Reusing the Big Box

When a large store of a retail chain closes down, what is left is a big vacant, empty space. The retailer in question generally doesn't resell or lease the property to its competitors. So what happens to these "big boxes"?

Julia Christensen began investigating how Communities are Re-Using the Big Box in January of 2004. Throughout the spring and summer of 2004, she traveled over 17,000 miles around the country in her car, visiting the sites and meeting the people who are making these transformations possible.

Highlights include the Spam Musem (a renovated K-Mart) in Austin, the RPM Indoor Raceway (a renovated Wal-Mart) in Round Rock, Nelson County Justice Center (ex-Wal-Mart Lot) in Bardstown, KY, TX and the Jen Library of Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Check out How Communities are Re-Using the Big Box - a well-designed presentation of an interesting research.