40 Times Architects Repurposed Old Buildings And Gave Them A New Life

Like many other things, buildings also tend to wear down over time. But just because a building is old doesn't necessarily mean it should be demolished. On the contrary - some architects and interior designers see old factories, churches, and even clock towers as perfect canvases for unique and non-traditional living spaces. Today we have a collection of derelict old buildings that were given a second life by architects who were not afraid of a challenge. Churches turned into breweries, jails turned into hotels, and even malls turned into colleges - check out all the times people repurposed old buildings in the gallery below!

#1 Old Clock Tower Transformed Into A Penthouse

Image source: boredpanda.com

#2 Architect Turns Old WWII Era Cement Factory Into His Home

Image source: boredpanda.com

#3 Hotel I Stayed At Was Formerly A Train Station And Had An Actual Train Inside It, With Rooms Inside Each Car

Image source: spongecandybandit

#4 The Building Used For The Swimming Events At The 2008 Summer Olympics In Beijing Was Transformed Into This Dope-Looking Waterpark

Image source: Arne Müseler

#5 My Friend’s Living Room In Brooklyn, NY. The Apartment Is Built Inside An Old Church

Image source: HyogaCygnus

#6 This Former Theatre In Buenos Aires Transformed Into A Bookstore

Image source: pikindaguy

#7 Church Repurposed Into Dominicanen Bookstore In Maastricht, Netherlands Is Now In The Top 10 Most Beautiful Bookstores Worldwide

Image source: thetatten

#8 A 100-Year-Old Church In Spain Converted Into A Skatepark

Image source: la_iglesiaskate

#9 The Liberty Hotel In Boston Which Was Formerly The Charles St Jail

Image source: Jones508

#10 Waterpark "Tropical Islands" In A Former Airship Hangar In Krausnick, Germany

Image source: tropicalislandsresort

#11 The Walgreens In My Neighborhood Used To Be A Bank And They Used Its Vault As Their Vitamin Section

Image source: jhal2

#12 The Tallest Indoor Climbing Wall Is Inside Of A Repurposed Grain Silo

Image source: sharingthoughtbubble

#13 Some Lucky Bastard Gets To Live In This Church

Image source: Linc Thelen

#14 My College Used To Be A Shopping Mall

Image source: Colecaliber

#15 Old Rusty Ship Turned Into Stunning Building With Trees And Plants

Image source: boredpanda.com

#16 My Apartment Building Used To Be A School

Image source: RTSantos4894

#17 Revitalized One Of The Last Remaining Art Nouveau Brewhouses As A Bar, In The Middle Of Fürth Südstadt

Image source: justincase96

#18 My House Used To Be A Police Station And My Bathroom Is An Old Jail Cell, The Original Window Is Still In Place

Image source: rebuffedchaff8

#19 Former Power Station Converted Into An Industrial Cafe And Restaurant With Exposed Brickwork And Abundant Planting In Melbourne, Australia

Image source: Design office

#20 This Hotel Used To Be A Brewery

Image source: kimberlymarie3786

#21 What Used To Be An Abandoned Church Is Now One Of The Most Powerful Supercomputing Centers In The World

Image source: bsc_cns

#22 Swimming Pool In Old Church: Netherne, Surrey

Image source: Guardian

#23 FBI Former NYC Headquarters Is Now A Target But They Kept This Safe

Image source: RutgersUnion

#24 My Hotel In Oxford, England Is A Former Prison

Image source: davekmv

#25 Court Room That’s Now A Cafe. Cells Are The Toilets. St. Albans, England

Image source: JohnnyBizzlesBallers

#26 This Starbucks Drive-Thru In An Old Car Wash

Image source: quiet_musings

#27 Jail Turned Into Events Space In Melbourne, Australia

Image source: Showtime Event Group

#28 My House Is A 20,000 Sq Ft 1926 Former Freemason Temple That We Have Been Renovating By Ourselves While Living Inside For The Past 2.5 Years

Image source: freemasontomansion

#29 My School’s Library Used To Be A Bank

Image source: alisouks

#30 Ottawa's Jail Hostel, Each Cell Converted To A Two-Person Hostel Room

Image source: HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

#31 Church Turned Into A Trampoline Park. The Hague, Netherlands

Image source: philipjanssen

#32 My Hotel Room Used To Be A Chapel

Image source: geekstudio

#33 This Thrift Store Used To Be A Bowling Alley

Image source: danielsenandrew

#34 My Apartment Is An Old Police Station And Still Has The Original But Painted Cell Doors

Image source: RubMyRing

#35 This Old Pool Converted Into Apartments

Image source: Mei architects

#36 Former Chruch, Now Home To The Dutch Brewer, Jopen

Image source: jopenkerk

#37 My Apartment Used To Be A YMCA

Image source: lilbass3

#38 This Satellite Lab Used To Be A McDonald's

Image source: jonbruner

#39 This Grocery Store Used To Be A Hockey Stadium

Image source: steeemo

#40 My House Used To Be A Bank, So We Use The Old Safe/Vault As A Basement

Image source: Pscel