Discarded

dis·card verb get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable. Similar: abandon, reject

Every day, I drive without looking around. I don’t notice the buildings that are right beside me, even though I pass them all the time. When I started this project, I was thinking of a building that was about to be torn down. I wanted to document it, even though that building had no real meaning in my life. It still felt important. Then I began to make a list of other buildings, and I asked others for places to add to my list. Unsurprisingly, I only got a few answers because others are the same as I am, just driving by without really looking.

I spent several days looking around, driving to new areas, watching for buildings to photograph. And that’s when I finally started to see them all. Sometimes they are clustered together, around Metrocenter Mall or on Grand Avenue, and other times, they are in the middle of a thriving area.

Some of these buildings are about to be torn down, and the land they are on will be repurposed for a new complex of apartments, restaurants, and businesses. Others are available for lease, with owners hoping that someone will find value and want to move into that space.

And then there is at least one that isn’t slated for demolition or up for lease. It’s just sitting there. Discarded in function but still has the possibility of being wanted sometime in the future.