NEWS

KFC plans to open in Painted Post in old Chemung Canal Trust building

Tom Passmore
The Leader

KFC is looking to make a return to the Corning-Painted Post area after the popular chicken fast food restaurant on Denison Parkway was demolished over a decade ago to make way for a now-defunct Walgreens.

Painted Post Mayor Ralph Foster said the company is planning to open a restaurant in the iconic round building at 243 North Hamilton St., the former location of the Chemung Canal Trust Company, which closed in 2019.

During a village planning board meeting in June, representatives from KFC inquired about the building and discussed their interest in the building’s existing architecture, but asked about cosmetic changes in regards to the color of the building.

The old Chemung Canal Trust Company building. KFC is planning to buy the building and open a restaurant at the location.

The building and its sign stick out when driving past the intersection of North Hamilton and High Street.

Foster is looking forward to the prospect of more people heading to the village.

"I envision we'll have people coming up from Pennsylvania because of course, we're at the conjunction of three major highways," he said. "So we're going to be having a lot of tourists and people pass through the area and see the sign and stop in the village."

KFC is based in Louisville, and a Painted Post location would be one of about 24,000 in the world. There are two locations in Chemung County and one in South Waverly, Pennsylvania. 

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