Most buildings are built to last, often for decades and sometimes even centuries. But the people living in them or the businesses operating there don’t always stick around that long. So over time, plenty of places get repurposed and end up taking on a completely different role than they were originally designed for.
This can lead to some pretty unexpected and often hilarious transformations. A former bank might become a McDonald’s, while an old bowling alley could end up as a thrift store. We’ve rounded up some of the best examples below. Scroll down to check them out.
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Former Target Turned Into A Walmart, They Painted The Target Orbs Yellow Instead Of Removing Them
Señior Colonel
One Of Our Local Libraries Moved Into An Old Marsh Supermarket
My House Used To Be A Police Station And My Bathroom Is An Old Jail Cell, The Original Window Is Still In Place
A Church Converted To A Grocery Store
My College Used To Be A Shopping Mall
Walgreens That Used To Be A Historic Bank. Chicago, IL
Gay Bar In Cedar Rapids Used To Be A McDonald's
Yes, indeed it is and I've been to the drag shows there. It's a great club.
Little Caesar's Pizza In A Former Sonic Drive-In; Location Unknown
My Apartment Building Used To Be A School
My local brewery used to be a school, too! The elementary school bathrooms are weirdly nostalgic… in a bit of a traumatic kind of way.
An Orthodontist's Office Used To Be A Blockbuster [hinesville, GA]
This Thrift Store Used To Be A Bowling Alley
A Bank Converted To Mcdonalds
The Subway I Went To Today Used To Be A Bank. Instead Of Removing The Vault They Just Added More Seating Inside
A Former Cricket Wireless Is Now A Chicken Restaurant
Apple Store In An Old Theatre, Los Angeles
Sears Store At My Mall Was Turned Into A Fake Mega Church For A TV Show
Old Hollister Now A Book Store
This Medical Facility Totally Used To Be A Pizza Hut
This Starbucks Drive-Thru In An Old Car Wash
KFC Turned Into A Jamba Juice
Haha! I recognize this one. It's in Granada Hills on Chatsworth west of Zelzah. Too funny!
Former Taco Bell, Louisville, KY
Gas Station Turned Into A Boost Mobile - North Carolina
Former Hot Topic Now Veterans Museum Denton, TX
This Trader Joe's In Media, Pennsylvania, Used To Be An Armoury For The Pennsylvania National Guard
Former Bank, Now KFC. Owners Call It The Crystal Bucket. (Corning, NY Area)
Allenby Theatre Built 1935, Turned Into Coffee Shop/Convenience Store In 2010 (Toronto)
This Sports Bar Used To Be A Hollywood Video Store. They Reused Parts Of The Original Sign
How is this not a gay bar? There's been a Woody's in my neighbourhood since 1989, one of Toronto's best known gay bars, and it isn't "Big Woody's"!
