Housing demolitions began in earnest this week, with abandoned and forgotten (or otherwise inaccessible) estates being torn down to make way for new potential homeowners. While many are no doubt excited by this, there’s a certain bitter sweetness to the whole affair.

I stumbled upon a major example when I happened to spot a PF ad promoting the “last chance” to see an aquatic museum on Crystal.

The Rai Aquatic Museum, located in The Goblet (Diabolos), Ward 17 Plot 19, promised a display of “the marine wonders of Eorzea.” And it delivered. While perhaps not as grand as the aquariums other Babbler staff visited last week, its design was an exciting one, with an inviting layout that included large fish tanks, framed prints hanging from the walls, and even a small gift shop offering stuffed sharks to visitors.

It was an elegant spot in Eorzea. Today, the plot is now empty, the aquarium destroyed. And all that remains are the photographs we and others have taken.

How many other plots faced the same fate this week? Be they venues, FC estates, or private properties, these places were once called home to many, and now they’re gone. So goes the steady march of time and demolition timers.

All we can do is remember them, and hope to build something new and just as great in their place.