This pinterest board makes me almost unspeakably sad...but, why?

[Julie in CA]

Does anyone else have such a strong emotional reaction to these pictures?

Not sure why I do, since I'm not usually super-sensitive, but abandoned buildings have always made me terribly sad.

 

http://pinterest.com/eunice_gentry/abandoned/?e_t=080e9906e8c04967b182ceb05891a954&e_t_s=boards&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly

[GSOchristie]

I am secretly addicted to abandoned Pinterest boards! I love to look at abandoned castles, amusement parks, and asylums.

[SBMama]

A little sad, but cool too.

[Desert Rat]

Hmm... I see the beauty in these buildings, but I agree there is a certain amount of sadness...the lives lived there, memories. Someone had special memories of/in those places. It's a poignant reminder of the impermanence of all things.

 

I stumbled upon momento mori pictures on pinterest, which are also heart-wrenching, but I'm fascinated (read obsessed) with them now. Dang pinterest...

[Jennifer in MI]

My dh works in downtown Detroit. We were looking at the photos and MANY of those buildings have been rehabbed. The Grand Army of the Republic Building is now offices for a design firm. Some of the townhouses in Brush Park have been rehabbed. Yes, there are still many, many buildings in Detroit that are abandoned. BUT, there is some good news.

[Hypatia.]

I've always been drawn to old abandoned places. Looking at pictures such as those evoke a visceral response every time, some of them (maybe of an old mental institution?) very unsettling. The pictures of the old theme parks seem post-apocalyptic, as well as the ones from Pripyat (rightly so).

[justamouse]

Because those buildings are gorgeous, and no one sees or appreciates their beauty enough to take care of them. I'm sure it's cost prohibitive, but yeah, I totally feel that way, too. It's why I bought a Victorian and love fixing it up.

[WishboneDawn]

Beautiful.

 

A friend and I found an abandoned house when I was around 9 or 10. It had once been a fairly grand place (we lived in a village that had once been a ship building center for wooden ships of sail) in the middle of the woods out beyond her family's property. We went in to find a fully furnished house. The floor was giving way but we got in the library (yes, library) and it had bookshelves on three walls, about three or four feet high and they were all full of books! I think there were a lot of medical hardcovers. We each took one and vowed to return the book when we were done reading it. I took one on ghosts and spirits that was published in the nineteen tens and in perfect condition. Never went back to the house though and lost the book long ago.

 

That sounds like something I made up but it was true. If I found that house today I'd be launching a recovery mission for all the books and furnishings but we had romantic ideas about not disturbing the "spirits". Le sigh.

[Isabella]

You are not alone in feeling that way. It's very moving and yes, incredibly sad. Kind of sucks joy out of my heart.

[Garga]

Those particular buildings make me sad, too. It's the idea that it was once a thriving community and now all the people lost their jobs and had the hearbreak of having to move away to find work...it's like the dustbowl of the 30's or something.