Abandoned Abilene Building Gets Much-Needed Cleanup, But What Happens Next?

Well, holy cow! Sometimes making a little noise here in Texas actually works. I've written a couple of times about the abandoned building next door to our studios in Abilene…you know, the former home of Touch of Class and Cattle Baron, and the mess surrounding it.

Trash. Broken windows. Debris. People regularly sleeping outside the building. But after my last story, something happened: people started paying attention.

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A Big Thank You to People Who Stepped Up

Photo: Chaz

I had a great conversation with Melissa Morris, former president of Keep Abilene Beautiful, about the property and the bigger issue of neglected buildings around town. Then our landscaper, Jeff Zyus with Zyus Brothers Lawn Service, stepped up and helped clean the area.

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To both of them, and everybody who commented, shared the story, or helped bring attention to this, thank you. Shout out to the city of Abilene too, because I'm sure they had to have something to do with boarding it up and such.

Look at the photos below. The difference is pretty dang impressive.

The Abandoned Abilene Building Is Cleaner, But Work Still Needs to Be Done

Photo: Chaz

We're still seeing a steady flow of people sleeping around the building. Again, my fight has never been against Abilene's homeless population. My concern has been the condition of this property and the fact that it was seemingly being allowed to deteriorate.

Now the trash has been cleaned up, and somebody has boarded up broken windows and other openings. That's progress.

And progress is cooler than the other side of the pillow.

So What Happens to the Building Now?

According to Melissa and several people who commented on my previous story, the building's owner lives in Fort Worth. I'd love to see something actually happen with the property.

Fix it. Sell it. Redevelop it. Tear it down if that's what ultimately needs to happen. Just do something with it. Heck, if Dollar General bought the place, they'd probably have it remodeled, stocked, and selling batteries by Thursday.

For now, though, I'll take the win. The place looks considerably better, people stepped up, and attention brought results. Abilene, that's progress, and thank you to everyone who's helping make it happen.

Here's what the building looked like before.