The Hippodrome Theater in New York was a happening place in its prime. It opened its doors in 1905 and was hailed as the world’s largest theater, seating over 5,000 people at a time. The theater featured films, circuses, and even famous magician, Harry Houdini.
The Hippodrome was most successful in the 20’s but later on experienced a sharp drop in business leading to its eventual closing in 1939. These days, the structure houses an office building.
Vidampark
Vidam Park, which literally means amusement park, is one of the first public parks around. Situated in Budapest, Hungary, the park opened in the early 19th century and featured castle tours, a zoo, a circus, a boathouse with a wooden roller coaster introduced in 1922.
It was the place to be in 1896 for the turn of the century celebrations and was a symbol of Hungarian fun and leisure. Over the years, the park fell into disrepair and attendance dropped until it was finally shut down in 2013.
The Aquatarium
The Aquatarium in St. Petersburg Florida was a theme park that was housed inside a 160-foot tall golden geodesic dome. The attraction opened its doors in 1964 and tourists from all around the world arrived to watch marine animals in special shows. The main stars were porpoises, sea lions, whales and a dolphin named “Floppy”. The dome had a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico which certainly didn’t hurt.
The crowds began to lose interest when Disney World opened in Orlando in 1971. To keep attendance high and hoping to capitalize on the success of Jaws, a special shark exhibit was added in 1976. The attempt failed and the park closed its doors in 1977. The area has since been turned into condominiums.
Disney’s Discovery Island
Discovery Island is yet another theme park at Disneyworld Florida which was abandoned and left in ruin. It was introduced in 1974 and stayed open until 1999. The theme of the park was wild animals and guests went there to observe and interact with many species of animals and birds.
Due to low attendance and profitability, the animals were moved to the Animal Kingdom and the park was shut down and abandoned.
Large Portions of the Great Wall
It is still possible to visit the Great Wall of China, a 5,000-mile-long series of fortifications that used to protect the country from invaders. Sadly, almost two thirds of it are no longer around. Some of the damage was caused by natural phenomena but vandalism and tourism are also to blame.
The Chinese government played its part by allowing parts of the wall to be demolished in order to clear the way for development projects. The wall will most likely continue to crumble if the country’s leadership do not put a plan and funds in place to protect it.