[Suburbia Lost] Two Wendy’s and a White Castle
The Suburbia Lost series began naturally shifting to the back burner after, well, I moved out of the suburbs and back to the city several years ago. Combined with evolving interests and an overall shift away from urban exploration—it just hasn’t been a personal priority. Still, I do like to add to it when I come across something interesting.
Wendy’s - New Haven, Indiana:
Growing up, my family would drive to see relatives in Fort Wayne/Northern Indiana every other weekend of every summer. This particular Wendy’s was always the “sign” that we were close; just a few more miles until we saw everyone. While heading up for a family reunion recently, I took the familiar route and pulled over to let the dog get a break. There was the Wendy’s, still telling me that I was close, but no longer slinging burgers.
After a life of Frosties and Biggie Bags, it seems the building’s interior was renovated and it became an office for a truck sales company. That organization is still in business nearby, but appears to have moved on from their former fast food locale.
Wendy’s - Dayton, Ohio:
According to Google, this structure was done being a Wendy’s as early as 2007. It sits on the edge of a massive development that boasts seemingly every fast food, fast casual, and sit-down chain restaurant known to the Midwest.
Presumably, it was phased out for the construction of a newer location not far away, but I’m not entirely sure about that. What I do know for certain is that it became a dental office for a while and the practice even had a brick wall constructed to give some privacy to what had once been one of Wendy’s hallmarks: the classic “sunroom.”
Google Street View capture of the former dental practice/brick wall.
It appears, however, that with the demise of the dental office also came the removal of the brick wall.
White Castle - Cincinnati:
Definitively not a suburban location, but clearly one of the chain’s generic suburban buildings dropped into an urban setting. Caught a bus out here recently and while walking to my destination, was genuinely surprised to see that this location had closed.
R.I.P. Knowltons Corner White Castle—Northside will never be the same.
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