I Am Beautiful, No Matter What They Say

Urban decay. Old buildings falling into ruin. Edgy, dangerous, desolate, an inhospitable city landscape.

I don’t know why I see beauty in the abandoned but I do. Maybe it all comes down to my penchant for the underdog, the disenfranchised. After all, you can’t get a greater symbol of the downtrodden than a falling apart building.

It almost seems like the old buildings are shouting: The future is here, see what happens when you look away? Their appeal is frightening, fascinating, the way a speck of blood looks on jagged glass.

They had so many stories within their walls. They have so many stories. Disregarded, but still worth a look.

Urban decay. Still beautiful, no matter what they say….

34 thoughts on “I Am Beautiful, No Matter What They Say”

    1. I like ruins as well, John. I would love to see the classic ones in Greece and Italy. Now that would be cool. I’ll check out your link shortly. I am very behind in my reading. Oops.

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  2. Hi Selma,
    It is such a shame to see old buildings falling down and neglected, it is a pity that a lot of these building were not renovated before the state of no return.

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    1. I think that too, Mags. There’s so much usable space and most of these are on large blocks of land. I think many of them are government owned so often there is quibbling over what to do with the site. Seems such a shame.

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  3. There’s something about old buildings that I like also…sometimes I think it may be wondering about the history and stories they speak of. 🙂

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  4. I totally agree with you. I love sitting and looking at old buildings, waiting for their story to come into my mind. There is some sorrow, as someone’s hopes and dreams are also abandoned and decaying. (and this is the second time I’ve tried to comment, hopefully this one will take. yay, technology…)

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    1. Some of the legit comments have been getting spammed lately. Sorry about that, Karen. I feel the sorrow too but I guess it’s part of the story. Makes the whole thing richer in a way. I also love sitting and waiting for the story….

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  5. Gorgeous Selma. You already know about my love of old, decrepit buildings … and you have some beautiful examples here. 🙂

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  6. Who says these aren’t beautiful? Let me at them; I’ll punch them and kick them where the sun don’t shine. Everything on this planet can be beautiful but it takes someone like Selma’s passion to show it to some people.

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  7. I’ve got this tendency to look at old abandoned buildings and think ‘If I owned this, what could I do with it?’ And, I could count on my thumbs the number of times I’ve simply thought ‘Knock it down, and build something else’. I even think an abandoned and fast-decaying former supermarket in our town centre has potential!

    I was thinking, too, about the number of abandoned houses in our area that could be compulsorily purchased, renovated and sold on as ‘affordable housing’ … one, in particlular, you can’t miss as you enter Salisbury from the north. Hardly a good advertisement for a beautiful city.

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    1. I agree with you 100%, Travelrat. I see so many abandoned houses and immediately think someone could live there and it wouldn’t cost too much to refurb them. It seems such a shame to just let them rot away. I don’t know why it happens so much…

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  11. Oh I agree! I think there is so much beauty there – probably because I love to think of the ghosts, the layers of history and as you say, the stories. Love the photos!

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    1. I’m sure some of them have some spirits wandering about, Jen. I’ll need to hang around at dark sometime and see what I can pick up!

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    1. I love old signs too, Gabe. One of my most favourite things ever. Especially neon signs. Give me a few vintage neon signs to check out and I’m happy!

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  14. I like the photos Selma. I’m not a fan of old run down places though. Probably stems from growing up in an old rundown place. To this day I can’t stay in any building that was once heated by oil, it freaks me out and makes me nauseated because I can still smell it. I can’t go barefoot indoors, from walking on crumbling concrete in the house I was a child in.
    It’s funny how these things stay with you. Here it is 40 years later and the thought still makes me shudder. lol

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    1. I know what you mean, Cathy. When I was a kid my aunt lived in this old rundown place with peeling wallpaper and those old plaster ceilings that used to drop bits on the floor all day long. She bought it with the intention of doing it up but never did. My cousins and I convinced each other the house was haunted. Whenever I see mouldy old plaster ceilings I shudder a bit. Those things DO stay with you!

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    1. Thanks for saying that, Bandsmoke. I think the truth is I’m a little bit nosy. Hahahaha. And yes, if those walls could talk just imagine what they would say……

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  16. I like deserted buildings falling into ruin too. I always imagine what they were like in their prime. I also have a thing about taking pictures of dead trees… I know, weird.

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    1. I like dead trees too, Patti, even though I feel sad they are dead. There is a fascination for me because they retain their shape even when they’re gone. Sounds like my next photo project!

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