Project Description:

History
Serving as an automotive electric parts warehouse since it was built in 1947, the building had seen better days. The front of the building consisted of the repair shop with a warehouse that was added in the back in the 1960s. The owner passed away in 1992 and with him went the shop. The family shuttered the building and moved away, leaving the property to fall apart.

(Re)Developer
Architect David Yocum was searching for an existing building in a forgotten part of Atlanta, something to breath new life into. He wanted something that no one else wanted – to make his own and eventually his firm’s office.^[1]

Outcome
The 1,650-square-foot repair shop was gutted and turned into an open courtyard. Yocum added a wood-burning stove to the courtyard to make an outdoor fireplace and tore up the back third of the concrete floor, replacing it with landscaping; he made “stepping stones” through the garden to the studio entrance with the discarded concrete. The back warehouse (1,850 sf) was redeveloped as a live/work space. David and his wife share the space with David’s firm, bldgs (his partner is Brian Bell). Skylights were added to increase natural lighting.^[2]