{"id":434,"date":"2013-12-23T23:14:26","date_gmt":"2013-12-24T05:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/decidedlygrim.net\/forlorn\/?p=434"},"modified":"2014-03-21T19:08:42","modified_gmt":"2014-03-22T00:08:42","slug":"government-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/decidedlygrim.net\/forlorn\/?p=434","title":{"rendered":"Government Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Date of Visit: 11\/11\/11<\/p>\n

There’s a building that I love. \u00a0It’s nice looking from the outside, but nothing exceptional. \u00a0It was built in 1926 so it has that air of grandiosity that accompanies almost everything built in the roaring 20’s. \u00a0The architect who designed it took his own life the year it was built, as a warehouse for an electric company. \u00a0It was later used as city offices before being abandoned in the 90’s. \u00a0Now it sits with broken windows, exposed to the elements and slowly decaying.<\/p>\n

When I first entered this building, I was struck by the unbearable 1970’s ugliness of it all. \u00a0Office after office covered in fake wood paneling, with hideous drop ceilings and carpeted floors. \u00a0Moldy, dank and dark.<\/p>\n

And then I opened a door and entered the main entrance and stairwell of the building and it was like Dorothy stepping out of black and white Kansas into the brilliant technicolor of Oz. \u00a0I literally gasped aloud! \u00a0Look at all those fabulous colors! \u00a0The peeling paint! \u00a0The marvelous ironwork of the railings! \u00a0The vintage signs! \u00a0Now, all abandoned buildings should look this lovely.<\/p>\n

Sadly, it’s only this one small area of the building that looks this nice… but one can only imagine how nice it would clean up if the paneling, carpet, and drop ceilings were removed. \u00a0It seems unlikely that will happen in this barren, forgotten city. \u00a0I suspect it will eventually be demolished.<\/p>\n

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