Water softly drips from cracks in the wall. The smell of dust and decay swirl in the air. Jagged pieces of concrete and broken glass protrude from the floors and walls. To many people, such a building would look dangerous, ominous, and apocalyptic. But for some, there is beauty, purpose and a story behind abandoned spaces.

“What I see it as, especially if it’s been abandoned for a long time, you can see that place —- what it was like back then,” Source A said. “I mainly appreciate it for the history.”

Dusty air and broken structures may seem unappealing, but for people who enjoy exploring abandoned buildings — a hobby coined as ‘urban exploration’ — there is much more to a forgotten space than what meets the eye. Many urban explorers are enchanted by the oddities found in deserted structures of wood and concrete that were once full of movement and life.
“I try to be pretty respectful of it … I like to take pictures and stuff like that, because the stuff you find is really cool,” Source B said. “Just to remember it.”

Others tend to leave more evidence that they were there, with some taking souvenirs of the places they explore while others do graffiti, which can range from silly nicknames and initials to full pieces of intricate spray paint art.

“We took some Coke signs, and a no smoking sign,” Source A said. “It’s [full of] relics.”

Some people are mesmerized by the concept of abandonment itself. Catherine Kellett (11) chose to focus her AP Art portfolio on abandoned things and their meanings.

“I wanted to do something that can be interpreted a lot of different ways while still having a prevailing theme, and the concept of abandonment really spoke to me at the time,” Kellett said. 

Two works in Kellett’s portfolio feature abandoned buildings, with one being a dilapidated house, and the other being a deserted gas station.

“[These buildings] tell stories,” Kellett said. “I think as humans, we sort of personify a lot of things, and especially buildings or houses when it feels like something’s happened here you sort of give … the building itself a personality of its own … I think it’s really interesting to wonder [what happened] there.”

Many urban explorers discover new places to explore via word of mouth, or even just simply keeping a watchful eye for abandoned buildings while out and about. However, there are some infamous buildings around Memphis that many explorers long to enter — the most sought after likely being 100 North Main St.  Standing at 430 feet, 100 North Main St. is the tallest building in Memphis, but it has been completely abandoned since 2016. Once home to restaurants, offices and more, the top of the building features an all glass lookout, a dream spot for many explorers. Once upon a time,100 North Main St. was a haven for people exploring; however, increased trespassing and vandalism led to silent alarms and police intervention, leaving the building nearly impossible for explorers to scout.

“You kind of have to know the location, get the location from a reliable source, because there can be hidden alarms,” Source B said. “Another good thing to do is look up if anyone owns the building … if nobody owns it just make sure no one sees you go in.”

With trespassing being considered a misdemeanor, trouble with authority can plague explorers hoping to discover something new. Since further illegal activity, such as theft, destruction of property and vandalism often pair hand in hand with urban exploration, authority figures keep a keen eye out for possible explorers seeking to discover new places and things.

“There was one time we were trying to go on this boat … and this guy [yelled] at us saying we were going to drown in the mud and [stuff], so we just kind of snuck around him,” Source B said.

Despite the dangers of loose floorboards, weakened structures and chances of encountering authority, explorers willingly take on these risks to discover and appreciate the oddities of forgotten places.

“Not to sound corny, but there’s adventure to it … the unknown part about it,” Source B said.  “You never really know what you’re gonna find. You find a lot of cool stuff that used to have [a] purpose but now it’s just like, abandoned by society.”