big box redux

Slate’s slideshow of re-purposed big box stores. Old Wal-Mart’s become libraries, churches and go kart tracks.

Although big-box stores may appear to have an ephemeral, disposable quality, these structures rarely just go away. They exert power over our communities long after the companies that built them have turned off the lights. Integrating these unwieldy structures into the commercial or civic life of our cities and towns requires ingenuity, but as the retail landscape of America continues to change, it is also becoming increasingly imperative.