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.
#1 Señior Colonel
#2 Walgreens That Used To Be A Historic Bank. Chicago, IL
#3 Blockbuster Got Converted To A Book Store
Seeing a church turned into a nightclub or a shopping mall used as a university can definitely feel a little strange at first. We tend to associate certain buildings with one very specific purpose, so it can be surprising when they suddenly take on a completely different role.
However, these transformations are actually part of a common approach to architecture known as adaptive reuse, which means taking an existing building and changing it so it can serve a new purpose instead of tearing it down.
#4 My House Used To Be A Police Station And My Bathroom Is An Old Jail Cell, The Original Window Is Still In Place
#5 My College Used To Be A Shopping Mall
#6 One Of Our Local Libraries Moved Into An Old Marsh Supermarket
According to the University of the Built Environment, adaptive reuse can allow much of a building’s original structure, design, and character to remain while the space itself is changed to suit a new use.
That could mean turning an old office into apartments or converting a warehouse into shops. The basic idea is to make use of what is already there rather than starting again from scratch.
#7 This Trader Joe’s In Media, Pennsylvania, Used To Be An Armoury For The Pennsylvania National Guard
#8 My Apartment Building Used To Be A School
#9 A Former Cricket Wireless Is Now A Chicken Restaurant
One of the biggest reasons for doing this is sustainability. Demolishing a building uses a lot of energy and creates waste, while putting up a replacement requires even more materials and resources.
By keeping an existing structure and adapting it, developers can avoid some of that environmental impact and give the building a longer useful life.
#10 Church In My Local Town Converted Into A Nightclub
#11 This Thrift Store Used To Be A Bowling Alley
#12 This Starbucks Drive-Thru In An Old Car Wash
There can be financial benefits too. The University of the Built Environment explains that adapting an existing property can sometimes cost less than demolishing it and building something new in its place.
It may also take less time. Older buildings can still be updated with modern heating and ventilation systems, which can make them more comfortable and more energy efficient once they are being used again.
#13 Gay Bar In Cedar Rapids Used To Be A McDonald’s
#14 Apple Store In An Old Theatre, Los Angeles
#15 The Subway I Went To Today Used To Be A Bank. Instead Of Removing The Vault They Just Added More Seating Inside
Another reason people choose adaptive reuse is that old buildings often carry a lot of history with them. Even if their original purpose is no longer needed, their appearance may still be familiar to the people who live nearby.
Keeping those recognizable features can help a neighborhood hold on to some of its character while allowing the building to remain useful.
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#16 This Medical Facility Totally Used To Be A Pizza Hut
#17 Old Mall Turned Into College Building. Stores Were Converted Into Classrooms
#18 Former Target Turned Into A Walmart, They Painted The Target Orbs Yellow Instead Of Removing Them
Autodesk explains that this is one of the main differences between adaptive reuse and traditional historic preservation. Historic preservation usually focuses on keeping a building as close as possible to its existing form.
Adaptive reuse gives architects more freedom to make changes, as long as enough of the original structure remains to make reuse worthwhile.
#19 An Orthodontist’s Office Used To Be A Blockbuster [hinesville, GA]
#20 A Church Converted To A Grocery Store
#21 Former Bank, Now KFC. Owners Call It The Crystal Bucket. (Corning, NY Area)
The changes can also be much bigger than simply renovating the inside of a building. In New York City, for example, the High Line was once an elevated railway before it was transformed into a public park.
Denmark’s Jægersborg Water Tower also found a completely new use when it was converted into student housing and a youth center. Both projects show just how different a place can become while still keeping part of its original identity.
#22 Little Caesar’s Pizza In A Former Sonic Drive-In; Location Unknown
#23 A Bank Converted To Mcdonalds
#24 This Sports Bar Used To Be A Hollywood Video Store. They Reused Parts Of The Original Sign
So while some of the transformations in this collection may look unusual or even funny, there is often a very sensible reason behind them. Repurposing an existing building can save resources and preserve some of its history.
On top of that, it can give the structure a whole new life. Sometimes changing what a building is used for is exactly what allows it to stay useful for years to come.
#25 The Owners Ended Their Quiznos Franchise But Wanted To Run A Sandwich Shop Still
#26 KFC Turned Into A Jamba Juice
#27 Former Taco Bell, Louisville, KY
#28 Former Hot Topic Now Veterans Museum Denton, TX
#29 Urban Krag Climbing Center, Dayton Oh
#30 Allenby Theatre Built 1935, Turned Into Coffee Shop/Convenience Store In 2010 (Toronto)
#31 This Former Pizza Hut Got Turned Into A Home! The Owners Even Added A Garage And Lawn!
#32 Taco Bell Turned Into Law Offices
#33 Gas Station Turned Into A Boost Mobile – North Carolina
#34 Old Toysrus Is Now The Biggest Liquor Store I’ve Ever Seen! Includes A Bar. Fun For Kids Turned Fun For Adults. (Omaha, Ne)
#35 It’s Time To Get Spooky
#36 This “Starbucks” With Extra Pickup Lanes. So Convenient
#37 Sears Store At My Mall Was Turned Into A Fake Mega Church For A TV Show
#38 Former Wal-Mart Now Board Of Education
#39 Former Pizza Hut – Now La Piñata Mexican Grill, Childersburg Alabama
#40 Jay’s Liquor In Lakeland, FL (Former Blockbuster)
#41 Former Pizza Hut Now An Asian Vegan Restaurant (Pinellas Park, FL)
#42 CVS Pharmacy Used To Be A Theatre, East Los Angeles, CA
#43 Old Hollister Now A Book Store
#44 Value Village, Edmonton, Ab
#45 So Why Does A Hair Salon Need Three Drive-Through Lanes? (Former Bank)
#46 Former KFC, Broken Arrow, Ok
#47 Former Toys-R-Us, Now Sdf. Indianapolis, In
#48 Reused Krispy Kreme Sign Now Kroger Gas Station (Down The Street Is A Really Old Reused Pizza Hut Sign)
#49 Imagine Graduating From A High School That Was Once A Macy’s
#50 A Former Burger King Listed Online As A Townhouse
#51 Spirit Halloween – Was Fraser Health Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic Until Last Week, Formerly Best Buy – Surrey, Bc
#52 Last Year This Was A Jack In The Box
#53 “Chick & Burger” In A Former Chick-Fil-A At The Former Virginia Center Commons Mall
#54 Yes, You Were Always A Wireless Store
#55 I Coulda Swore This Used To Be A… Krispy Kreme? Naahhh
#56 A Former Ryan’s Buffet Repurposed As A Used Car Dealership – Martinez, Georgia
#57 Planet Fitness In A Former Circuit City. Phoenix, AZ
#58 Pretzelmaker, Now Avis/Budget Rental (North Little Rock, AR)
#59 Domino’s Used To Be A KFC, Albert Lea, Minnesota
#60 Former Bk Converted To Chinese Drive Thru. Didn’t Change A Thing Except Signage
#61 Former Walgreens Is Now A Planet Fitness
#62 Here’s A Good Find
#63 Old Taco Bell (Hamilton, Ontario)
#64 A Former A&p Grocery Store Is Now A Store For “Heavy Duty Truck & Trailer Parts” – Gary, Indiana
#65 Ihop Now An International House Of Prayer
#66 Former CVS Now An Uber
#67 This Black Rifle Coffee Company Location Used To Be A Taco Mayo. (Moore, Oklahoma)
#68 Gresham, Or – This Was Once A Gas Station And Then A Used Car Lot Before Becoming A Jimmy John’s
#69 This Bp In Anderson Used To Be The Walgreens
#70 This Muncie Liquor Store Used To Be A Taco Tico
#71 This Mexican Restaurant In Chesterfield Used To Be A Pizza Hut
#72 A Former Huddle House That Was Turned Into A Little Caesar’s Pizza – Lafayette, Georgia
#73 Former Arby’s In Norfolk, Virginia
#74 They Didn’t Even Remove The Original Sign On The Cart Corral
#75 Former Kroger Parkersburg WV
