1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

I belive this a part of a larger mural of the Peanut's gang playing Base ball, can't remember where.

Putting a facade over a facade does not make the pain go away. I spent years working out what Gaebler did to me and no ear has ever lifed a finger to root out the despicableness of the staff and state who now cover up their lies with rubble. Some of the children were damaged so brutally (psychologically and on many occasion physically), that I know of two at least never made it to their twentieth birthday. Just some thoughts...

Putting a facade over a facade does not make the pain go away. I spent years working out what Gaebler did to me and no ear has ever lifed a finger to root out the despicableness of the staff and state who now cover up their lies with rubble. Some of the children were damaged so brutally (psychologically and on many occasion physically), that I know of two at least never made it to their twentieth birthday. Just some thoughts...

Richard, yes, it's very creepy, and yes, the cops are patrolling the place all the time, we almost got caught today but, just ran into the woods on a trail......the smell is from people partying and pissing in it but, also from it being opened and it's been raining and they had to use cleaning solution to get rid of the asbestos.....You crack me up with the Freddy Kruegger boiler room, cause that is exactly what I thought when I first saw it......So much to say butl totally exhausted so I am going to go for now, I have to work in the morning and get my girls off to school, we will chat soon, feel free to email me on facebook or leave me comments on my wall there, cause they will go right to my phone and I have my cell with me at work, I can't talk on my cell at work, but, I can email and go on line on it....have a good night and we will chat soon,,,,,,

Richard, the whole buidling was incased in asbestos, there is a ton of it to say the least, and they had to get rid of that first before they could even start taking it down, but, I did go there today and it's a friggin mess, a lot of it has come down, but, the structure is still standing but, I give it a day or 2 and it will be down......

They seem to try to make it cheerful.Though children were not treated good here.

Ok Pookie I'll try that this afternoon, and yes I saw everything you've seen, at least in it's current state, like I've said I unfortunately never got my ass around to (terrible procrastinator, lol) seeing the inside intact, although a couple years ago during the winter of 09 I think it was I was up there one night for awhile checking out the outside. I so wanted to walk around the inside and I just kept taking for granted that they hadn't started tearing it down yet and hadn't checked here in a couple months and unfortunately missed the early warnings that the wreckers were descending on it. **sigh**
But after checking in here a few weeks ago I quickly made 2 trips up there over the past 2 weeks, both at night, as was my first trip up there, cause I was of course afraid of the coppers. And yeah even though I snuck in through the front if need be I certainly could've made a run for the woods, and I know just from maps those woods don't go to far before you hit civilization again. ;) Actually my last time there it was in the wee dark morning hours and as I was approaching a cop(or private security? I didn't wanna look too close at it, lol) SUV or pickup type vehicle was just coming down the driveway and leaving! :O ;)
But yeah I snuck up there and in the back there's a place where the construction fence(and these fences are pretty flimsy as it is) was already kinda pushed down(bet I can guess why, lol), and yep the place is all opened up and you can just walk in and I went all through the place, as some of the stairs were still intact for the workers no doubt of course. So I checked out the basement, which by the way there actually seems to be a second smaller section of the basement on the back of the center section which is completely separated from the larger section, and it looked like maybe kitchen/food storage(??), as there was an old upright freezer still down there. Also checked out the upper floors, gym was still intact, all the little closets or bathrooms or other nooks and crannies I could find, as well as the roof and even the elevator utility room way up at the tipity top. ;) Interesting how in the basement the amount of large electrical utility equipment that building needed . And then of course there's that Freddy Krueger-like boiler room, lol ;) which for some reason has some flooded standing water in it. I also on my second trip wanted to look more closely at some of the sorta stubbles for lack of a better word left where walls used to be to try and figure out where those seclusion cells were, and I think I found them. I'll ask you about it but it looks like they were along the back wall on the third and second(?) floors, on either side of the center core, and facing out the back yes?? And also it seems like there corridor was just a smaller corridor parallel to the larger central corridors?
Well but ya yr certainly right it's dark and creapy, and with all the debris and construction plastic hanging around and all the breeze you get up on that hill there's always some sudden small noises that might startle you a bit, especially at night. ;) And then I'm also kinda noticing of interesting smells, and all throughout there was this kinda distinctive smell, I guess from the old building materials(?) Also on one of the upper floors i could smell what smelled like really old stale pee, I assume from all the trespassers prob. and not from it's operating days. But yeah it's pretty interesting, and I look forward to hopefully talking to you. :)

Richard,
I know for a fact, since I am a resident of Waltham most of my life since I was at Gaebler in 82-84 and they just wanted the building down because there were to many kids getting in it and partying and trashing the place and all the asbestos was out in the open and getting into the air and before it gets to the residents that live near the building they are taking it down, It should be down this week if the weahter cooperates, It's all gutted out and scary looking, my husband and I were just there we walked thru the woods to get to it cause the police are patrolling it since you can easily get into the building now even thou there is a fench around, cause honestly, I have been in it a dozen times in the past few months when it was just boarded up and now all the windows have been knocked out and the asbestos taking out and they even knocked out some of the structure where the bottom floor doors are so you can now just walk in, I am going to go up there today if the weather here cooperates, it's been raining and I have been sick the past few days and haven't been able to get out of bed until this am. Yes the cops are everywhere now looking for tresspassers but, there is such a way around it, I know the woods like the back of my hands and that is how you go around it. Request me on facebook Michelle Woods-Godfory I have a lot of pictures from being inside the building and outside on the grounds and took video's as well....I will keep you and everyone updated as much as I can,,,,,,

Vik23
Hello, if you want to see pictures of the place request me on facebook Michelle Woods-Godfroy, I have a lot of pictures on their and some viideo's that I just took of the place, the building is being taken down, I want to say within a week, the whole thing is completely gutted out, you can see right thru the place from one end to the other, it's freaky, there was a lot of asbestos and lead paint that we all lived in when we were there and never knew it. I don't know who you are cause I don't know your real name but, just request me on facebook,,,Hope you are doing well since you got out of that horrible place....

And actually I thought the plan was to likely use the land for recreational/park use. I mean right out front is huge sign that's thanking the Waltham taxpayers for their help in acquiring the something small number of acres of land and "building" for the enjoymant and use of the city's residents. Kinda ironic isn't it that it's "public" land but still effing cops are nonetheless on the lookout for "trespassers" **rolling eyes" ;)

See my similar very long description down near the bottom of the posts under the first pic in this album. ;) :)

Yeah I was actually wondering if just maybe they were gonna save the outer shell, like for a low rise building like that why wouldn't they just start tearing it down after removing the asbestos/lead paint etc. vs. knocking out alot of the interior (by the way there was a semi trailer up there that had "Danger asbestos" signs on it so there must've been a lot of it!), but I suppose what it may be is maybe there's so much of it inside the walls etc. they had to do that first.

Oh wait sorry Pookie never mind lemme look into this, I was in such a hurry to make a post when I saw you'd been on today I didn't even read yr whole message first. LOL :)

Hey Pookie, what is you exact Facebook addy?? I so wanna see the pics you took!! :) :D

No, the building is still standing, but, not for long, I was just there a day ago and the whole building is gutted but, the structure itself is still standing,but, I give it a week and it will be gone, I live in Waltham and I go by it almost everyday, if you request me to be a friend on facebook Michelle Woods-Godfroy you can see my pictures of Gaebler and my vidoeos. I have been in the building several times over the past several months. Richard if you want to talk to me about this place request me on facebook, if you don't have a facebook then you sign up an account cause that is where all my Gaebler pictures and videos are.......