Things That Automatically Make a Building Feel Sketchy in Downtown Lubbock

Downtown Lubbock has character.

And, unfortunately, some of that character appears to be paranormal.

To be fair, downtown has improved a LOT over the years. There are renovated spots, cool venues, good restaurants, and genuinely beautiful historic buildings.

But...

Mixed in between all of those spruced-up places are structures that look like they've been surviving entirely out of spite since the 1970 tornado.

Here are a few things that automatically make a building in downtown Lubbock feel deeply suspicious:

Windows That Are Somehow Both Broken AND Boarded Up

Have you ever passed a building where half of the windows are totally shattered, and the other half are covered in plywood that looks older than you?

That's not a business anymore.

That's where the ghosts go to do paperwork.

One Single Flickering Light

Nothing good has EVER happened beneath one flickering fluorescent lightbulb.

Think about it.

Especially if said lightbulb is illuminating a hallway that no human has walked down since the Reagan administration.

There are at least 7 buildings in downtown Lubbock that look like they're just one power outage away from becoming a horror movie escape room.

Faded Painted Signs From Businesses That No Longer Exist

You'll look up and see a big hand-painted ad for a typewriter repair shop...or something along those lines...

At this point, those signs are more like ancient cave paintings to us.

Pro Tip: Drive by them with your Grandpa. He can help you decipher. His father may have even put them there.

Read More: Things You Can Smell From a Mile Away in Lubbock

A Door That Looks Like It Has Seen Major Violence

Not just damage, but violence.

Some of the doors downtown look like they've survived more than just a tornado. Bar fights. Economic collapse. Perhaps at least one incident that involved a forklift and a wife who had to explain that daddy wasn't coming home for Christmas.

You know...happy stuff like that.

Random Staircases Leading Into Darkness

Sneak into a building down there, and you'll find no shortage of stairways to hell.

(And no, Officer, I don't know this for a fact. It's only a wild assumption. I would NEVER do something like that...not even back when I was 16 and drank a 40oz for the first time. Not me. Never.)

Alleyways That Feel Cursed After Sunset

The alleyways downtown have straight-up cursed energy that can only be described as "absolutely not."

Your survival instincts kick in like a damn gazelle at a watering hole.

Is that a crazy homeless man? Is that a mannequin?

Oh, it's neither...

It's most definitely a f*cking ghost.

Excellent.

Buildings That Miraculously Still Have Businesses Inside Despite The Utter Lack of Curb Appeal

(No photo for this one...I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. You know who you are.)

This is the craziest part.

You'll see a structure that looks like it's one strong gust of wind away from becoming history...but inside, you find the nicest accountant you've ever met.

Or maybe a law office.

Or some kind of print shop.

Closing Thoughts...

Downtown Lubbock exists in the strange and beautiful places between history and survival, often accompanied by mild concern for building codes.

It's honestly part of our charm.

Sure, some buildings look haunted AF.

But, they're OUR haunted buildings.

Keep scrolling for more silly Lubbock fun in the galleries below!