It wasn't the devil who made him do it, but curiosity that compelled Terry to enter the century-old building nicknamed the Demon Hotel.

Many of us saw video of the exterior of 44 Hargrave St. on April 6 as it was destroyed by what has been deemed an arson, but few saw its interior recently.

Terry, an amateur photographer with an interest in history, remembers going into the boarded-up apartment block a couple of years ago with his camera in hand.

"As a photographer I like to take pictures of old, decaying things," he said Monday. "It's hard to explain, but I've always really wanted to go into an old building and I thought I can't pass this up. I have to go in."

Terry was willing to share his photos with Sun readers, but asked that I not use his last name since what he did was considered trespassing.

Terry was visiting a friend who lived in an apartment block nearby and they were talking about the building, which opened in 1910 as Kenilworth Court but had been vacant several years. They saw graffiti behind the four-storey building that read Demon Hotel.

Intrigued, they went to the back door and were stunned to find it wasn't locked.

"That's mainly the reason we went in," Terry said, adding the front of the building was fenced off. "We we were walking in the back lane and there was no tape or signs saying do not enter.

"It was really, really dark in the building because most of the windows were boarded up. I didn't have my camera."

The two used Terry's cellphone to light the way, but left minutes later. They returned the next day with Terry's camera and spent two hours exploring the entire building.

"We went on the roof, we went in the basement and checked out every floor," Terry said. "We were taking baby steps because on some of the floors there were holes and you could fall straight through."

Terry used his camera flash on rapid fire to navigate through the darkness. He wasn't aware how deteriorated its condition was until he saw the photos later in proper lighting.

Most of the rooms were gutted aside from the basement, where he came across a large boiler and a bathtub. There were signs of work being done to dismantle the building, including ladders and lighting equipment.

However, despite its reputation of being haunted, Terry didn't see any ghostly images.

Last Friday, police charged five youth -- three girls and two boys aged 12-15 -- with arson with disregard for human life, causing property damage, breaking and entering and possessing incendiary materials. The fire caused $1 million damage, including some to a neighbouring building.

Terry wasn't surprised.

"There was empty beer bottles and cigarette packages all over the place," Terry said. "You could tell people were going in there regularly."

Despite the danger of entering the decrepit building, Terry considered it a worthwhile experience.

"I've never done anything like that, but you get this weird feeling, sort of like you're going back in time," he said.

For those who would like to enter some of our city's most interesting historic buildings, without the threat of being arrested or falling through a floor, Heritage Winnipeg presents the 12th annual Doors Open Winnipeg (doorsopenwinnipeg.ca) on May 30-31.

The free event celebrates Winnipeg's unique spaces, architecture and history, showcasing more than 80 buildings and sites.