Abandoned Places in Arizona

Arizona’s abandoned places show how quickly things change. Roadside stops lose their traffic when a highway bypasses them, farms and mines close when the water or the ore runs out, and a mall or a water park can go from busy to demolished in a few years.

I’ve photographed a mix of these places around the state. Each one below links to a full photo story with the history behind it. Many are on private or tribal land, some are unsafe, and some have changed since I photographed them. This page is about their history and isn’t a guide to visiting.

Phoenix Area

Buckhorn Baths, Mesa

A roadside stop with mineral hot springs baths, a motel and a large taxidermy collection. It also hosted the New York Giants for spring training for years. The baths closed in 1999 and the motel in 2007. [A new owner has announced redevelopment plans. Check the current status.]

Fiesta Mall, Mesa

A major East Valley shopping center that opened in 1979. Most stores closed in early 2018, the last tenant left in 2019, and demolition began in 2023. [Add the current status of the site.]

Speedworld Dragstrip

Arizona’s longest-running drag strip, which opened in 1961 as Phoenix Dragway. It closed in 2013 after a dispute with Maricopa County over permits and has sat idle since.

Tucson and Pinal County

Breakers Water Park, Marana

A water park near Tucson with slides and a large wave pool. It closed for good in 2018, a fire damaged one of the main buildings that fall, and the site has since been demolished.

Eleven Mile Corner Cotton Gin

A cotton gin started by local farmers in the early 1940s, about 11 miles from each of Casa Grande, Eloy and Coolidge. It closed in part because of drought.

Casa Grande Domes

Unfinished dome-shaped buildings from the late 1970s, meant for computer manufacturing and left to decay when the builder went bankrupt. Pinal County has ordered demolition several times since 2018. The site is private property. [Update their status. Your post said they were still standing in 2022.]

Roadside Stops

Twin Arrows

A Route 66 trading post about 20 miles east of Flagstaff, known for its two giant arrows. Traffic fell after Interstate 40 bypassed it, and it closed in the mid-1990s. High winds knocked one arrow down in 2022.

Anasazi Inn, Gray Mountain

A former Whiting Brothers motel on U.S. 89, on the Navajo Nation, that closed around 2005. The buildings are now covered in murals from the Painted Desert Project. Conditions and access can change, and the structures may be unsafe.

Fort Courage

A novelty fort built to cash in on the TV sitcom F Troop, with a gift shop, gas station and restaurant. It closed for good in 2014 and has since been damaged by vandalism and fire. [Add the location. Your post doesn’t name one.]

Jails, Mines and Failed Developments

Gila County Jail, Globe

The territorial-era county jail, in use from 1910 until 1981. It’s known for ghost stories and is now open for guided tours, with donations going toward its upkeep.

Gold King Mansion

A two-story concrete house in the Hualapai Mountains, built in 1930 as a model for miners’ housing at the Gold King Mine. A rancher’s 1933 account says it was used to entertain investors instead. The mine was officially listed as idle in 1957.

Silverado

A planned community on about 5,000 acres in Mohave County, with plans for roughly 12,000 homes, a golf course and schools. Construction stopped in the 2008 housing crash and left a handful of unfinished mansions.

Abandoned Houses, Schools, Churches and More

These galleries cover more than Arizona and include work from the state: Houses · Churches · Schools · Prisons · Hospitals and Asylums · Industrial Buildings