History Main / BeautifulCondemnedBuilding

The lead character is going into business for him/herself, and hears about a building they can buy. Accompanied by their supportive friend or prospective business partner, they walk in, see the filthy run-down building... and fall in love. They usually say something like, "Isn't it beautiful?", at which point we switch to the friend's POV and/or the stunned look on their face. Often followed by a [[HardWorkMontage Fixin' Stuff Up montage]]. The building usually got this way because fictional cities NeverRecycleABuilding.

Can apply to other buildings and objects as well. The trope plays on POV dissonance between the characters; one sees things as they are, while the other sees things as they could be. The skeptic generally serves as an AudienceSurrogate, but the dreamer gets the final say because he's the one paying for it.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'': Ray falls in love with a dilapidated firehouse (primarily because of the sliding pole), and asks when they can move in.

[[folder: Comics ]]

* ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub'': The location for their womens' crisis center (which also serves as headquarters while the ladies plot revenge against their evil exes).

* Discussed in ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', when Comicbook/DoctorStrange conceals the ComicBook/NewAvengers in his own mansion, bespelled to look decrepit and boarded up (to twist the knife a bit more, it even wears a "Coming Soon -- A Starbucks" banner).

** One of the story arcs in Season 6 involves Ted being hired to rebuild The Arcadian. The company hiring Ted to redesign the building sees it as it is, Ted and a woman protesting its demolition see it as it was [[spoiler: until Ted discovers that the woman is trapped in a loveless marriage and uses these protests as an emotional outlet.]]

* Alex Hayden of Marvel Comics' ''AgentX'' is thrilled to have very his own condemned fun park.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'': Ray falls in love with a dilapidated firehouse (primarily because of the sliding pole), leading to the page quote above.

[[caption-width-right:350:For a dilapidated old building, it looks surprisingly decent. Must be [[CueTheSun the sun shining through]].]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tiana_restaurant_building.png]]]]

* ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'': Early in the film, Tiana secures a location for her restaurant, an abandoned mill covered in cobwebs. "Look at it, Mama! Doesn't it wanna make you cry?" Mama agrees, but for different reasons.

* Mal Reynolds has this immediate reaction to [[TheAllegedCar Serenity]] in ''{{Series/Firefly}}''.

* ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'': Ray falls in love with a dilapidated firehouse, leading to the page quote above.

-> '''Ray Stantz:''' Wow. This place is great. When can we move in?

* The final battle in ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' takes place in the old {{MI6}} building at Vauxhall Cross, which is now abandoned and scheduled for demolition after the attack in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''.

* ''Series/Bones'': Booth and Bones are in need of a new house. Booth uses his FBI connections to pick up one that was heavily damaged in a raid. After initially seeming to be unimpressed Bones tells him she can see the "bones" of the structure and it's a great house.

* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' has the old workshop Katt's parents allow the girls to use:

* In the first two TheLoveBug movies, Herbie and his human companions live in a condemned, but beautiful, Victorian firehouse overlooking San Francisco.

[[caption-width-right:350:For a dilapidated old building, it looks surprisingly decent.]]