Paranormal investigators say there’s more in the unused upper stories of historic buildings than empty space In the days before routine automobile ownership allowed cities to sprawl in single-family suburban style, The Dalles was a much more compact city, with downtown businesses estaIn the days before routine automobile ownership allowed cities to sprawl in single-family suburban style, The Dalles was a much more compact city, with downtown businesses established on the ground floors of buildings, and living quarters built on the upper two or three stories.blished on the ground floors of buildings, and living quarters built on the upper two or three stories.