Sathorn Unique aka the "Ghost Tower"
July, 2018
If Edgar Allan Poe were to write of my experience at the Ghost Tower, it might go something like this:
'Twas on the morn of my 38th year, when a foreboding skeletal structure came to my leer,
The Sathorn Unique tower, a haunt of ill-repute, a financial disaster of bygone years' fruit.
Rising from the banks of Chao Phraya's flow, across from Wat Yannawa's holy glow,
The "Ghost Tower" stood, a monolithic blight, a cursed edifice of Bangkok's blighted might.
Superstition runs deep in this land of gold, where spirits of the dead are not to be told,
And the tower, with its shadow cast o'er the temple, was deemed ill-omened, a source of simple people's tremble.
For years, I avoided this cliche of fame, for the tales of hauntings were not my aim,
But to complete my portfolio of ruins, I knew I must brave the "Ghost Tower's" dreary tunes.
The project began with grandiose dreams, a 47-story luxury tower, or so it seems,
But the developer's legal woes and the crisis of '97, left the tower abandoned, a victim of fate's cruel twist.
Now, decades later, the tower stands still, a haven for urban explorers' thrill,
But the owner, a businessman with plans delayed, looks on with frustration, as trespassers invade.
I was granted entry, but alas, I cannot say, how I breached the fence and made my way,
For to encourage others to do the same, would only add to the guards' burdens of shame.
But within the tower, I did roam, capturing images of the forgotten dome,
And though I left with but an hour and a half, the memories of the "Ghost Tower" will forever be etched in my staff.'
But here is how I wrote it:
Sathorn Unique, aka the semi-legendary ‘Ghost Tower’, is an unmistakably imposing skeletal reminder of a financial disaster of decades past. It rises forebodingly just off of the the Chao Phraya River, across from Wat Yannawa on Charoen Krung road in Central Bangkok, Thailand. This tower is arguably the most well-known and notorious abandoned structure in all of Southeast Asia. The fabled building is the site of some nefarious events, with many Bangkokians viewing the premises as irrevocably haunted. The tower is considered to be ill-omened due to the fact that casts a shadow over the famous temple across the road, Wat Yannawa, combined with the likelihood that it was built on a former burial ground. Thailand is a very superstitious place, especially with regard to Buddhism & the dead, so the fact that the tower was abandoned in mid-construction and subsequently surrounded in notoriety was not so surprising to many.
Though the ‘Ghost Tower’ is probably the most famous of all the abandoned buildings in Thailand , I had avoided going in for years due to the fact that it’s become such an over-documented cliché in the news & on social media. It simply didn’t interest me and I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of getting in, especially due to all of the negative publicity and problems caused by foreign 'visitors'. However, I came to the realization that it would be impossible to complete my portfolio of abandoned locations in Thailand without documenting the most famous one of them all. So, on my 38th birthday I was lucky enough to get special permission to enter. In doing so I shot a lot of pictures and checked a BIG item off of my ‘to-shoot’ list.
The project began in 1990, planned as a 47-story luxury condominium tower with 600 units. The tower was designed by the same Thai architect and developer who designed the neighboring State Tower, with structural similarities between the two buildings impossible to miss. The reasons for the project’s abandonment steer partly from the developer’s legal issues (check Wikipedia), but mainly from the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, locally known as the ‘Tomyumgoong’ crisis. Sathorn Unique became yet another victim of the collapse of the Thai real estate market stemming from the economic crisis, the same as two other towers in the city that I’ve explored, ICE Tower in Din Daeng & Thai Fa tower in Bang Na, joining a total of around 300 other high-rise projects. Now, some 20+ years later, the “ghost tower” sits in stasis with no current plans for either demolition or completion of the project. It has seen quite a bit of publicity over the past several years, as urban explorers, street artists, parkour enthusiasts and curiosity seekers have shared many a picture & video of the site online. There was also a suicide of a Swedish man on the 43rd floor in 2014 and a widely shared video by some foreign parkour runners, which led to the tightening of security and threat of legal action on anyone caught trespassing on the site.
I was lucky enough to get to chat with the low-profile owner of the building, Mr. Pansit Torsuwan, and hear his feelings regarding the dangers posed by the many curiosity seekers who attempt to enter the premises. He understands the curiosity that the public has with the tower, but he is responsible for looking after the property and, as such, is concerned about trespassers who might vandalize the building or, even worse, hurt themselves in what is undoubtedly a dangerous place. Furthermore, there are more complex issues regarding the ongoing construction project that go beyond the concern of trespassers.
Entry is off limits to the public with 24-hour security, a large fence, and the stairwell entry locked up tight. There have been guards in the past who have allowed people in for a small fee, but they are always replaced with new ones who have strict instructions not to allow anyone inside. Mr. Pansit characterized it like this: ‘How would you feel if you asked somebody to watch over your house, and he let people come in without your permission?’ This is a fair point. I’d be pretty angry. For those of us who are into urban exploration, we tend to see the locations only from our own perspective of seeking adventure or documentation. For the owners or those responsible for the site, it’s a completely different view. Mr. Pansit is, basically, just a normal businessman who’s trying to move forward with a long-delayed project. He doesn't blame people for their interest, but dealing with it for so long has been pretty frustrating.
I was able to gain entry with permission, though I won’t disclose how as I don’t wish to encourage the backpackers & tourists who regularly hassle the nice security guards to try and get in. They’ve had to deal with a lot of annoyances and I’d rather not add to that. I will say that I was given an hour and a half to explore and shoot pictures, and I did the best that I could in that time.
Read MoreIf Edgar Allan Poe were to write of my experience at the Ghost Tower, it might go something like this:
'Twas on the morn of my 38th year, when a foreboding skeletal structure came to my leer,
The Sathorn Unique tower, a haunt of ill-repute, a financial disaster of bygone years' fruit.
Rising from the banks of Chao Phraya's flow, across from Wat Yannawa's holy glow,
The "Ghost Tower" stood, a monolithic blight, a cursed edifice of Bangkok's blighted might.
Superstition runs deep in this land of gold, where spirits of the dead are not to be told,
And the tower, with its shadow cast o'er the temple, was deemed ill-omened, a source of simple people's tremble.
For years, I avoided this cliche of fame, for the tales of hauntings were not my aim,
But to complete my portfolio of ruins, I knew I must brave the "Ghost Tower's" dreary tunes.
The project began with grandiose dreams, a 47-story luxury tower, or so it seems,
But the developer's legal woes and the crisis of '97, left the tower abandoned, a victim of fate's cruel twist.
Now, decades later, the tower stands still, a haven for urban explorers' thrill,
But the owner, a businessman with plans delayed, looks on with frustration, as trespassers invade.
I was granted entry, but alas, I cannot say, how I breached the fence and made my way,
For to encourage others to do the same, would only add to the guards' burdens of shame.
But within the tower, I did roam, capturing images of the forgotten dome,
And though I left with but an hour and a half, the memories of the "Ghost Tower" will forever be etched in my staff.'
But here is how I wrote it:
Sathorn Unique, aka the semi-legendary ‘Ghost Tower’, is an unmistakably imposing skeletal reminder of a financial disaster of decades past. It rises forebodingly just off of the the Chao Phraya River, across from Wat Yannawa on Charoen Krung road in Central Bangkok, Thailand. This tower is arguably the most well-known and notorious abandoned structure in all of Southeast Asia. The fabled building is the site of some nefarious events, with many Bangkokians viewing the premises as irrevocably haunted. The tower is considered to be ill-omened due to the fact that casts a shadow over the famous temple across the road, Wat Yannawa, combined with the likelihood that it was built on a former burial ground. Thailand is a very superstitious place, especially with regard to Buddhism & the dead, so the fact that the tower was abandoned in mid-construction and subsequently surrounded in notoriety was not so surprising to many.
Though the ‘Ghost Tower’ is probably the most famous of all the abandoned buildings in Thailand , I had avoided going in for years due to the fact that it’s become such an over-documented cliché in the news & on social media. It simply didn’t interest me and I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of getting in, especially due to all of the negative publicity and problems caused by foreign 'visitors'. However, I came to the realization that it would be impossible to complete my portfolio of abandoned locations in Thailand without documenting the most famous one of them all. So, on my 38th birthday I was lucky enough to get special permission to enter. In doing so I shot a lot of pictures and checked a BIG item off of my ‘to-shoot’ list.
The project began in 1990, planned as a 47-story luxury condominium tower with 600 units. The tower was designed by the same Thai architect and developer who designed the neighboring State Tower, with structural similarities between the two buildings impossible to miss. The reasons for the project’s abandonment steer partly from the developer’s legal issues (check Wikipedia), but mainly from the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, locally known as the ‘Tomyumgoong’ crisis. Sathorn Unique became yet another victim of the collapse of the Thai real estate market stemming from the economic crisis, the same as two other towers in the city that I’ve explored, ICE Tower in Din Daeng & Thai Fa tower in Bang Na, joining a total of around 300 other high-rise projects. Now, some 20+ years later, the “ghost tower” sits in stasis with no current plans for either demolition or completion of the project. It has seen quite a bit of publicity over the past several years, as urban explorers, street artists, parkour enthusiasts and curiosity seekers have shared many a picture & video of the site online. There was also a suicide of a Swedish man on the 43rd floor in 2014 and a widely shared video by some foreign parkour runners, which led to the tightening of security and threat of legal action on anyone caught trespassing on the site.
I was lucky enough to get to chat with the low-profile owner of the building, Mr. Pansit Torsuwan, and hear his feelings regarding the dangers posed by the many curiosity seekers who attempt to enter the premises. He understands the curiosity that the public has with the tower, but he is responsible for looking after the property and, as such, is concerned about trespassers who might vandalize the building or, even worse, hurt themselves in what is undoubtedly a dangerous place. Furthermore, there are more complex issues regarding the ongoing construction project that go beyond the concern of trespassers.
Entry is off limits to the public with 24-hour security, a large fence, and the stairwell entry locked up tight. There have been guards in the past who have allowed people in for a small fee, but they are always replaced with new ones who have strict instructions not to allow anyone inside. Mr. Pansit characterized it like this: ‘How would you feel if you asked somebody to watch over your house, and he let people come in without your permission?’ This is a fair point. I’d be pretty angry. For those of us who are into urban exploration, we tend to see the locations only from our own perspective of seeking adventure or documentation. For the owners or those responsible for the site, it’s a completely different view. Mr. Pansit is, basically, just a normal businessman who’s trying to move forward with a long-delayed project. He doesn't blame people for their interest, but dealing with it for so long has been pretty frustrating.
I was able to gain entry with permission, though I won’t disclose how as I don’t wish to encourage the backpackers & tourists who regularly hassle the nice security guards to try and get in. They’ve had to deal with a lot of annoyances and I’d rather not add to that. I will say that I was given an hour and a half to explore and shoot pictures, and I did the best that I could in that time.
