Episode 80: Vernacular Architecture
Did you ever look at a building with a business inside and think, “Yeah…that totally used to be something else” and wonder how you knew that? You know, the jewelry store that used to be a pizza parlor or the drive-up coffee shop that was once a spot to drop off film are peppered in towns all across the country. Today we’re talking about a couple of businesses that, in their respective heydays, could be found in shopping centers and strip malls everywhere.
E X T R A S :
(Top to bottom): A typical Fotomat in its prime, a print ad highlighting Fotomat’s convenient location, artwork from a photo print envelope, a film box which includes the roof icon
(Top to bottom): The original Pizza Hut building, an early restaurant with the iconic red roof, a current restaurant style with the red roof logo (but no actual red roof), a series of Pizza Hut logos all with a version of the red roof
Fotomat
Gallery of old Fotomats (from Fotomat Fans)
“Overexposed: A History of Fotomat” (Mental Floss article)
“The History of Fotomat - Film Processing, Video Rentals and the Disappearance of its Co-Founder” (YouTube video)
Pizza Hut
“The History of Pizza Hut” (Wichita State University article)
“The Story of Pizza Hut’s Red Roof” (Pizza Hut blog)
Used to Be a Pizza Hut website
“The Nostalgic Beauty of Forgotten Pizza Huts” (Vice Media article)
Additional Nonsense…
“You Can Tell Area Bank Used To Be a Pizza Hut” (The Onion article)