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Big Box Reuse by Julia Christensen
In Big Box Reuse, Julia Christensen shows us how ten communities have addressed the problem of empty big box stores, turning vacated Wal-Marts and Kmarts into something a church, a library, a school, a medical center, a courthouse, a recreation center, a museum, or other civic-minded structures. In each case, what was once a place to shop has become a center of community life. Christensen crisscrossed America identifying these projects, then photographed, videotaped, and interviewed the people involved. The first-person accounts and color photographs of Big Box Reuse reveal the hidden stories behind the transformation of these facades into gateways of community life. Whether a big box store becomes a "Senior Resource Center" or a museum devoted to Spam (the kind that comes in a can), each renovation displays a community's resourcefulness and creativity - but it also raises questions about how big box buildings affect the lives of communities. What does it mean for us and for the future of America if the spaces of commerce built by a few monolithic corporations become the sites where education, medicine, religion, and culture are dispensed wholesale to the populace?
Hardcover
First published November 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 15, 2018
BOTTOM-LINE:
An interesting series of case studies for a common modern day problem
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PLOT OR PREMISE:
The textbook-sized book includes ten case studies across America where former big box stores – Walmarts and Kmarts – have been put to new use after the store left or closed.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
"I was drawn to the premise of the book as I have frequently seen large big box stores in Canada, anchoring malls and plazas, move out and languish empty for a number of years. Sometimes it is a short time and another retailer moves in. Sometimes it is a long time, and it looks like urban blight. Rarely have I seen much in the way of “good news” around these sites, and I was intrigued with the idea of a series of case studies where the stores aren’t just languishing empty, but have been put to reuse.
.
From a policy perspective, the first thing that jumped out at me was that the stores were not all empty because the store “failed”. While the Kmarts closed, most of the Walmarts moved to larger facilities…instead of trying to renovate an existing space (and losing revenue while it was being renovated), they built a whole new store, sometimes just across the road. Secondly, I liked some of the challenges and opportunities that go with the store’s design…they are primarily utilitarian empty boxes. Which means they can be anything you want them to be, except perhaps attractive (usually). Beyond these first two, some other issues that I liked was some of the restrictions the former store put on future use when selling the land (lease restrictions to prevent competition for instance); local ordinances that were hard-learned lessons about responsibilities of the owner when the boxes are being built with a view to future reuse (accessibility, divisibility of the interior space, extra doors, etc.) or eventual removal if it sits empty too long; the short-term reuse by other types of businesses (like an indoor racetrack) until the lease restrictions ease at 10 years and the subsequent eviction of those temporary tenants in favour of larger more profitable retailers; the use of some of the properties as “land banks” to use the land for SOMETHING while waiting until the value increases; the importance of time frame for assessing success as some of the reuses look great initially but weren’t sustainable; the importance of interior and exterior aesthetics to the new users and the public; the consideration of the location not just as a “building” but as tied to the infrastructure around it – utilities, parking, accessibility to good transportation routes, etc; and the potential for complicated types of real-estate deals in place to address if you want to reuse something – current lease holder, building owner, and a land owner.
.
I think my favorite chapter was one that looked at a reuse of a Walmart box by three seniors services organizations who co-located into one building, and the place was thriving. Equally, I saw potential in the reuse by a few Charter schools and a couple of other “startup” organizations who couldn’t afford to build their own building, at least not initially, but could afford to lease a space, get up and running, earn some revenue, save up, and then buy the building, while slowly expanding their use throughout the space. A library project took the “challenge” of being in a big box and turned it into a way to engage the community (a common challenge to face together, which built support for the project). Finally, there is a chapter on converting the box store into a church, and not just in one location, it has happened in lots of places."
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I was a bit disappointed that the book only looks at Kmart and Walmart stores, as they all have a very specific type of footprint, which would in some ways limit their reuse. Multiple sizes of stores might have more interesting reuses. I was also disappointed with the lack of much other context – how does big box reuse compare to gentrification of factory districts, how do the issues that crop up with historic buildings compare with the issues of more modern box stores, how do they compare with issues when converting schools or churches to other uses? A couple of the chapters are throwaway chapters for me as they are not truly reuse. One looks at a courthouse that took over the space, but just razed the building and built something new; another only used the parking lot; and another just had other types of retailers in the space.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.
An interesting series of case studies for a common modern day problem
.
PLOT OR PREMISE:
The textbook-sized book includes ten case studies across America where former big box stores – Walmarts and Kmarts – have been put to new use after the store left or closed.
.
WHAT I LIKED:
"I was drawn to the premise of the book as I have frequently seen large big box stores in Canada, anchoring malls and plazas, move out and languish empty for a number of years. Sometimes it is a short time and another retailer moves in. Sometimes it is a long time, and it looks like urban blight. Rarely have I seen much in the way of “good news” around these sites, and I was intrigued with the idea of a series of case studies where the stores aren’t just languishing empty, but have been put to reuse.
.
From a policy perspective, the first thing that jumped out at me was that the stores were not all empty because the store “failed”. While the Kmarts closed, most of the Walmarts moved to larger facilities…instead of trying to renovate an existing space (and losing revenue while it was being renovated), they built a whole new store, sometimes just across the road. Secondly, I liked some of the challenges and opportunities that go with the store’s design…they are primarily utilitarian empty boxes. Which means they can be anything you want them to be, except perhaps attractive (usually). Beyond these first two, some other issues that I liked was some of the restrictions the former store put on future use when selling the land (lease restrictions to prevent competition for instance); local ordinances that were hard-learned lessons about responsibilities of the owner when the boxes are being built with a view to future reuse (accessibility, divisibility of the interior space, extra doors, etc.) or eventual removal if it sits empty too long; the short-term reuse by other types of businesses (like an indoor racetrack) until the lease restrictions ease at 10 years and the subsequent eviction of those temporary tenants in favour of larger more profitable retailers; the use of some of the properties as “land banks” to use the land for SOMETHING while waiting until the value increases; the importance of time frame for assessing success as some of the reuses look great initially but weren’t sustainable; the importance of interior and exterior aesthetics to the new users and the public; the consideration of the location not just as a “building” but as tied to the infrastructure around it – utilities, parking, accessibility to good transportation routes, etc; and the potential for complicated types of real-estate deals in place to address if you want to reuse something – current lease holder, building owner, and a land owner.
.
I think my favorite chapter was one that looked at a reuse of a Walmart box by three seniors services organizations who co-located into one building, and the place was thriving. Equally, I saw potential in the reuse by a few Charter schools and a couple of other “startup” organizations who couldn’t afford to build their own building, at least not initially, but could afford to lease a space, get up and running, earn some revenue, save up, and then buy the building, while slowly expanding their use throughout the space. A library project took the “challenge” of being in a big box and turned it into a way to engage the community (a common challenge to face together, which built support for the project). Finally, there is a chapter on converting the box store into a church, and not just in one location, it has happened in lots of places."
.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I was a bit disappointed that the book only looks at Kmart and Walmart stores, as they all have a very specific type of footprint, which would in some ways limit their reuse. Multiple sizes of stores might have more interesting reuses. I was also disappointed with the lack of much other context – how does big box reuse compare to gentrification of factory districts, how do the issues that crop up with historic buildings compare with the issues of more modern box stores, how do they compare with issues when converting schools or churches to other uses? A couple of the chapters are throwaway chapters for me as they are not truly reuse. One looks at a courthouse that took over the space, but just razed the building and built something new; another only used the parking lot; and another just had other types of retailers in the space.
.
DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.
December 10, 2010
Christensen uses case studies of successful reuses for abandoned big box store buildings. Among the ten cases we learn of old buildings becoming new community hubs as they became schools, senior center, home to government offices and programs, other retail operations, and churches. Photographs and architectural drawings are used liberally throughout the text. I would have liked to have learned more about reuses that failed to make the mark, or more of the pitfalls that organizations can face when attempting remodeling of these stores. (We do learn of a speed car racing track in Texas that was successful in reusing the space, but ultimately went out of business due to losing their lease). Despite this, Big Box Reuse is a very interesting, thought-provoking read that will make you wonder "what-if" the next time you go to your local mega-mart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised by how readable and interesting this book was, as well as the variety of the re-uses documented within it. The author injected herself into the text a little too much, and the photos aren't great, but I loved how well-researched all of the case studies were. You hear from the people who planned, designed, and use the new enterprises in abandoned Kmart and Walmart buildings, ranging from schools to indoor racing tracks to churches. What really stood out to me was how the author relates how the reused big boxes take advantage of the centrality of the sites, in effect taking back land developed for mindless retail consumption and repurposed for civic uses.
January 21, 2009
Well, I was excited when this book arrived via inter library loan. It's an odd, large format that's similar to a coffee table book, but the inside doesn't match the initial impression. I'm interested in urban planning issues, but not enough to read this academic, thesis-style approach to the subject. It seems to have a lot of great resources, but it's not really great for a general audience. Oh well! Perhaps the author can come out with a more mass market version, because this is sure to be a hot topic in a peak oil society and it deserves an approachable treatment.
August 5, 2010
i read this for the article i'm writing about abandoned big box stores. it was definitely more of a story / art book than any sort of legal or urban planning analysis of the situation, but good documentation and examples.
August 11, 2009
This is a book that should be read by not just urban planners, but local government officals (appointed and elected). Everyone knows an empty bog box retail store that seems to sit there forever. This book opens the door to possibilities that most have never thought of.
February 12, 2015
Pretty good. This appears to be a slight rework of a doctoral thesis into a coffee table book, but Christensen does a good job with making it accessible to non-PhDs. I wish there were more pictures (rather than a thousand more words), but it gives me hope for reuse of otherwise abandoned big boxes.
Read
January 10, 2009Great book...a must read.
January 15, 2009
An brief exploration of the social, economic & aesthetic impact of the "big box" retail store on the US landscape. An invitation to actually think about this issue; useful in that regard.
February 10, 2009
Great for urban studies dorks. May generate a term paper for my library science class.
May 30, 2010
by Oberlin's own Julia Christensen!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews