A few decades ago, old and abandoned elementary schools across the country were turned into affordable housing for seniors. The same can be done with big-box structures. Just knock out the middle portion and turn it into an interior courtyard. Design the apartments to surround the courtyard, making sure to include large sliding doors that lead onto the courtyard.

And speaking of seniors, how about turning a big box into a senior center? Or turning another one (or the other half of the first one) into a recreation center for all those suburban and small-town teenagers who are always complaining that they have nothing to do, nowhere to go.

If abandoned factories and warehouses can be turned into trendy artists' lofts, so can renovated big-box structures. Just make sure you provide some space for studios and some space for living quarters.

A few creative folks who took up the challenge from the Washington Post to re-purpose a local abandoned big box even suggested a really huge greenhouse to grow organic food.

The possibilities are endless.

Or turning another one (or the other half of the first one) into a recreation center for all those suburban and small-town teenagers who are always complaining that they have nothing to do, nowhere to go.

yeah. turn them into midnight basketball courts.

Both black and white teenagers from suburbia and small towns like to play basketball, irvingchang. But if the b-ball courts are in rec centers, then I say close them at 10 pm so the teens can get enough sleep to perform well in school the next day. Obama didn't get to be president-elect because of his basketball skills.

Obama didn't get to be president-elect because of his basketball skills.

i know. he got there because he's oprah's friend.

The possabilities are endless but as always in the real world, it is easier said than done. Big Boxes tend to be built on the cheap. Once the building gets to a certain age, the maintenance sky rockets especially the large flat roof. Big Boxes are not energy efficient. The boxes are usually high enough to accomodate a second floor but not engineered to support an additional interior floor.

Using an average big box sq ft of 100,000, deduct a minimum of 15 to 20 percent for common areas (hallways etc) that would leave a maximum of 85,000 sq. Break it up into 800 sq foot apartments and you only have 106.25 units assuming there is no courtyard carved out of the interior. Without a courtyard, most units would have no windows.

Many local governments rely on the sales taxes and property taxes which are much higher on commercial properties than residential. These towns may be reluctant to turn the box over to a not for profit which will remove the building from the tax rolls, but the town will still have to provide services. This creates a lot of red ink in an already tight budget.

Many local governments rely on the sales taxes and property taxes which are much higher on commercial properties than residential. These towns may be reluctant to turn the box over to a not for profit which will remove the building from the tax rolls, but the town will still have to provide services. This creates a lot of red ink in an already tight budget.

You are right, this is certainly more of a problem now than it was last year. I'm sure we'll see lots of abandoned retail places in the coming year or so. One of most depressing things I saw in Florida several years ago was an large mall that was entirely abandoned.