This Old Carl’s Jr. Spot Has Been Sitting Empty For Years

Sometimes when businesses close, the buildings left behind are filled quickly. Other times, it takes a while before anything moves in. Sometimes, they're never filled again.

There's a building on South First Street in Lufkin that's been standing vacant for more than five years. Since the previous business left, it hasn't been occupied at all. At this point, I don't know if it will ever be filled again.

Former Carl's Jr. Location

The building I'm referring to was once a Carl's Jr. that was located at 1301 South First Street in Lufkin, right where Timberland and First Street merge together.

Get our free mobile app

I'm not sure of the exact date that it closed, but I know that it's been vacant for over five years. If you look at the location on Google Maps, in December 2018 it shows that building was still occupied by the burger restaurant. If you look at the next available date on Google Maps - September 2022 - the building was already vacant, with signage removed. I'm not sure when, but I know that it was closed well before that 2022 picture was taken.

Is There Any Hope for the Building?

Naturally, the next question is this: Is there any hope for the building to be occupied again? The outside looks pretty rough. Take a look for yourself:

Yeah, it doesn't look the best from the outside. Plus, something you can't see in that picture, is that the back side of the building is covered in graffiti. It would take a lot for a new business to come in and upgrade it. However, it can be done. If the right person with the right ambition came in, they could really make it into something good, I think.

READ MORE: A Look Back At Lufkin's Beloved Pie Five Pizza Experience

What are your thoughts? Will anything move in, or will it fall into total disrepair?