CuriositiesAUG 10, 2026

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

Mindaugas Balčiauskas and Oleksandra Kyryliuk

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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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#61 Former Walgreens Is Now A Planet Fitness

A Planet Fitness gym in a building pretending to be something else, with a brick exterior and a brown awning.

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4points

#62 Here's A Good Find

A Walmart Neighborhood Market building pretending to be something it's not, with a large green facade under a blue sky.

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4points

#63 Old Taco Bell (Hamilton, Ontario)

A Water Depot building designed to look like a water bottle, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

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4points

#64 A Former A&p Grocery Store Is Now A Store For "Heavy Duty Truck & Trailer Parts" - Gary, Indiana

A former Pizza Hut building now housing a Road Equipment Parts Center, an example of buildings pretending to be something they're not.

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4points

#65 Ihop Now An International House Of Prayer

Church building with a brown roof and a cross, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

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3points

#66 Former CVS Now An Uber

An Uber office in a large retail building with a parking lot, one of many buildings pretending to be something they're not.

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3points

#67 This Black Rifle Coffee Company Location Used To Be A Taco Mayo. (Moore, Oklahoma)

A Black Rock Coffee Bar with outdoor seating and string lights, a building pretending to be something it's not.

MissusLunafreya

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3points

#68 Gresham, Or - This Was Once A Gas Station And Then A Used Car Lot Before Becoming A Jimmy John’s

A Jimmy John's restaurant that appears to be in a former Taco Bell building, a clear example of buildings pretending to be something they're not.

ComfortableFriend879

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3points

#69 This Bp In Anderson Used To Be The Walgreens

A green and yellow QuickChek store, a building pretending to be something else, resembling a lemon with a gas station nearby.

Unknown

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3points

#70 This Muncie Liquor Store Used To Be A Taco Tico

A red-orange building labeled Salsitas Mexican Grill, a building pretending to be something else, with a Save-On Liquor sign in the background.

Unknown

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3points

#71 This Mexican Restaurant In Chesterfield Used To Be A Pizza Hut

A red and yellow building, a building pretending to be something else, with yellow awnings and a black truck parked in front.

Unknown

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3points

#72 A Former Huddle House That Was Turned Into A Little Caesar's Pizza - Lafayette, Georgia

A Little Caesars Pizza in a building that was likely a former Pizza Hut, showcasing buildings pretending to be something they're not.

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3points

#73 Former Arby’s In Norfolk, Virginia

Building with a red roof and a large sign for car title loans, one of many buildings pretending to be something else.

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2points

#74 They Didn't Even Remove The Original Sign On The Cart Corral

An Ollie's Bargain Outlet store in a large parking lot, an example of buildings pretending to be something they're not.

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2points

#75 Former Kroger Parkersburg WV

A white and brick building, a building pretending to be something else, with a large blank signpost on the left and a parking lot.

TightAnalyst7068

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2points

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Mindaugas BalčiauskasBoredPanda Staff