A widespread phenomenon in the United States retail real estate market is the number of facilities abandoned across the country.  This is particularly a problem with large, chain retail stores like Wal-mart, Home-Depot, and others.  Wal-mart alone currently advertises more than 230 “big box” structures containing more than 21,000,000 square feet for sale or lease.  These unused facilities constitute eyesores, reduce local property tax revenues, and impede the attraction of new retailers and manufacturers. 

Limited success has been realized through the adaptive reuse of these structures.  However, more must be done as the building industry attempts to positively impact the worldwide effort to use resources efficiently. 

This paper will discuss the problem, report on some successful adaptive reuse projects, and present a case study on a successful reuse of a Wal-mart “big box” shopping center.  The case study will consist of a discussion of key issues, possible alternative solutions, implementation of the selected solution, results, evaluation, and lessons learned from the project.