Corner of Rowan and Bank

I don't know what this building at the corner of Rowan and Bank used to be, but it appears to have been business, not residential, at some remote time in the distant past.

Charlie's Used Furniture

Near the corner of 15th and Market.

1912 W. Broadway

I don't know what this 1960s-looking place used to be, but I like it. Kind of has an institutional feel.

Factory, 18th and Main

Dunno what used to be here, but I've always admired this handsome old factory building at the corner of 18th and Main, in the Russell area. (Most people consider that whole general area past, say, Glassworks, to be Portland, but it's actually Russell.)

And a couple weeks ago I drove past it to find, to my horror, that it's being demolished. I'm sure whatever is built in its place will be attractive, functional, and exciting. (*cough*)

Petroz

At least two or three years ago, all the Petroz gas stations in town seemed to go under simultaneously. It's a shame, because they were sort of an underdog among the big-name usual suspects in the gas biz. The one pictured here is on Dixie Highway, and I also know of dead Petroz stations on Broadway and on Mellwood.

Some of the legal corporate rigamorole behind the scenes of Petroz' decline and demise can be found on delisted.com.

Ice Cream Corner

Took me forever to find any information online about this abandoned cone-zone at 2100 W. Broadway. But I tracked down an old entry from Business First Louisville that noted the store's inception in the Summer of 2000:

New ice-cream shop for West End

When Stephanie Tran's family opened Chopstick House on West Broadway about three years ago, she began thinking about what kind of business would do well at the property next door. She came up with the Ice Cream Corner, which opened at 2100 West Broadway in late May.

Tran, who operates the business with one employee, said its popularity is increasing, and she believes having a variety of ice-cream flavors is what is drawing customers. "I think people in the West End are glad we're here because before, they had to go a long way away to find what we've got."

The Ice Cream Corner is open from 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

7 Thunder Church

The old 7 Thunder Church at the corner of 22nd and Madison is closed and available for rent or for sale. Would be nice if some other church group would just take it over, adopt the name, and leave everything about the facade intact.