Montana is growing, as we've covered here, here, and HERE. However there's several empty buildings around the infamous Malfunction Junction in Missoula that have sat empty which seem like prime real estate.

Credit: Google Maps / Canva
Credit: Google Maps / Canva
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We get it, not all businesses are meant to last forever. But to have this high a concentration of empty lots near one of the Garden City's busiest intersections seems strange. Is it because of the one-way streets? Or because there's no left-hand turns allowed? Or something else?

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Malfunction Junction, the intersection of Brooks Ave, South Ave, and Russell St, is the site of these three empty buildings.

#1 1515 Livingston Ave

Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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The former site of Pruyn Veterinary Hospital has sat dormant since they moved to their new location north of the Clark Fork River in March of 2022. The building is listed by Devin Khoury of PureWest Real Estate in Missoula. Khoury can be reached HERE.

Credit: Google Maps
Credit: Google Maps
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What it used to look like in 2019.

#2 2401 Brooks St

Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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The site of the old Blackjack Pizza, a staple of Malfunction Junction for nearly 25 years. Now it's an empty shell.

Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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Credit: Google Maps
Credit: Google Maps
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The Google Street View images go as far back as 2007. Here's what it looked like in 2019.

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#3 2477 S Russell St

Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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This building, right on the corner of Brooks and Russell, has been dormant since I moved to Missoula in 2021. Before, it was a check-cashing and payday loan business (yeah, those used to be a thing!)

Credit: Google Maps
Credit: Google Maps
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We had to go back to 2012 for this image. That yellow and red scheme? Oof.

The inside of the building is actually cleaner than any of the others we've mentioned, and it looks like it's ready for a new tenant. However, we didn't see a sign for a real estate agent or the owner on it, so perhaps there's already plans for a new business in the works.

Credit: Benny Edwin
Credit: Benny Edwin
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Can you think of any empty buildings that could totally use a new business in Missoula? Let us know on the app.

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