LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – You wouldn’t think that the closure of a fast food restaurant would mark the end of a culinary era. But in Lafayette, California, people are mourning the closure of something a bit surprising: a Taco Bell.
As we reported previously, the Taco Bell in downtown Lafayette is surprisingly distinctive for a few reasons. For one thing, it had been around for a long time. Reports indicate the original Taco Bell opened as early as 1968.
For many locals, it was a popular after-school stop in the 1970s. Rumor has it that seniors would steal the metal bell from the restaurant as part of their yearly senior prank. Eventually, the restaurant seems to have gotten tired of replacing the bell and removed it.
The former Taco Bell also stands out because it was architecturally significant. The southwestern-style adobe design of this particular restaurant is apparently one of only a few in that style of store remaining in California.
In other places, like Santa Barbara, that also featured this mission-style Taco Bell design, locals went so far as to try to get the restaurants declared historical landmarks.
That hasn’t happened so far in Lafayette. But when the restaurant closed earlier this year, the architectural history was a big part of the conversation. That begs the question of what comes next for the building, which now stands empty with all of its signage removed and plastic covering the windows.
Given the prime downtown location, it’s very likely that this will become another restaurant. Indeed, that’s what has reportedly happened with other closed Taco Bells in the adobe style.
Some have become sushi restaurants, and others have become similar fast-casual places. The lack of a drive-through would probably hamper the building of a new fast food place in this former spot, though.
That’s probably just as well, as many locals thought a chain restaurant in downtown Lafayette felt a bit out of place. We really hope that this architecturally interesting spot becomes another restaurant soon and that the building doesn’t go the way of El Charro.
In that case, the strangely designed building has fallen into total disrepair after the restaurant closed, and it would likely need to be either totally gutted or torn down before becoming something new.
We will keep an eye on what happens with Lafayette’s former Taco Bell and let you know as soon as we hear about what’s going in there. We’ll also let you know if anything that comes along keeps the original design or plans to tear it down.
We should see this in building permit applications, perhaps even planning commission meetings, as soon as a new proposal is in. Make sure to join my free 925 News newsletter so I can keep you updated.
