Copper Cliff Iron Ore Recovery Plant

Built: 1955, Closed: 1990

I've found little information about this facility. Located about 10 km west of Sudbury, Ontario, this huge facility was used to separate iron from waste ore producing during the mining of nickel. This was enough of a revenue stream to offset the $19 million cost.

It wasn't enough to keep it running past the late 1980s. With the exception of the 194 meter (637 foot) tall stack — which was re-routed to a nearby facility — the facility was decomissioned and now sits unused.

Of the various places I've visited, this one clearly warrants a ‘dangerous’ label. While decay is typical with most abandoned buildings, many of the floor surfaces here — thick steel plates — were rusted to the point where negligible weight caused immediate collapse. I can't say this strongly enough: if you ever find yourself in this building, be careful.

That being said… it really was quite an interesting place. Large, dark and dense, with virtually no vandalism. If anyone knows more about the building, I'd certainly be interested in hearing about it.

Selects

Interior Spaces

Equipment

Details

Exteriors & Roof

The 'B-Roll'

Photos in the “B-Roll” group are (in my opinion) lower-quality images, included for completeness or because they were posted when this site was in its infancy.