39 Buildings That Tried To Cover Up Their Original Purpose (But It Didn’t Pan Out)
Franchises may rise and fall, but the buildings they occupied often stick around. Most of the time, all it takes is a new coat of paint and a swapped-out sign to give a place a fresh start.
In these cases, though, the transformations were barely an attempt—leaving behind some comically obvious traces of their former lives.
From Taco To Taco
The exterior still sports the classic Taco Bell color scheme.
That's why it’s a bit puzzling that the "coming soon" sign suggests it’s turning into another Taco Bell. Maybe they’re just giving the place a makeover.
Smile For The Camera
This orthodontist's office was once a Blockbuster, and honestly, the transformation kind of makes sense.
After all, who wouldn't want a perfectly straight, camera-ready smile when they’re in the spotlight?
Same Same But Different
The owners decided to close their Quiznos franchise but still wanted to keep a sandwich shop going.
They simply rearranged some letters from the old sign, and voilà, they're ready to go!
A New Kind Of Paradise
Whatever Chinese restaurant this once was, it definitely wasn't meant to become a funeral home.
But if heaven were a Chinese restaurant, we might just be okay with an endless supply of udon noodles.
Taking All Your Money
This former bank turned McDonald's is a perfect symbol of how much money we end up spending on fast food.
You might not think it's a big deal to spend two bucks on a junior chicken, but when you add up how many you have in a year, it really adds up!
The Home Of The Whopper
A house was converted to Burger King in Columbus and it gave a whole new meaning to "home service."
Now they technically can claim that they're providing you with a home-cooked meal.
Cleaning Out The Digestive System
This Dunkin' Donuts drive-through is placed in a former gas station car wash.
When ordering junk food, you know it's not good for your body, but you eat it anyway and just assume you'll cleanse it out eventually.
Seems Qualified Enough
Imagine putting your freedom and your future into the hands of a lawyer who writes his name in a "professional" orange neon sign.
It's not a legal matter, it's a fiesta!
A Church Converted Into A Grocery Store
Apparently many churches are sold each year as very few people attend services.
That would explain how a place of worship was suddenly turned into the prettiest Tesco grocery store on the block.
Transformed With Minimal Effort
This former gas station turned into a Subway with outdoor seating where the gas pumps were.
Why bother taking out all the pillars when you could enjoy your sub in the fresh air?
It's Like Its Own Religion
This church was turned into a gym and it seems quite fitting. Think of all the bodybuilders who eat, sleep, and breathe fitness.
They basically turn it into their own religion with their workouts being their prayers, and their bodies sometimes treated like their temples.
Fill In The Gaps
We support this because there's no point spending a whole bunch of money on two whole letters when you can just recycle the ones that are already there.
Now the sign has a little bit more flair with the yellow complementing the green.
Learning To Budget
This CVS pharmacy replaced an old bank but kept both the interior and the exterior.
Maybe that'll encourage its customers to actually budget when they get groceries instead of grabbing anything that looks good because they left the house hungry.
The Acoustics Must Be Really Good
A church in a local town was converted into a nightclub. Out of all the possible businesses it could've been converted to, this one seems the most ironic.
At least it would make for great acoustics.
Encouragement To Read A Book
Sadly Blockbusters are now a thing of the past. Yet this bookstore made the best of it.
Maybe kids these days can take it as encouragement to get off Netflix and their tablets and try reading a book for a change.
Mexican KFC
The KFC man actually goes by the name Colonel Harland David Sanders. He was an American businessman, best known for founding the fast-food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC).
As the brand ambassador and symbol, never was he seen wearing a sombrero.
Named After An Important Man
Somebody named KG bought a local gas station because somehow having a gas station named after you means that you're super important.
We hope they got to enjoy their one minute of fame.
Nothing To See Here
This CVS in DC used to be a movie theater but unfortunately the show inside isn't that good.
Unless you're entertained by reading the labels of painkillers.
The Colors Are So Soothing
This gym complex is part of a luxury apartment setup that's been built inside what used to be an old hospital.
If the gym is that nice, imagine what the apartments look like!
It's Nice They Could Keep Some Of The Original Setup
This old brewery is now a hotel called The Pearl in San Antonio, Texas. They kept as much of the original structure as possible, relying on that old rustic charm.
It also has a super cute weekend farmer's market.
They Even Kept The Old Roller Rack
This restaurant that's appropriately called Linger used to be a mortuary. It's in Denver, Colorado, and they tried to keep some of the original charms.
The roller rack is the most noteworthy, and maybe a bit creepy? It was used to transport coffins.
It's Nice They Kept The Pews
This is the Host Cafe in London, England. As it's pretty easy to see, it used to be a church.
When they renovated it into a cafe, they wanted to keep as much of the church vibe as possible.
That's An Interesting Juxtoposition
There is something ironic about the statue of communist artwork over a KFC restaurant.
This photo was taken in Belarus, one of the few places where all the Communist artwork and imagery weren't destroyed after the end of Communism.
This Is Some Serious Recycling
This Wendy's is built using old shipping containers. It's always amazing to see people use what's already around instead of creating a whole new structure.
It's better to reuse things when you can.
Looks Like All Those People Are In Cages
This is a photo of the Carnivora building, which is part of the Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio.
It was originally built in the 1920s and was home to lions, tigers, bears and other such animals. It's now home to a bunch of restaurants and cafes.
Do You Think You Can Order A McHaunting Here?
This McDonald's building has quite a history. It was originally built in 1795 by the Denton family from whom the mansion got its name. After WWI, it stopped being a private residence and was turned into a funeral home.
Then, in 1985, McDonald's acquired it and since the location was a historical land site, they couldn't tear it down and so they worked with what they had.
Think They Make The Buzzer Go Off To Hurry People After Closing?
It makes sense to use something like a hockey arena as a grocery store. Why not?
You already have a big, open space. It would have been smart to leave some of the stands up for the kids to sit in who got dragged to the store.
What A Great Idea For An Old Airship Hanger
The waterpark is called Waterpark Tropical Island and it's in Krausnuck, Germany.
It comes complete with waterslides, a wave pool, and a little tiny tropical forest you can take a stroll through.
This Might Be Difficult To Navigate
These old apartments in Saigon were all turned into little shops and coffee places to check out.
Even though it might be weird to go in without knowing exactly what is in each store.
A Book Store That Smells Like Hollister
Walking through the mall, you don't expect to see this for a face of a bookstore.
If it looks familiar, that's because it used to be a Hollister retail store! We hope that they changed the lighting.
Taco Bell Is Now Taboo
Imagine going out late to get tacos, only to find that you're Taco Bell has been changed to an adult superstore.
We wonder if the drive-thru is still operable on the back side of the building.
It Used To Be The "Majestic"
According to Reddit user Hawksong, this liquor store was previously named "Majestic". Instead of taking down the letters, the new owners decided to move them around.
The business is now named "Jamestic"...
Coming Soon To A Walgreens Near You
They just don't build Walgreens like they used to! That, or this Walgreens location used to be a movie theater. This town's old movie theater closed and was repurposed without changing the exterior one bit. It even has the marquee still.
Go Every Sunday
Can you tell what this Dollar Tree building used to be? Yep, it used to be the local church.
Instead of spending time with your spiritual side every Sunday, you can go to Dollar Tree and save money.
Bank of Burgers
Who needs to go the bank anyway? We'd rather have burgers. This colonial looking Wendy's location used to be the town's bank.
We wonder what they're doing with the vault...
Just Repaint The Balls
Wait a minute, which superstore was it that has the cement balls out front of their store? You're not losing your mind, it's usually Target.
Unless you go to this Walmart, where they found it cheaper to repaint the orbs yellow instead of Target red.
Famous Furniture Over Here
When a furniture store moved into the old Hollywood video location, they decided that a business name change was cheaper than updating the exterior of the building.
At least they added a red and white sign to let the public know what they're selling.
From Fried Chicken To Thai
Chain restaurants do such a good job of branding each of their franchises that they're recognizable even with different signage.
With the red and white striped roof this clearly used to be a KFC. We hope the interior has changed a bit more than the outside!
The Best Gas Station Pizza You'll Ever Have
You might be fooled into thinking that this is a gas station that serves pizza.
Other than the red, white and blue Domino's pizza sign perched on the scaffolding, it looks like it's original purpose, as a Phillip's 66 Gas Station and Garage.
