Red paint fades fast. And according to the Google, the reason is that is red pigments are highly vulnerable to UV radiation, which breaks down their chemical bonds, and this often leads to the previously-red paint taking on a pink or chalky appearance over time.

When I was taking this photo a local gentleman pulled up and asked me the usual question (“What are you doing?”) and then offered to sell me the building for fifty bucks. He said, “Course it ain’t got no roof.” Later conversation revealed that he is not actually the owner; handing over the cash to him on the spot would have been a Bad Business Decision™.

But all that aside, I find some level of symbolism in the faded red of a flag-painted building in the middle of Oklahoma.

Snyder, Oklahoma
photographed 4.25.2026