CuriositiesAUG 10, 2026

75 Buildings That Changed Their Purpose But Not Their Appearance, And The Results Are Hilarious

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Oleksandra Kyryliuk

Prefer us in Search Follow on Discover

48

6

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.

This post may include affiliate links.

#41 Former Pizza Hut Now An Asian Vegan Restaurant (Pinellas Park, FL)

A Lotus Vegan Restaurant in a building pretending to be something else, with a distinct roof shape.

Report

8points

#42 CVS Pharmacy Used To Be A Theatre, East Los Angeles, CA

A CVS Pharmacy housed in a grand, old building, showcasing buildings pretending to be something they are not.

Report

8points

#43 Old Hollister Now A Book Store

A book outlet and more, in a building pretending to be a quaint market stall inside a large empty mall.

Report

7points

#44 Value Village, Edmonton, Ab

A Value Village store building pretending to be a modern retail center, with a large parking lot and cars.

AsparagusOk8213

Report

7points

#45 So Why Does A Hair Salon Need Three Drive-Through Lanes? (Former Bank)

Large brick building with columns, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

Report

7points

#46 Former KFC, Broken Arrow, Ok

Gilstrap Chiropractic, a building pretending to be something it is not, with a large sign and drive-thru style roof.

Report

6points

#47 Former Toys-R-Us, Now Sdf. Indianapolis, In

A Scandinavian Designs Furniture store at night, a building that is pretending to be something it's not.

Report

6points

#48 Reused Krispy Kreme Sign Now Kroger Gas Station (Down The Street Is A Really Old Reused Pizza Hut Sign)

A Kroger gas station with a brick facade, illustrating a building pretending to be something else entirely.

Report

6points

#49 Imagine Graduating From A High School That Was Once A Macy’s

A brick building with an arch entrance and Downtown BHS sign, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

Report

6points

#50 A Former Burger King Listed Online As A Townhouse

A Facebook ad for a townhouse with an interior showing a former restaurant setup, illustrating buildings pretending to be something they're not.

Unknown

Report

6points

#51 Spirit Halloween - Was Fraser Health Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic Until Last Week, Formerly Best Buy - Surrey, Bc

A Spirit Halloween store in a large blue building, a building pretending to be something else with city buildings in background.

Report

6points

#52 Last Year This Was A Jack In The Box

Report

5points

#53 "Chick & Burger" In A Former Chick-Fil-A At The Former Virginia Center Commons Mall

Chick & Burger, a building pretending to be something it is not, showing a fast-food counter and menu.

Report

5points

#54 Yes, You Were Always A Wireless Store

A composite image showing T-Mobile signs above, and Waffle House signs below, an example of buildings pretending.

Report

5points

#55 I Coulda Swore This Used To Be A... Krispy Kreme? Naahhh

The sign for Wow's Diner Doughnuts inside a store, suggesting a building pretending to be something it's not.

Report

5points

#56 A Former Ryan's Buffet Repurposed As A Used Car Dealership - Martinez, Georgia

A former Pizza Hut building now used for vehicle sales, one of many buildings pretending to be something they're not.

Report

5points

#57 Planet Fitness In A Former Circuit City. Phoenix, AZ

Planet Fitness, a building pretending to be something it is not, featuring its purple exterior and prominent signage.

Report

4points

#58 Pretzelmaker, Now Avis/Budget Rental (North Little Rock, AR)

Empty Avis and Budget car rental counter, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

allyourbaseareoblong

Report

4points

#59 Domino's Used To Be A KFC, Albert Lea, Minnesota

Report

4points

#60 Former Bk Converted To Chinese Drive Thru. Didn’t Change A Thing Except Signage

A Green Tea Chinese Drive-Thru in a building pretending to be something it's not, with a large empty parking lot.

Report

4points

48

6

Mindaugas BalčiauskasBoredPanda Staff