the original backrooms photo that was posted to 4chan is from a renovation found on an old website for HobbyTown in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on the internet archive. the og picture that started the backrooms thing is from 2002. Before it was owned by the current owner it was a furniture store, the initial building was made and opened in 1913 as a department store. So just fun domino effect of someone building a department store which ripples down more than a century later. Idk i was just reading about the backrooms for a literature class and thought it was neat.

I’m assuming it has something to do with air conditioned department store aisles inspiring those backroom spaces. And the aforementioned store in Wisconsin is probably the first of its kind?

https://youtu.be/-1EKIIM3ShI?si=irO9cP_BQ4v20n6_