[Suburbia Lost] By Night

Apr 9

Some new Suburbia Lost entries that, despite their derelict status, are all aglow in the evening. An office supply store, a ubiquitous fast food restaurant, and a bank.

Staples recently unveiled a new brand identity (via an overly-elaborate video that gained some internet infamy), but their previous look remains familiar, even when they scrub off the logo and ditch a location. The cool-temperature lights inside the building now call to prospective new tenants (in an area awash with plenty of vacant strip mall real estate) rather than office supply hungry patrons. Note the other abandoned building sharing the parking lot in the background.

At this former Chase Bank north of Cincinnati in Forest Park, the lights are still shining. If the power’s still on, do the pneumatic tubes of the drive-through still work? This building could honestly make a cool coffee shop/restaurant/bar ala The Village Troubador (another re-purposed bank in nearby Green Hills). Make some outdoor seating under the awning and deliver cans of local beer via bank tube.

I’d been seeing the abandoned Taco Bell just off the interstate for a bit, its lights shining as if they were still beckoning the thirsty populace towards 'Baja Blast' and its "vintage" appearance. Getting to this place from the highway was a bit of an adventure—a maze of temporary ramps and orange barrels that speak to the vast amount of road construction in the area. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason for this business’ closure, but the cross-street Wendy’s was still humming along with a steady stream of customers among the din of engine brakes from the nearby expressway.

Interstate work in this area is nothing new, several nearby homes were documented here on QC/D back in 2013 when they were demolished for the freeway expansion.