In 1896, wealthy entrepreneur Adolph Sutro built the Sutro Baths in San Francisco and opened them to the public. They served as the largest indoor swimming pool in the world and retained that title for decades. The baths were immensely popular but had difficulty making a profit due to the enormous costs for their maintenance and operations.
The baths consisted of saltwater pools which drew water in directly from the ocean and from one freshwater pool. After the baths were closed, the structure was turned into an ice skating ring and eventually burned down in 1966. The charred ruins now serve as a reminder of its glorious past.
Lascaux Cave Paintings
In 1940, a group of teenagers discovered a cave full of wall paintings in Lascaux in Southwestern France. The cave contains over 600 paintings, mostly of wild animals, which are unbelievably over 17,000 years old. The beautiful and lifelike images remained in good condition for thousands of years but degraded rapidly once tourists were let into the caves around 1948.
In 1963, officials decided that the attraction must be closed to preserve the paintings. The public has not been allowed access ever since.
The Azure Window
Malta’s Azure Window, a 92-foot-tall natural arch, faced thousands of storms over the years. It withstood them all until its eventual collapse in March 2017. The arch was located on Dwejra Bay on Gozo Island and was one of the country’s most famous tourist attractions.
The arch appeared briefly on the HBO hit show Game of Thrones before it succumbed to the forces of nature.
Wedding Cake Rock
Wedding Cake Rock in Australia was named for its pristine white color and cake-like shape. The cliff, which is part of the New South Wales Royal National Park, is extremely delicate and unstable. The beautiful place used to draw around 2,000 visitors per month but in this era of selfies and Instagram, that number has swiftly risen to 10,000.
Australian authorities were forced to erect a fence to keep people off the cliff in 2015, but unfortunately, many tourists simply climb over it. Recently, a report has been issued that the formation will probably collapse in the next 10 years.
The Great Barrier Reef
In April 2016, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef become worldwide news, when it was announced that over 93% of the coral reef had been affected by bleaching to some degree. Bleaching is caused when water temperatures or other environmental factors change too rapidly and the algae that live in the coral are expelled essentially turning them white. Bleaching is about more than just losing all the beautiful colors of the reef; it usually means that the coral is under extreme stress and may not survive.
These days, less than 1% of the Northern sector is untouched and only 25% of the Southern sector is still in pristine condition. Restoration efforts are taking place, but it is highly unlikely that we will get to experience this amazing location in its full splendor in our lifetime.