Sometimes a building’s architectural style is so identified with its original business that it’s hard to shake the association, even when the business is long gone. Here’s a photo gallery of bad building conversions around Indianapolis. Let me know about the ones you’ve spotted around town…
This Indian Restaurant on east 38th Street doesn’t disguise its former existence as a Pizza Hut very well. Pizza Hut
Woo hoo! Let’s go to the Taco Bell Dentist! Taco Bell Dentistry
Peggy’s Restaurant can try all it wants, but it’s no Lums Restaurant. Lums
It’s not really that obvious at first, but if you look at Rancho Grande Restaurant near 86th and Ditch, you can see it used to be a Chinese Restaurant Rancho Grande Chinese Buffet
The Fox Photo at 86th and Ditch is now Joey’s Produce. They should probably take down the digital services sign to make the complete transformation. Produce Fox Photo
Jen’s theory that this lighting store on 38th Street might be a former Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips is close, but I think it might not be the case after comparing the signs. (Update – it was a Laughner’s Cafeteria!)
Treachers Lantern?
Arthur Treachers
They tried adding some Asian design adornment to the windows, but it’s pretty obvious that Tokyo Joe’s started life as a Noble Roman’s. Tokyo Joes
However, they do have a great “Lunh Buffet.” Lunh Buffet
I’m not certain, but I think this Pawn shop used to be a Steak place. Pawn Shop/Steak
Indianapolis residents were devastated when the Roslyns Bakeries all over town closed, and even more upset when their classic “googie” style signs were converted to Cash and Go signs. Roslyn’s Bakery/Cash N Go
This former Ponderosa on east Washington now serves up Chinese food Ponderosa China Buffet 2
As does this one on 10th and Shadeland. Notice the nice Ponderosa landscape image still in place. Ponderosa China Buffet
This Long John Silvers ended up being an auto service place/tax preparer. Long John Silver’s Auto Repair & taxes
The Blockbuster sign doesn’t quite hide that this building used to be a Papa John’s Restaurant. Blockbuster Papa John’s Pizza
I recognize the original building as a restaurant, but can’t quite put a name to it. It wasn’t a Napa Auto Parts, though. Was it a steakhouse? Denny’s Napa Auto Parts
Using Indianapolis’ official City website, Indygov.org, you can view maps of Indianapolis much like mapquest, and aerial photographs dating back to 1935 that allow you to view the whole city and also to zoom in close to see, for example, the roof of your house.
The initial view of Indianapolis shows a map with a toolbar above and a list of layers over on the right. If you check off “2003 Aerial Photography” the map switches to aerial photos of the city, and you can click anywhere in the map to zoom into that spot. If you click on the pushpin icon in the toolbar, a pop-up window lets you enter a street address, which is then pinpointed on the map. Doing this first helps you zoom to the exactly location you’re looking for.
If you want to see Aerial photography from the past, go to the drop-down menu on your lower left below the layers list and select “aerial photography” and the layers list will change to a list of years. Click on the year you want to see and click “refresh map” and you will see your zoomed in location grow younger before your eyes.
I did this for my own house and could easily see in 2003 my old car parked behind my house. I stepped back through the years (my house was built in 1894) and watched the landscape and streets around my house change through the years.
You can also print out or e-mail maps, which means you can pinpoint your house and send a party invitation complete with street names filled in directing people to your abode. You can also measure distances between two locations, and a half dozen other uses I haven’t played around with yet.
Yup, I have finally managed to steal some time away from other stuff I’m required to do in order to put some recent pictures up… including pictures of my adorably cute girlfriend Stephanie. Isn’t she amazing?
My Girlfriend Stephanie
Coming soon: pictures of the party I threw back in March, featuring my friend’s band, Susan May Kill You.
Wil took an eastbound trip from California to Vegas along old Route 66, and during the trip he overlapped with some of the route of my 1998 road trip with Laurie and Twyla to help them move out to Arizona. He has several photos that are the same as mine… the largest cross in the western hemisphere, the leaning water tower, the giant cowboy, and several photos in Shamrock, Texas, including one of a beautiful 50’s cafe. This is his photo, and here’s mine:
U Drop Inn Cafe, Shamrock, Texas
UPDATE: In the summer of 2007, I took a long roadtrip on Route 66.
In the house section of my site, I added up to date pictures of my living room including the electric work, mudding and taping, painting the ceiling and painting the walls. Other photos I added to the house section: some photos of the flowerbeds in the front yard from various times this summer, pictures of my basement that I took a while back, more photos of the fence around Talbott Street’s parking lot. Also, a picture of my new aquarium.
Update: I ended up taking down photos of my house after someone used them to stalk me, sadly.
Sigh. I still have to put up Amy’s Birthday photos, some kick-ass pics from Halloween (featuring Mike Pullen as the Gorton’s fisherman and Dan and Doug as the Skipper and Gillian), pictures of the last Mutual Friends softball game of the season, and five days worth of photos from the “painting my house” series, and a bunch of photos of Drusilla, who actually came downstairs and explored this morning.
I love fun photography sites… here’s a new one: Wash Me; photos of dirty cars where people have scrawled messages in the dirt. I should send them the one I took a few years back….
Car giving us the finger
Speaking of fun photography sites, two of my favorites, Phoons, and Statue Molesters are still going strong.
Everybody seems to be remarking on the 1-year anniversary of the tornado that struck Indianapolis. I tend to remember the date because it was day I learned that my cat Idgie was dying. I had to have her put to sleep the next day.
I sat down today with Dru and Huck and Annabelle and petted all of them and talked to them about Idgie.
The guys started work on my house today – repairing siding and scraping paint, which will go on for the first week or so, while they do the prep work before painting. I’m so excited about it, that I almost went home for lunch to see what they have done so far. But I decided that was a little obsessive, and probably would annoy the guys. Who are — Rick, the head painter (click site) dude, and Nick and Frank. Apparently everyone on their crew has to have a name that ends in “k.” The owner of the company is Mike Mullins, and he lives in my neighborhood at 1610 N. Delaware. I’ve seen two houses that they’ve worked on and both are excellent. I also gave them my first check today for 1/2 the work. Big check.
So check out what my house looks like right now, because it won’t be that way for very long.
