How much longer must this wreckage stand?
Taos is blessed with marvelous assets, its stunning scenery, extraordinary history, artiness, quirkiness, even grittiness, the latter distinguishing it most favorably from oh-so-precious, oh-so-exclusive resort towns like Jackson, WY, Lake Tahoe, CA, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, MA, Ogunquit, ME, to name just a few.
Grittiness however ends at ugliness. For four years now the abandoned wreck seen above, just steps from Taos Plaza, the town nucleus, has been a visual pollutant, and as it also stands at the main entry into town, presents a dispiriting welcome to our many visitors, so vital to the local economy.
Your Tatler has no idea the explanation this monstrosity is still allowed to litter our landscape, but chances are good words like “bankruptcy,” “lawsuit(s),” “continuance(s),” “stay(s), “environmental hazards” and the like are to be found in it; also a possibility, a sclerotic bureaucracy not willing to take responsibility and tackle this problem head on.
Whatever: after so many years, explanations simply become excuses. Since it does not appear any human action removing this horror will occur in your Tatler’s remaining years, even though statistically there are a fair number of them, would it be remiss to pray for divine intervention, perhaps a bolt or two of lightening striking this eyesore, and would it be fanciful to believe there would be few wet eyes in Taos were this blessed event to occur? Oremus ad omnipotentis Dei.
The Taos Tatler 
“Ugliness is never charming”…. for some reason that reminds me of a PG Woodhouse title, like “Aunts Aren’t Gentleman”. But in regard to that hideous, cement-block structure, it looks like it was supposed to be 10-20 apartments/condos? I actually think it could be resurrected and, possibly/maybe made more visually acceptable.
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I’ve been given a brief history. It was a hotel/motel. It closed down when serious structural problems were found. While repairs were being made, asbestos was found. I believe its ownership is in limbo at this point.
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Ah! Ok, that explains its sitting in limbo all this time, but a builder with, er, cojones could make some money there. Asbestos removal/abatement should not be a big deal, and the “serious structural problems”? Ten years later, it’s still standing!
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