Let us not forget to ask: why was this place?

That's the sad thing about most cubicle furniture. We stopped innovating somewhere in the last 30 years, and the cubes in this picture could easily be 40 years old if not for the lack of wear-and-tear. Same goes for carpet and lighting. The only thing that dates it newer than all that is the office chair - we started making those just before the turn of the 21st.