Places becoming abandoned that were once filled with daily life and the bustle of people has always fascinated me. A structure, frozen in time, standing as a lonely reflection of what it once was is a hauntingly mesmerizing thing. Seeing nature overtake a place that was once alive is something to marvel at. Weathered and decayed by time, the places listed (in no particular order) are great examples of the past; instilling wonder, curiosity, and a chilling mystery in all of us.
1. Disney's River Country - Bay Lake, FL
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River Country was Disney's first water park, opened in 1976. The water park closed its doors to visitors permanently in September 2001. This park, designed to have an old-fashioned swimming-hole feel, never reopened and was declared permanently closed in 2005.
2. Rolling Acres Mall - Akron, OH
Opened in 1975, this mall was once home to over 140 stores. Rolling Acres featured skylights and shrubbery throughout its two stories. The mall eventually closed in 2011 after one of its financiers, Nomura Assets Securities Corporation, got a downgraded credit rating. This caused existing retailers to leave the mall and new retailers to steer clear of renting out its space.
3. Uptown Theatre - Chicago, IL
The Uptown Theatre was built in northern Chicago in 1925 and was the largest movie house in Chicago with over 4,000 seats. In December 1981, the theater closed its doors for good due to a declining neighborhood. The Uptown still remains to be one of the largest theaters in the United States.
4. Six Flags - New Orleans, LA
This amusement park was closed due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Six Flags then ceased their lease with the City of New Orleans on the park after surveying the damages left from the storm. The New Orleans Police Department now patrols the park, which remains closed and in critical condition despite talks of redevelopment.
5. First Presbyterian Church - Taiban, NM
Taiban, New Mexico was founded in 1906 with the development of the railroad across eastern New Mexico. In 1908, the First Presbyterian Church of Taiban was built. By the 1930's, passenger train services quit travelling to Taiban due to the development of highways in the area. This left the already small town of Taiban, along with its church, in the dust of the past.
