I walked past the rusted gates on a wind‑blown afternoon, and the building seemed to breathe a quiet sigh. Old brick walls still hold faint stains—maybe a fire from decades ago, maybe the last workers’ coffee. The concrete floors crack in a pattern that looks almost like a map of forgotten traffic. If you could keep a few of those exposed beams and that cracked window frame, they could become a storytelling feature rather than just a blank wall. Just remember the old electrical wiring; it might still be live, and the old boiler could be a lead hazard. If you’re aiming for character, keep the grit, but treat the safety as a new layer of history.