Posted September 3, 200915 yr I’m sure many of you are familiar with the website Not Fooling Anbody, which catalogs bad conversions of brand/chain “architecture.” For whatever reason, I am fascinated by this topic, always keeping my eye out for converts at which to cringe. Manifesto from notfoolinganybody.com: It is not without the bitter taste of self-awareness, specifically about the overwhelmingly crass and commercial (and, indeed, downtrodden and dreary, bleakly suburban, and economically grim) nature of the content of this site, that we at NFA embark on our quest to document bad conversions. That said, it is perhaps best that we look at this phenomenon as a delightful yet sad part of our culture's clattering landscape: it is an amusing diversion, it is an economic gestalt, it is a crime of design, it is a confusion to the would-be consumer. Let us rejoice in bad conversions and seek to amuse ourselves with them wherever possible, taking utmost pains to observe the careful, hopeless touches of their renovation and their indelible flourishes of nonsense on our landscape. Embrace blight! We have no other hope. Spotted any fun conversions in Ohio?
September 3, 200915 yr Ooooh, ooh, me, me! '70s retail strips in Columbus are a festival of this phenomenon. The fun begins when heading north on Hamilton at Refugee. On your right, you will first spot a Rob 'N Go in an old Taco Bell. Next up will be a Papa John's in a former G.D. Ritzy's. Then, the Aquarium Lounge can be identified as an old Denny's. Across from that, there was a Chinese place in an old Ponderosa, but it's gone now. As we move further north toward 70, we can see that the roof on the Platinum Fox strip joint has just collapsed. By it's architecture, it can be identified as an Elby's in a previous life. An even more saturated example can be seen between McNuagthen and Brice Roads on Livingston. Within only about 200 yards, 8-10 old fast food and family restaurants can be found re-purposed as local fast-food, bars or other businesses, while others sit empty waiting for someone to make them a "Not Fooling Anybody poster child. Map:http://maps.google.com/maps?q=6200+e.+livingston+ave.+columbus+oh&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-40,GGGL:en
September 3, 200915 yr Dayton: Long John Silvers > Check Cashing (Wilmington) Friendly’s > Budget Rent-a-Car (Wilmington) – not bad Pizza Hut > Chinese Buffet (Dixie) Wendy’s > Dentist Office (Miller) – gross Ponderosa > Labor Works (Salem) Middletown: Ponderosa > Video Store (Verity) Dairy Queen > White Castle (Roosevelt) Hamilton: KFC > Check Cashing (Main) - awful Friendly’s > Medical Office (Main) – this actually works Bill Knapps’ > Noonan’s Party (Main) – not bad either Taco Bell > Florist (Brookwood) Rally’s > Jackson Hewitt (Erie) Hardey’s > Gold Star Chili (Erie)
September 3, 200915 yr I can only think of 3 in the Youngstown area. In Youngstown, on Mahoning Ave. an old Dairy Queen (one of the small ones) was converted to a Chinese takeout place. Absolutely nothing was done to the place. Only the DQ sign is missing. In Austintown, on S. Raccoon Rd., there was an old Taco Bell that was painted brown and converted to a BBQ place. I think the BBQ place has since closed, though. Another in Austintown, on Mahoning Ave. There is a former Pizza Hut that was converted to a bar called the Voodoo Lounge. They had a fire a few years ago, and my company was hired to design the repairs, and replace the roof that had burned. So, we eliminated the "Pizza Hut" style roof, at least. But the trapezoidal windows remain.
September 3, 200915 yr So, we eliminated the "Pizza Hut" style roof, at least. But the trapezoidal windows remain. According to the website, some hide the trapezoidal shape with shutters.
September 3, 200915 yr In Columbus it's hhgregg > Parole office/DMV/Family Services, ect. Are there distinctive HH Gregg detailings?
September 3, 200915 yr ^Isn't that a remnant of a former Sun TV storefront? There's one in Elyria like that.
September 3, 200915 yr The Red Barn restaurant buildings were apparently built like tanks, and usually re-used but it's really hard to mask the shape of the old structure. Here is website with lots of pics of repurposed ones: http://www.barnbuster.net/
September 3, 200915 yr How funny! I have often watched this sort of thing too... AND notice really BAD conversions that simply look tacky... The check cashing thing is a good example. I am all for adaptive re-use...But when I see no 'adapt' in the re-use... I want to vomit! btw.. My brother and sister worked at Red Barn in the 70's.
September 3, 200915 yr Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine Red Barn was just torn down this year. It is slated to become a parking garage, but I kind of wanted somebody to redevelop it. It was totally and awesomely out of character for the neighborhood.
September 3, 200915 yr ^I think that's what I kind of like about the Short North strip, there are a few things that should be more offensive than they are, but they've somehow come to "belong" there, like the UDF and the White Castle.
September 3, 200915 yr anybody remember the days before taco bells were everywhere? the taco bell at hudson and high street in cols was repurposed from a pre-taco bell era texmex chainlet called zantigos. although they got bought out by them zantigos was much better than taco hell. the zantigo's chilitos were awesome post-bar food! http://help.com/post/90943-does-anyone-remember-zantigos-resta http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=127399&mpage=2#127439 http://columbusrestauranthistory.com/restaurant/chains.htm
September 3, 200915 yr anybody remember the days before taco bells were everywhere? the taco bell at hudson and high street in cols was repurposed from a pre-taco bell era texmex chainlet called zantigos. although they got bought out by them zantigos was much better than taco hell. the zantigo's chilitos were awesome post-bar food! http://help.com/post/90943-does-anyone-remember-zantigos-resta http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=127399&mpage=2#127439 http://columbusrestauranthistory.com/restaurant/chains.htm Taco Bell has gotten disgusting... Used to go once in a while but then the GMO tomatoes were getting to me. That sign.. "Zantigo" I have seen that before..
September 3, 200915 yr Could be. I'm new around these parts. Someone once told me it was hhgregg. Yes, that would be Sun originally. It could have been HH Gregg after the Sun chain went out, however.
September 3, 200915 yr I think I've seen some HH Greggs in them, that's where I might've gotten the idea. Still, an interesting barometer of an adjacent neighborhood's general economic health.
September 3, 200915 yr There must be lots of those "RAX" restaurants in Ohio like that....with the glass atrium thing on the front, those used to be all over... and I remember one when I was at Kent that was in Stow that would have a fake rainstorm every 10 min or so inside on that window atrium. Kind of along the same lines...when I lived in Kent, I briefly lived in one of those God-Awful pre-fab "Cardinal Communities". Those horrible apartment complexes were everywhere in Ohio and completely pre-fab and all looked the same. They would name them some stupid sounding nice name (Hickory Mill was mine) and plant flowers and try to landscape them really nice to hide the fact the buildings were sh!t. They were not fooling anybody, it was a the same building parts and looked exactly like a "Knights Inn" and probably built by the same company.
September 3, 200915 yr ^ Was I dreaming or drunk....there was some kind of rainstorm show in there....right?
September 3, 200915 yr I *think* so but that was like 20 years ago now, it's really hard to remember. I hated going there. The guy I dated insisted we go there before going to blossom to watch the orchestra, which I also hated.
September 3, 200915 yr Are there any old Burger Chef locations left standing in Ohio? http://www.freewebs.com/burgerchef/
September 3, 200915 yr I don't think so. But we do have plenty of Arby's with the original "hat" still.
September 3, 200915 yr Mmm Rax like Arby's but worse...I remember something about cheese sauce too. I haven't been down there in a few years but there was a Burger Chef building in Newton Falls (Outside of Warren)that remained for several years reborn as a Hardees. Edit: Looking at the website it definately was an 80s Burger Chef.
September 3, 200915 yr anybody remember the days before taco bells were everywhere? the taco bell at hudson and high street in cols was repurposed from a pre-taco bell era texmex chainlet called zantigos. although they got bought out by them zantigos was much better than taco hell. the zantigo's chilitos were awesome post-bar food! http://help.com/post/90943-does-anyone-remember-zantigos-resta http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=127399&mpage=2#127439 http://columbusrestauranthistory.com/restaurant/chains.htm I remember those, better than Taco Hell for sure! When I visited friends in Bexley, there was one across the street from their apt. There are a lot of old colonial A&P conversions around the state as well.
September 3, 200915 yr The Red Barn restaurant buildings were apparently built like tanks, and usually re-used but it's really hard to mask the shape of the old structure. Here is website with lots of pics of repurposed ones: http://www.barnbuster.net/ The Hamburger Hungry looks suspiciously like the Buckeye's mascot. Mmm Rax like Arby's but worse...I remember something about cheese sauce too. I haven't been down there in a few years but there was a Burger Chef building in Newton Falls (Outside of Warren)that remained for several years reborn as a Hardees. Edit: Looking at the website it definately was an 80s Burger Chef. I actually preferred Rax. Also, I wonder how many Hardees are left. They're pretty good for fast food.
September 3, 200915 yr Also, I wonder how many Hardees are left. They're pretty good for fast food. Almost 2,000 remain, according to this site: http://www.99w.com/evilsam/ff/hardees.htm
September 3, 200915 yr ^ Yes, in NEO there is one in Willoughby & one in Akron. The one in Youngstown closed a couple of years ago.
September 3, 200915 yr Dayton: Long John Silvers > Check Cashing (Wilmington) Friendlys > Budget Rent-a-Car (Wilmington) not bad Pizza Hut > Chinese Buffet (Dixie) Wendys > Dentist Office (Miller) gross Ponderosa > Labor Works (Salem) Middletown: Ponderosa > Video Store (Verity) Dairy Queen > White Castle (Roosevelt) Hamilton: KFC > Check Cashing (Main) - awful Friendlys > Medical Office (Main) this actually works Bill Knapps > Noonans Party (Main) not bad either Taco Bell > Florist (Brookwood) Rallys > Jackson Hewitt (Erie) Hardeys > Gold Star Chili (Erie) Yeah, a lot of those weren't TOO bad (like Dairy Queen to White Castle in Middletown), but the dentist ofice in the Wendy's grosses me out, too. Throw Ponderosa in Tipp City to Hickory River BBQ on there, along with a bank by Towne Mall to Boston Market to Fazoli's to National City Bank to PNC Bank and Red Barn in Huber to a Check-and-Cash, too. I'll post some others I think of later, too.
September 3, 200915 yr I think I've seen some HH Greggs in them, that's where I might've gotten the idea. Still, an interesting barometer of an adjacent neighborhood's general economic health. That Sun TV actually never got turned into an H.H. Gregg.
September 3, 200915 yr There are a few old Sister's Chicken 'n Biscuits locations around Columbus. If you remember, Sister's was a chicken chain started by Wendy's in the '80s. Most only stayed open a few years. Here's the ones I can think of off-hand: Hamilton and Livingston: now a Rob 'n Go S. High and Williams: now Ohio Deli Hamilton and Broad: now a flower shop
September 4, 200915 yr Sister's -> Northeastern Eye Center on Lorain Rd in North Olmsted: http://tinyurl.com/klm6qs Sister's -> Taco Bell on Rt. 58 in Amherst (just got demolished last week for a new Taco Bell design: http://tinyurl.com/nnmqr2 Rax -> Wendy's also on Rt. 58: http://tinyurl.com/n6dxgy Rax -> Burger King near Midway Mall in Elyria (solarium demolished and play room added on front): http://tinyurl.com/nddkbb McDonalds -> Kids Center daycare in Vermilion:
September 4, 200915 yr One of my uncles worked at Zantigo's after college. I think he met his wife while he was still working at that place. Rax had a kids meal called a "Gator Meal", or something like that, and they gave you alligator glasses in the bag. There was still a Rax with an atrium in Athens until 2004, when it became a Sonic.
September 7, 200915 yr Thriftway built a brand new store in Goshen, Ohio before Kroger bought them up and immediately remodeled the store. However Kroger kept the old Thriftway sign frame and stuck the Kroger logo in the middle. The shape is quite different and it is obvious. In Milford, there is an old Wendy's that's been converted into a Chinese restaurant, and an old Pizza Hut converted into a Buffalo Wings & Rings. Both are obviously the original chain buildings. On the other hand, the old Walmart on Fields Ertel Rd was converted into a JC Penny and there is not even a trace of the old building left. I wasn't aware of this site... Now I really want to go around and take pictures of some of these converted chain buildings!
September 8, 200915 yr There's also a lot of old "Dairy Mart" locations around Cincinnati converted into "Dairy Market", etc.
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