Vacant Historic Rule Building in Downtown Amarillo is Home to One Unique Guest

The Rule Building on Polk Street and 3rd has had rumors surrounding possible plans to be rebuilt into a hotel similar to its sister building, the Barfield Hotel for a while now but not a lot of progress has been seen. While anticipation builds for this building, it has been recently discovered that this building actually currently has a resident.

No, I’m not talking about a homeless individual or a ghost (not that I’m saying there aren't potential ghosts in the building). I'm talking about this furry resident.

A Facebook post featuring a grey fox perched near a window on the second story of the Rule building surfaced recently and honestly it’s pretty cute in my opinion. Some commenters questioned whether this was a taxidermy or not, but it was confirmed by the poster that this critter is indeed alive.

And as of right now, this grey fox might be the most alive thing residing in this unoccupied building.

The History of the Building

Steeped in history, the Rule Building was first introduced to the public in a grand opening ceremony on Monday, 1927. The building's original owner, W.S. Rule, orchestrated an evening filled with music from an orchestra, inviting the public to explore the entire structure which was a landmark in Amarillo’s development into a city at the time.

Constructed by the Manhattan Construction Company, the Rule Building boasted modern amenities and cutting-edge features for its time.

Supposedly DJ Investments, a local developer responsible for projects such as the Barfield Hotel will be in charge of the Rule building’s renovations so we definitely know that the building is in good hands.

But until then, the Rule buildings only know occupant will be this grey fox who I will now nickname “Rule”. Who know’s maybe this little guy could become the building’s unofficial mascot of sorts in the future when they finally decide to begin development on the hotel. They owe it that much to him for being the hotel's first guest.