Jul 10, 2026 - News

Photos: A closer look inside the Longaberger basket building

Andrew King

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Orange building with a large metal arch sculpture on the roof; curved arches create a decorative top. A sign reads LONGABERGER, with a blue sky and green shrubs in front. — The famed basket building in Newark. Photos: Andrew King/Axios

The people are demanding more basket photos.

The intrigue: I wrote about my recent exploration of the Longaberger basket building and a few readers asked to see more pictures from the trip.

📸 Here's a gallery from the cutting room floor:

Interior hall with tiled floor, long white pendant lights along a dropped ceiling. Glass doors and an EXIT sign on the left; scattered tables and chairs, ladder in back. — Photo quiz: Is this room in an 180,000-square-foot basket or a psychiatric hospital in the 1990s?

Dimly lit, abandoned gym with a damaged drop ceiling; many tiles missing, exposing dark ducts and wiring. Floor covered with protective sheets, with scattered benches and workout equipment. — This cavernous workout room gave me the creeps, despite the natural light.

An empty office room with a tiled ceiling and fluorescent lights. Beige walls, carpeted floor, a few chairs in the foreground, and large windows at the far end. — My camera roll was filled with rooms containing a single chair positioned awkwardly to the side.

View from a window into an indoor atrium with beige walls, tall windows, and wooden railings around a circular fountain on a tiled floor; a magazine titled "How to Say It" rests on the sill. — I wondered how long this book had been sitting on this ledge, and whether the reader ever figured out how to say it.

Dim office kitchenette with beige cabinets along a back wall, a sink, and a wall-mounted TV on the left. Damaged ceiling tiles, a dark hallway, and a pale pillar frame the space. — These break rooms were some of the biggest blasts from the past.

Dimly lit, empty room under renovation. Beige walls, brown baseboard. A black ornate chandelier hangs from a chain from a ceiling with missing panels; leaning boards rest along the left wall. — A few rooms contained these low-hanging chandeliers that were deeply unsettling in the dark.

Vintage-style bathroom with blue floral wallpaper and pink roses, beige tile wainscoting. A gold-framed mirror above a cream countertop vanity; toilet behind a wall and a glass shower on the right. — The executive office suites in the four corners of the top floor all come equipped with these full bathrooms.

Interior atrium with a curved glass skylight and white metal arches, beige walls, and multiple levels of balconies with wooden railings surrounding a central open space. — The constant presence of the massive handles through the skylight felt ominous in a way I can't quite describe.

Office interior with a damaged ceiling; several tiles removed to reveal pipes. A yellow caution tape hangs on the left. Empty desks, shelves, and filing cabinets near a large window. — It's unclear to me why this single strand of police tape was hanging from the ceiling in this nondescript room.

Conference room with a damaged drop ceiling, exposing ducts and missing tiles. Beige walls with brown trim, a large window with an outdoor view. Several chairs surround a wooden table; yellow caution tape along the right wall. — Oh, sorry, didn't realize someone had booked this room already.

Long hallway with dark wood door frames, beige walls, and a blue patterned carpet. Several ceiling tiles are missing, exposing pipes and ducts above. — Gazing down these hallways was a marvel.

Dark wood cabinetry with glass doors, a beige woven center panel, and a marble countertop. Open ceiling tiles above reveal wires and exposed ducts. — I found the woven basket detail to be a lovely touch.

Public restroom with tiled walls and floor, beige stall doors, a row of stalls, a metal hand dryer, and a chalkboard leaning against the wall. A hand-washing poster is visible. — When do we think this bathroom wallpaper will be back in style?

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