Category Archives: abandoned buildings
Left
Left behind: flouncy curtains in a wood-paneled room.
Left behind: dreams that didn’t survive reality.
Pep, Texas
photographed 2.16.2014
A once-grand structure
Here’s a daytime view of of this building. I really don’t know what it used to be, but whatever it was must have been important…
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
photographed 5.4.2013
The old power plant
A couple of careers back, when I worked at an architectural firm, we were contacted by a man who had Grand Ideas. That happened a lot; in almost all cases the ideas were much, much grander than the budget.
So, this particular Grand Idea was going to be using this old power plant building as a gym. Nice concept, to renovate a building and give it a new use. Nice concept, too, to have a gym in downtown Lubbock. But that’s about as far as it went. Of course the money wasn’t there. Neither, for that matter, were potential members of the gym, since there really aren’t that many people downtown.
And now, many years later, the place is still there, still empty, still waiting on a Grand Idea that might actually work out.
But at least it’s got some interesting materials and shadows to photograph. (You can see the building’s previous appearance here on the blog.)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 3.2.2013
“This is not my beautiful house.”
It was the part of town where a fairly high percentage of mean-looking dogs weren’t on a leash. Or a chain. I have an inherent fear of dogs anyway, and these particular animals looked like maybe they’d been waiting all day to enjoy a nice snack of photographer’s leg.
So, I stayed in the car to take this picture.
Which is why I heard the Talking Heads on the radio, singing “Once in a Lifetime” while I was shooting. And at the very moment I took this shot, I heard David Byrne sing, “This is not my beautiful house.” Coincidence or not – either way, I was greatly amused.
Slaton, Texas
photographed 3.9.2014
A chevron, suspended
While there is surely some psychological reasons that I am drawn to abandoned places like this, we are all probably better off without knowing what they may be. Let’s just decide that my obsession is probably (mostly) harmless, and let it go. OK?
Anyway. Check out that roof, with its chevron shape, and the way it appears to be suspended from that T-shaped tower and pair of cables.
Also, you might be interested to know that the door on the right side is actually blue.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
photographed 9.22.2013
One Day | One Image 