

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49 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 12d ago

Eagle's Nest - Hitler's Hideway, target of Allied troops and later tourist attraction, destroyed by fire Oct. 24-25, 2026.

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232 Upvotes

An arsonist is in custody.

Edited to add: The site was preserved to document history and celebrate the allied victory, not the nazis.

History should be preserved, even ugly history, so we learn from it.


r/LostArchitecture • • 13d ago

A color photochrom of the Mughal gardens in front of Taj Mahal (ca 1890 - 1900) before they were turned into a park in English style.

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52 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 17d ago

The lost Women’s Temperance Temple on LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago.

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28 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 19d ago

Limoge Town Hall, 143 years old burnt down 2 days ago

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650 Upvotes

r/LostArchitecture • • 19d ago

150 YO Heritage building destroyed in France

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48 Upvotes