Photographer Johnny Joo Talks All Things Abandoned… And That Time He Was Arrested At Mike Tyson’s Mansion

Welcome to Only In Your State’s newest series, Rumor Has It, where we celebrate the local rumors – fact and fiction – that make America unique. And who better to discuss rumor-laden ghost towns and abandoned destinations across the United States than Johnny Joo, a Cleveland-based photographer specializing in capturing eerie and fascinating abandoned spots?

Joo’s images are featured in Only In Your State’s Vacant series, where you can read about everything from ghost towns and abandoned schools to hospitals, military forts, and even a castle. 

An internationally accredited photographer, Johnny Joo’s work has been published in four books and featured in myriad art installations and videography. However, he stumbled into his career in the way many of us find our passions — through exploration. 

Joo grew up with a disposable camera in his hand, and only in looking back did he recognize just how often he took photographs of unique places — like the farmhouse he frequently drove past with his mother, which was tilted on its side and covered in ivy. 

“[Abandoned structures] weren’t something I ever noticed or picked out, but I thought it would be a cool subject to find more of. I started venturing out with my friends a bit more. We started going to Cleveland,” recalls Joo. “Cleveland, being the city it is, has a lot of urban decay. It’s part of the rust belt, so there are a ton of schools, churches, lots of houses, tons of factories.” 

Capturing interesting photographs for Myspace, a love for horror movies and video games, and a beginner’s photography class in high school collided for Joo into a hobby he never planned on becoming a career: “There was no deep or underlying thing to me; it was just, this reminds me of a video game. It eventually became a lot deeper; actually connecting to the places, learning the history, and realizing how much we’ve thrown away in our cities.” 

Johnny Joo started his blog, Architectural Afterlife, in 2012. Showcasing urban exploration — or urbex — photography, Johnny began sharing the beauty of dusty old farmhouses and industrial remains of the Rust Belt. Throughout his career, Joo has captured images of everything from ghost towns, schools, and asylums to sports stadiums, factories, and so much more. He found a Bugati from the 1920s in an abandoned garage he was told was worth more than a million dollars. His favorite places to capture, though, are abandoned homes, greenhouses, and shopping malls. 

“I really love abandoned malls. It’s something that I got to grow up with.” Like people who grew up visiting ‘50s diners, Joo feels a sense of nostalgia for visiting shopping malls like the ones he used to frequent. “Plus, they’re huge structures. They were always so full of people, so seeing one empty is eerie.” 

Joo has even photographed some famous properties and gotten in a bit of trouble during his career – like the time he visited Mike Tyson’s abandoned Ohio mansion and was arrested for trespassing in 2013, but then later visited legally — with a local judge and his mother, no less. 

The once-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Mike Tyson, built a multi-million dollar mansion in Southington, Ohio, near one of his trainers. The 1980s mansion was opulent, with crystal chandeliers, a pool larger than most homes, and a tiger-print carpet. 

After being arrested, Johnny sold one of his photographs to a local judge and asked him for help coordinating a legal visit with the new owners of the property: “The guy who bought the property turned it into a church. Weird, you know, it goes from cocaine and tigers to a church. So, anyway, we went back. It was me, the judge and his wife, my mom, and my two friends that I got in trouble with. And we all explored the house.” 

More than a photographer, Joo dives into the rich history of the locations he photographs, using old newspapers, property records, and even local experts to help him craft the history he shares with the world. Sometimes, this history exists nowhere else in the modern internet. 

Take, for example, the David Miller House (pictured above). According to a local man Joo met while photographing the home, rumor had it that David Miller had hired two Washington township residents — Clyde Bourne and Chester Smith — for $25 to murder a man and woman he was worried about having seen him burn down a neighbor’s barn. 

Deep in newspaper archives from the 1930s, Joo discovered that the claim was true: “It was the largest trial in Ohio at the time and was the most expensive court case in the country. This is not documented anywhere; it’s just in these old newspapers.”

(P.S. You can read the entire story of the David Miller House on Johnny’s website — it’s a truly fascinating historic account of a relatively unknown crime. If you’re a true crime junkie like me, you won’t be disappointed.)

In capturing abandoned destinations and learning about their history, Joo is a historian as well as a photographer — preserving the history of America one old farmhouse at a time: “I’m going to be that guy, if I make it to 80 years old, sitting at the bus stop or whatever, saying this obnoxious, off-the-wall stuff. People are going to think I’m crazy, but it’s all true, and no one is going to believe me.” 

Discover thirteen incredible destinations Johnny has visited in Only In Your State's Vacant, including an abandoned military battery in Washington and an iconic Ohio amusement park we can't wait to see restored to its former glory.

Learn more about Johnny Joo’s photography and the abandoned places he has visited on his websites, Architectural Afterlife, and Odd World Studio. To support Johnny's incredible work, follow his Facebook page or order one of his photography books.