ABANDONMENT
The Ephemeral Nature of Human Endeavors
URBAN BLIGHT
The Buildings That Make No City Proud
August 6, 2003
Urban blight is familiar to all city dwellers. Often, some portion of a city
will become undesirable and residents and businesses will move away, leaving
numerous boarded-up buildings in their wake. Even in relatively good locations,
businesses fail or move to better buildings, leaving behind empty hulks that
can take years to be either reoccupied or demolished.
Salt Lake City does not have huge blighted inner city areas, but it does have
numerous islands of blight, usually centered on locations where businesses
have left. Many of these blight islands are located in prime areas where
real estate values are high, and yet they never seem to be reoccupied. Big
box stores either fail or move to bigger boxes, and their buildings can sit
unoccupied for years and years, causing real estate in the immediate vicinity
to lose value and sometimes become abandoned. Old gas stations close down,
and their empty hulks sit for years, even when they are located at prime
corners. Perhaps there are environmental clean-up problems which no prospective
owner wishes to tackle.
Abandoned urban buildings attract their own type of commerce. The empty
parking lots sometimes serve as unofficial used car lots; it is common to see
a few old cars lined up, each with a For Sale sign and a price hastily drawn
on a window. Some of these places also serve as a temporary location for
people to hawk their wares - garden ornaments seem to be especially popular.
Like it or not, abandoned buildings will always be part of the urban landscape.
People will complain incessantly about them, but they will never go away. The
complainers may be successful and one will be demolished, but others will always
appear. This is not always so bad. Boarded-up buildings add to the variety
and character of a city. They make the place look real. Not all dreams
succeed, and the empty shells of buildings will always serve as a reminder of
that fact.
This small photo gallery shows a few abandoned buildings in Salt Lake City,
Utah. I have not chosen the glamorous or spectacular ones; instead, I have
chosen the buildings that are typical of any urban landscape. Although all of
these buildings are located here, they should be representative of such
buildings in cities all over the United States.
An abandoned house seen through a vacant lot on 300 West between 500 North
and 600 North
The former "Evans Fabricating", a remnant located among modern
airport-oriented hotels on North Temple Street near 2200 West
An abandoned house on 4500 South near 1300 East
This is a familiar site in urban environments. Restaurants frequently go out
of business, and these are two prime examples. Both are located on 900 East.
The one on the left is at 5600 South, and the other is near the Van Winkle
Expressway.
I have been enjoying this building for years. It is a business venture,
"Smith's Gas & Video", which did not last very long, although its remains
have persisted for years. Abandoned gas stations never seem to go away.
This is a familiar sight - an abandoned big box retailer. These are becoming
increasingly common throughout the country. This former hardware store is
located on 900 East near the Van Winkle Expressway.
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Heather Harrison. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to accredited
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