Old-school Taco Bell in Turnersville May Soon Be Demolished

The end could be near for one of the last old-school Taco Bell restaurants in South Jersey.

Now, truth be told, this particular building has been vacant for quite some time, but if reports are true, another little bit of your childhood could soon be fading away.

Best I can remember, the original Taco Bell on the Black Horse Pike in Washington Township, Gloucester County, opened back in the 1980s. Having grown up one town over in Williamstown, it's been one of those places that's just always been there.

It closed sometime around 2014 when a spiffy new Taco Bell opened just down the road, and this place has stood empty since then.

But here's what is so unique about that building. Back in the olden days, Taco Bell restaurants had a very distinct design. They were rather boxy, they had a clay tile roof on the front, they were covered in stucco, and the coolest part: they had an actual bell at the peak of the building (see this example).

The bell at this location disappeared a long time ago, but in this Google Maps image from 2013, that white area behind the bell sign was where a real bell once hung.

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I know I'm being a nerd here, but out of all of the completely random stuff that I remember from when I was a kid, I remember that bell and how cool it was.

Fast forward to today, and kids are (sadly) growing up in an era where every fast food restaurant looks the same. I call it "greyboxification" -- for some reason, someone thought it was OK for every fast food place to look like a sad, grey box these days. No play areas or playgrounds, no bright colors, no fun, no really cool designs... just grey boxes as far as the eye can see.

Anyway, that empty Taco Bell and the long-abandoned Denny's right next door have been a thorn in the side of those living in Turnersville for years. Both of those eyesores sit at a very busy intersection and in an era of rapid redevelopment, they've certainly bucked the trend.

But the times they are a-changin'.

According to 42freeway.com, that Taco Bell could soon be redeveloped as a new Take 5 oil change store and to make that happen, the old building would be demolished. A hearing on those plans is set for the evening of March 6th.

As much as I would love to see that building preserved, the inside has got to be in rough shape. Even if someone wanted to reopen it as a restaurant, it's probably cheaper to tear it down and start over.

But it is sad... time does not stand still. Much like how we all grew-up with those small old-school Wawas stores that have been replaced with Super Wawas over the years, the same is now happening to other businesses.

And should this Taco Bell fall, another piece of 1980s South Jersey history will disappear.

Chris Coleman, a South Jersey native, is the brand manager for WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM and afternoon on-air personality on WPUR Cat Country 107.3 in Atlantic City, NJ. He joined the station in February 1998 and covers news, events, and stories of interest across Southern New Jersey for Townsquare Media. Story tips: chris.coleman@townsquaremedia.com