15 Historic Buildings That Got Repurposed Into Something Totally Unexpected
As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And nowhere is that more true than in the world of real estate. Indeed, while some will see a dilapidated old building as something that needs to be put out of its misery and torn down, others will see it as an opportunity to show off their restoration skills. From churches transformed into skate parks to telephone boxes converted into libraries, here’s a look at 15 past-their-prime properties that were given a new lease of life.
1. Water park: Used to be a blimp hangar
Located in the German town of Krausnick, this imposing-looking building once played a vital military role. Yes, the hangar — which is roughly 210 meters wide, 360 meters long, and an incredible 107 meters tall — was once a Soviet Union air base.
And its main purpose was to store airships which had been specifically created to move cargo across long distances. The only type of transport you’ll find in there now, though, is the rubber dinghy.
Fake beach
That’s right: the Brand Cargolifter Halle — large enough that one of America’s greatest landmarks, the Statue of Liberty would fit inside — is now a fun-for-all-the-family water park. The dramatic change was made in 2004 and since then, thousands of people have flocked to this unusually located getaway.
The park, which is actually named Tropical Islands, boasts a fake beach, water slide, sauna, lagoon, and an adventure park as well as offering evening entertainment and both budget and high-end accommodation.
2. Skate park: Used to be a church
The Santa Barbara Church had been a fixture of Llanera, a village in the northern part of Spain, since way back in 1912. As you would expect, it was first used as a chapel, but specifically for those who worked at the local munitions factory and those who resided close by.
But this particular workplace ended up closing down during the final stages of the country’s civil war. Then, nearly a century after it was first built, the church was repurposed for something a little less holy.
Halfpipes and ramps
Yes, we can’t remember anything in the Bible about halfpipes and ramps. But that’s exactly what you’ll find now in this former place of worship. In 2007 a businessman named Ernesto Fernandez stumbled across the building while trying to source a new business park for nearby factories.
Thanks to the help of various private investors and some skateboarding enthusiasts, the entrepreneur was eventually able to convert the property into a skate park, an idea sparked by the global financial crisis.
3. McDonald’s: Used to be a plane
This 20-seater Douglas DC-3 aircraft was constructed two years before the end of the Second World War. It was first used as a passenger airplane, before becoming a crop duster.
In 1984 it was decommissioned and stored in a car dealership in the New Zealand city of Taupo. But it was six years later, when the Aeroplane Car Company was bought out, that the plane became world-famous.
Cockpit dining
And that’s because it was turned into the coolest McDonald’s restaurant ever! Yes, you can now tuck into a Big Mac and fries in what used to be the pilot’s cockpit.
The multinational conglomerate hasn’t forgotten to honor the aircraft’s history, though. The eatery, which is also open all day and can be spotted from nearby roads, pays tribute to the plane’s timeline and those who have flown it.
4. Mini-library: Used to be a telephone box
It’s easy to forget in the age of the cell phone, but there was a time when the only way you could call someone on your travels was via the use of a payphone, which across the other side of the Atlantic was usually stored in a giant red glass-fronted box.
The one in the photo above, taken in the English village of Westbury-sub-Mendip, would have regularly been used back in the day. But with pretty much everyone owning a mobile these days, the fixture was in danger of being removed.
Two birds with one stone
Luckily, the villagers came up with an ingenious idea: the parish council decided to purchase the phone box and turn it into a library. This essentially killed two birds with one stone, as the town had also suffered the loss of its regular mobile library, too.
And the local population of just 800 appears to be quite diverse in their reading tastes. You’ll find everything from true crime to romance novels and even children’s books in the donated collection.
5. Art gallery: Used to be a swimming pool
As its name suggests, La Piscine was once a swimming pool in the region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Designed by architect Albert Baert, the art deco building opened in 1932 and allowed residents to enjoy a dip for the next 53 years.
Sadly, they had to find somewhere else to show off their chic bathing costumes in 1985 when the building was closed to the public. But by the turn of the millennium, it had been repurposed as another major attraction.
Arts, literature, and science
Remodeled by Jean-Paul Philippon for a more contemporary look, albeit with its art deco stylings still intact, the old swimming baths became a museum in the year 2000. Attendees can enjoy perusing a collection previously displayed by the National High School of Arts and Textile Industry.
The latter, which was shut down during the beginning of World War Two, was said to have shaped the town’s tastes with its various arts, literature, and science artifacts.
6. Bookstore: Used to be a theater
The Teatro Grand Splendid was a theater constructed specially for a pioneering figure named Max Glucksmann, a man instrumental to the Argentinian music and film scenes in the early 20th century.
The building, whose remarkable painted ceilings were the work of Italian Nazarino Orlandi, officially opened its doors to the public shortly after the end of World War One. And seven years later, it went from being a live-performance venue to a cinema.
El Ateneo
Located in the Argentinian capital city of Buenos Aires, the theater closed its doors in 2000 after more than eight decades in business. But nine years later, architect Fernando Manzone gave it a new lease of life.
He transformed it into one of the world’s most extravagant bookstores. And wisely, he incorporated many of its original features into the new design. The building has now been given the new name of El Ateneo.
7. Hotel, nightclubs and restaurants: Used to be a train station
Constructed back in 1848 the city of Indianapolis’ Union Station was the first of its kind in America: a hub from which at least two firms could run regular train services.
But as travelers started to take to the highways instead from the 1960s onward, the building began falling into disrepair. And by the early 1980s it had become near-ruined by vandalism. Luckily, in the nick of time the National Register of Historic Places came to its rescue.
Pullman Traincar sleepers
After receiving a makeover in the mid-’80s, the new and improved Union Station welcomed a whole host of nightclubs and eateries. And then in 1996 its train shed was converted into a Crowne Plaza Hotel boasting 273 rooms.
Guests can choose to get some shut-eye in one of the 13 Pullman Traincar sleepers which are still situated on their existing tracks. Every car, each of which hosts two rooms, is named in honor of 20th-century icons such as Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, and Cole Porter.
8. Residences and offices: Used to be a cement factory
Created by Clifford Tomlinson, a U.S. engineer, in the early 20th century, the building known as La Fabrica was initially a cement factory which boasted Europe’s highest chimney at the time of its construction.
Situated in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern, the building survived the Spanish Civil War; by the 1950s it had nearly 400 employees. But the significant damage it caused to the environment prevented any further investment, and in 1968 the Sanson company decided to relocate nearer to a quarry.
Catalan Gothic
Luckily, another very different company, Ricardo Bofill’s Taller de Arquitectura, discovered its potential in 1972. And within just three years, the firm had reinvented the structure as a business and residential hub.
Several of its architects, including Bofill himself, lived on the site, whose design incorporated elements of surrealism, postmodernism, and Catalan Gothic. Following Bofill’s death in 2022 the general public were allowed in to see the remarkable transformation for themselves.
9. Walgreens: Used to be a bank vault
Once renowned for its Classical Revival architecture, the Noel Bank State Building in Chicago housed several financial institutions during the 1900s. And it was the brainchild of a man named Gardner C. Coughlen.
He designed the building specifically to complement its main function. That’s why you will see Corinthian capitals adorning the pilasters which divide its massive windows, and why ornamental terracotta envelops its exterior.
Vitamin Vault
After years of inactivity, the building was bought by Walgreens in 2010 and within the space of two years, the drugstore giant had converted it into perhaps its most unique branch.
The Vitamin Vault, which as its name suggests used the former vault to display its range of vitamins, was one of its most popular features. But sadly, in 2023 the company announced that the N. Milwaukee Ave. store was shutting its doors for good.
10. Climbing wall: Used to be a grain silo
The building responsible for this incredibly imposing view was initially used as a replacement for the Carrollton Feed Mill in North Texas; it was constructed back in the middle of the 20th century.
It provided the area with a fireproof and flood-proof grain elevator that stood at a whopping 110 feet high! But these days, the silo is used for something far more thrill-seeking.
Head for heights
Yes, it’s here where the North Texas Outdoor Pursuit Center has set up base, enabling those with a head for heights to scale its dramatic walls. For the price of just $15, you can spend an entire day trying to climb to the top of the silo.
But you have to bring your own shoes! Those who prefer their extreme sports in the outdoors should head to West Yorkshire’s ROKT climbing centre, another former grain silo now repurposed as the tallest man-made climbing wall in the United Kingdom.
11. Hotel, shops, restaurants, and apartments: Used to be a brewery
Pearl’s Brewhouse had been a fixture of the San Antonio landscape since the late 19th century. It was designed by August Maritzen, an architect from Chicago who was renowned for his work in the brewery industry. In fact, he was responsible for no fewer than 80 examples across North America and South Africa.
By the middle of World War One, it had become Texas’ biggest brewery. But despite managing to make it through the era of Prohibition, the brewhouse couldn’t survive much past the turn of the millennium: in 2001 it was permanently shut down.
Emma Koehler
But just a year later, a firm named Silver Ventures bought the brewhouse and subsequently transformed it into a hip-and-happening hub of shops, apartments, and eateries. Since 2015 it’s also housed Hotel Emma.
This is an establishment named after the building’s most important figure: Emma Koehler was credited with keeping the brewery afloat for more than 20 years after her husband passed away in 1914.
12. Cafe: Used to be a courtroom
St Albans Town Hall used to be at the center of the titular area’s local government. Designed in the 1830s by architect George Smith, the Grade-II listed property in Hertfordshire, England, boasted several functional quarters including an assembly room.
This is where the most important local figures gathered to discuss the business and politics of the day. It housed a courtroom, too. But following the 1966 opening of a nearby civic center, these spaces became unused and unloved.
Prison cell toilets
In recent years, the former lynchpin of the St. Albans community has started to thrive again. That’s due to a council-commissioned makeover which has transformed the dead space into a museum, gallery, and educational center.
You can even enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake in the courtroom, now repurposed as a cafe. And if you need to spend a penny, then you can head for the former prison cells, which have been turned into toilets.
13. Target store: Used to be a FBI headquarters
There’s not much information in the public domain about the origins of this particular building, situated at 1201 Third Ave in the Big Apple’s Upper East Side. And once you learn what it was used for, you’ll understand why.
Yes, the property was reportedly a home base for the New York branch of the FBI. Although it no longer serves a purpose for the security service, there is still at least some evidence of its former life.
On-display vault
Yes, there are still traces of the FBI’s headquarters, said to originate from the mid-1900s, in the Target store that moved inside the same building in 2019 thanks to the on-display vault.
The unique feature certainly helped differentiate the small branch from the others that opened in New York that year. Well, that and its larger range of convenience foods and beauty products, according to the retail giant.
14. Hostel: Used to be a jail
Up until the early 1970s the Nicholas Street Gaol was the last place you would have wanted to spend the night in Ottawa. It was the city’s main prison for more than 100 years, and the location of three executions to boot!
In fact, the spirit of the first man to be hanged there, Patrick J. Whelan, is said to roam the building. If that wasn’t enough to send shivers down your spine, recent excavations have also discovered several graves that were unmarked.
Mystery Hunters
It doesn’t sound like the most obvious place to open a form of accommodation. But that’s exactly what the company Hostelling International did following the jail’s closure back in 1972.
And countless guests have since willingly signed up to sleep in the building considered so haunted that it’s featured on both The Girly Ghosthunters and Mystery Hunters. Much of the property has retained its original features, including the imposing iron doors and stone walls.
15. Cultural hub: Used to be a grain silo
Stroll along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in the South Africa city of Cape Town anytime in the latter part of the 20th century and you couldn’t possibly miss the sight of its giant grain silo. The structure, which was constructed in the early 1920s, stood at a whopping 57 meters tall.
And it was designed using no fewer than 42 incredibly dense concrete cylinders. Take the same stroll now, though, and you’ll notice that the same building has been repurposed as a cultural hub.
Thomas Heatherwick
Yes, situated in the aptly-named Silo District, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa has attracted millions of visitors since opening its doors in 2017. The space also includes an art educational center, retail store, coffee shop, and a restaurant.
And the highest point of the former silo now serves as a hotel. Thomas Heatherwick, a designer based in London, was responsible for overseeing the remarkable transformation, which began back in 2014.