Opening in December 2001 as the first of its kind and receiving its first renovation around 2008, College Station was once the home of an extremely rare (only three were ever built) McDonald's/Blockbuster combo store. While the two had separate addresses (1748 Rock Prairie Road for the Blockbuster and 1750 Rock Prairie Road for the McDonald's), you could access the stores from each other on the inside and in many ways as a prototype for the Redbox kiosks, which McDonald's first developed as a wholly owned subsidiary before it was sold to Coinstar.1 The 2008 remodel cut down on the huge cavernous feel of the original store for a separation into three separate dining areas that the company was pushing at the time, an area for kids near the Playplace indoor playground (which it always had), the "Grab n Go" zone, and the "couches" area. I didn't really like the post-remodel version, but I remember being impressed with the original layout when I went for a "McTeacher" night when teachers made burgers for charity in middle school.
However, the 2008 remodel still maintained the original layout and connection to Blockbuster, and I was unable to take a picture of Blockbuster's interior (the store had a no pictures policy, got caught by the clerk...wasn't subtle enough) before it closed in spring 2013 during one of the waves of closures when then-owner2 Dish Network was purging the company of its remaining company-owned stores. By July 2013, some McDonald's signage and decor appeared on the outside of the Blockbuster side, which was cleared of all décor, which didn't exactly look aesthetically pleasing.
In late 2015, Sola Salon opened their College Station location in the former Blockbuster. However, McDonald's space had already been walled off. In 2020, the McDonald's renovated again inside and out (no more red mansard roof).
1. Coinstar purchased 47% in 2005 and increased its share to 51% in 2008 before buying the rest from McDonald's in 2009. Through various parent companies, Redbox remained a partner with McDonald's until the failure of its parent company at the time, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, in 2024, when it finally disappeared.
2. I say "then owner" because at the time Dish Network still had an active role in Blockbuster's operations. Despite little role in the operations of the "Last Blockbuster", EchoStar (a former Dish spin-off which purchased the company in 2023) still owns the Blockbuster trademarks.
UPDATE 07-31-2026: Did a rewrite of the article, having barely been touched since it was added close to fifteen years ago. During the process, some links were fixed.
