Casper's Abandoned Buildings: What Can Be Done About Them?

Walking down the streets of Casper it currently isn’t uncommon to find boarded up or otherwise empty buildings. They’re a problem in every city, those buildings no one is using that sit and fall into disrepair. Like U Bett it Hurts which has sat unused for years and has people asking employees at the Family Dollar across the street if they’re in a safe part of town.

The back half of U Bett it Hurts in Casper “So, I walk by, walk by the old part of town, so I see the abandoned areas like across the street from the courthouse, 10 story building that has nobody in it,” said Casper local Andrew. An old home that was also once a pet grooming business. We spoke to Casper Vice-Mayor and owner of Forefront Real Estate, Lisa Engebretsen about what the impact is and why these buildings remain empty.



“When you’ve got homes that you’re trying to sell, or even rent, and you’ve got the abandoned buildings in around that neighborhood it does give people concern that it is probably a bad neighborhood or here lately more people are concerned about possible squatters,” said Engebretsen. The reality is that for a lot of homes and buildings they’re at the whims of their owners until a major event like a fire or they are otherwise condemned. “As a realtor I would love to see these buildings be rehabilitated and being absolutely vital to our community and utilized.

And from the city point of view, they’d love to see them utilized as well. It does not do anybody any good to have them city vacant,” Engebretsen added. A home's boarded up side door, complete with a removed awning's afterimage.

But the owners of theses building are often unreachable or sitting on the building for various reasons. Some may feel they will one day have the opportunity to fix it up. Others may not even know they own the home through inheritance.

Those who own a building in Casper, but don’t live here may not care what happens to the building. The only solution truly available is for owner’s to do something with those buildings. Occasionally, buildings are bought for new business to move in like with the warehouse of downtown Casper that now house things like Art 321.

But, this can take years and sometimes a building is un-salvageable or far too expensive to renovate by the time someone has an interest in it..