It took far longer than I imagined, but I’ve finally ended my exploring drought, going out to Buffalo (and trying to revive the old Concrete Collective) with Hayden, probably the most promising local explorer I’ve met in years) to see some of the ruins. Our first stop was Wildroot, the factory that put the grease in Grease. Active from 1936 into the early 60s, Wildroot made hair products from the (wild) lanolin root that were allegedly lighter and less greasy than the competition, though the goal was still the same greased-back rockabilly look. As the times changed, Wildroot Cream Oil went badly out of fashion and sales plummeted, although the brand remained (barely) alive and is still produced in Asia, the factory has been out of commission for 50 years, only used occasionally as storage since then.
Fifty years later, there is nothing left to show the once purpose of this space.
Like so many abandoned factories and warehouses, it has become a blank canvas for graffiti, without any other recognizable purpose.
