Items Tagged ‘Retail’
New Life and Uses for a Movie Palace in Brooklyn
Synopsis:
The old Loew’s Pitkin Theater in Brooklyn will soon go through another adaptive reuse process, bringing new life to this long neglected property. Opened in 1929 with an 85-foot tower, the theatre was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and included 2,817 seats. After the theatre shut down, it was eventually turned into a church and later into a discount furniture store. This new adaptive reuse project, made possible by New Market tax credits, will see the structure transformed into a mixed use program with a charter school and retail space. Although it has not be designated a landmark, the developers intend to maintain most of the exterior but completely rebuild the interior. “An entirely new steel structural grid is going inside the existing shell,” said the project architect, Dan Garthe of Kitchen & Associates of Collingswood, N.J. The theatre’s neighborhood of Brownsville has seen significant economic decline, with the annual household median income at $15,700. The City however is taking an active role in reinvesting in this area, and this development will help to further that cause. The Ascend Learning Charter School will relocate from Rockaway Parkway in Brownsville to the theatre building and occupy 90,000 square feet. The program also calls for 60,000 square feet of retail space: 20,000 has been leased by a regional clothing store, 20,000 has been leased by a national clothing retailer, and the remaining 20,000 will be set aside for local businesses.
Georgetown Green Plans To Buy The G&B Mill Site
Synopsis:
The outlook appears promising for the redevelopment of the former Gilbert & Bennett wire mill now that a new redeveloper has agreed to purchase the site. Georgetown Green plans to close on the purchase from Georgetown Land Development Company in June 2010. Callen Cooper, CEO of Georgetown Green, sees the G&B mill as the perfect combination for transit-oriented development, green and clean technology, and affordable and senior housing. The 2004 master plan for the site, born out of a collaboration between the town, neighboring towns, state and federal officials, will continue to be honored under the new owners. The plan calls for adapting the 55-acre site for housing, office, retail, performing arts space, offices for the Weir Farm Historic Site, as well as a new railroad station. Housing will include single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums, affordable and senior housing. While adaptive reuse will be a focal point of the project, it will be used only where feasible.
More details about the project are available here.
Abandoned Site In Leander Gets New Lease On Life
Publication Date:
March 9, 2010Written By:
Francisco Vara-OrtaSource:
Austin Business JournalRead more...
Synopsis:
An 80,000 sf whirlpool factory in Leander, Texas, is undergoing a major transformation. When Aquatics Industries Inc. shut down in 2009, the city lost 101 jobs and gained a vast abandoned lot. The $5 million project to adapt the factory hopes to revitalize and renew the site while at the same time bring back lost jobs. Once completed, the mixed-use building will be home to a community theatre, a private elementary and middle school, and retail and office tenants. The metal buildings, dating back to Aquatics founding in 1983, are part of the first phase of the project and will become the retail/office component. Way Off Broadway Community Players has signed a 10-year lease to take 10,000 sf in the adapted space. This cultural piece will be joined by Sterling Classical School who will add an educational aspect to the mixed use project. The renovated site should have a bright future thanks to its ability to adapt, low rent, and various uses.
Pomeroy’s Plan Includes Apartments
Synopsis:
The former Pomeroy’s Department store in Easton, Pennsylvania, will soon see a new purpose thanks to the building’s new owner, Mark Mulligan. Similar redevelopment plans for the shuttered store have come along during its vacant years going back to 1976. Those plans all failed to take off, but Mulligan’s is nearing construction and awaiting one final commission approval in April. The plans currently call for demolishing the middle of the structure to allow for a new courtyard. The 20 apartments that will be housed in the building will all look out over the new courtyard. In addition to the housing, ground level retail will be created at the front of the building to provide new services to the surrounding community. Thanks to its location, the developer hopes to rent the apartments to Lafayette College students nearby, thus bringing more students into downtown and helping to spur further revitalization efforts. A second phase of the project, still in planning, is to convert the rear seven-story tower into commercial and office space.
Craig And Wilson Building Conversion Speeds Up Downtown
Synopsis:
Construction is underway at the historic Craig & Wilson Building in Gastonia, North Carolina. Originally built as a livestock feed and carriage house, the building is being completely remodeled as 16 condominium units. Most recently used for a department store, the building is seeing new light as nearly 100 windows are being installed (replacing the current five windows). The four story building is planned to open by the end of the year and will also include retail on the first floor. The project is a partnership between the developer, McAllister Development, and the City of Gastonia. Due to its location downtown, the city had applied for and was awarded a $2.6 million grant through the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program to bring the structure back to life. This grant means that the price of the condo units must be based on median income standards in the Charlotte region. This type of pricing will help to encourage new life in downtown Gastonia while at the same time new services through the retail storefronts.
Deal Reached to Save Landmark L.A. Hotel
Publication Date:
February 11, 2010Written By:
Jacob AdelmanSource:
Engineering News-RecordRead more...
Synopsis:
Next Century Associates purchased the historic Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles in 2008 with plans to replace it with new towers containing condos and shops. Since that announcement, the community has come out in full force to save this key building. The Century Plaza Hotel was built at the core of Century City – a district of high-rises on the former site of a 20th Century Fox movie lot – and opened in 1966. It was designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, whose later work included New York City’s World Trade Center towers. It is the heart of Century City and a true landmark as it had welcomed home the crew of Apollo 11 as well as hosted President-elect Ronald Reagan’s victory celebration and Bob Hope’s celebrity-studded Century Ball. Next Century has revised its construction plans. The hotel will now be converted to include 400 guest rooms and 45 condominium units. Additional tower/buildings have been approved to be constructing on the sides or back of the hotel, but not to obstruct the building’s presence on the street.
The Green Building
Synopsis:
History
This former dry goods store, Sternau’s Dry Goods, was built in 1891 in Louisville, Kentucky. The dry goods store shut down in 1949, but was then occupied by a Goodwill Thrift Store from 1956 to 1977. It was then used as a photography warehouse from 1977 until 2006.[1]
(Re)Developer
Augusta and Gill Holland purchased the building in spring 2007. Gill is a Norwegian-American Spirit Award-nominated film producer and the author of the children’s book “Louisville Counts.”[2]
The Hollands hired (fer) studio, based on Los Angeles, to oversee the adaptive reuse process. The firm handles architectural, interior, landscape, and master planning design. It is well known for its eco-conscious design.[3]
Outcome
This adaptive reuse project became the first commercial building in Louisville to go for US Green Building Council LEED platinum certification. The end product, a 15,000-square-foot mixed-use facility, is now home to a café, a gallery, event spaces, an indoor-outdoor courtyard, and offices and studios for local businesses. “Intent upon rescuing the building from decades of misuse, the project included resuscitating the structural masonry shell and infusing it with a modern core, including a 40 foot high lobby, expansive natural lighting, eco-friendly materials, and renewable energy systems, as well as extensive solar power, geothermal wells, and recycled denim insulation.”[4]
Located in the East Market District (NuLu), The Green Building has become the flagship building for this area. This growing, hip district is made up of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods, Butchertown and Phoenix Hill. This unofficial district is now best known for its galleries showcasing local, regional and national artists, unique specialty stores, antique shops and a growing number of upscale restaurants.[5]
Rock Bay Plan Passes Muster
Publication Date:
February 5, 2010Written By:
Bill CleverleySource:
The Victoria Times ColonistRead more...
Synopsis:
A proposal to convert a former warehouse in the Rock Bay district of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is moving forward after planning and land-use committee recommended the proposal go to public hearing. The plan calls for a rezoning to turn the former warehouse last used as a kayak retail and rental outlet into a ground-floor commercial building with 25 one-bedroom and studio apartments on the top two floors. The apartments would be owned and managed by the Greater Victoria Housing Society and rented to low-income singles most likely working in low-wage or entry-level jobs. “The rezoning covers both 555 Pembroke, recently renovated for office use, and 575 Pembroke for the commercial/apartment development. Allowable ground-floor uses would include offices, bakeries, financial institutions, retail sales, call centres, drycleaners, restaurants, high tech and artisan trades. The same zoning would apply to 555 Pembroke but residential use will not be allowed.” The building at 555 Pembroke was built in 1914 as a B.C. Electrical Trolley office and repair shop while 575 Pembroke, built in 1939, has been used as a machine shop, warehouse, light manufacturing and retail space.
Historic Lexington Foundation Hosts Annual Meeting, Presents Three Founders’ Awards
Publication Date:
January 22, 2010Written By:
Source:
Rockbridge Weekly & The Alleghany JournalRead more...
Synopsis:
The Board of Trustees of Historic Lexington Foundation held their annual meeting on January 20, 2010. At the meeting, the board presented the 2010 Founders’ Awards for outstanding achievement in historic preservation in Lexington and the surrounding area. One of the awards went to recent adaptive reuse projects. The Old First National Bank – the first floor has been renovated for retail use with the second and third floors adapted for upscale one- and two-bedroom apartments.
The Granary Lofts
Synopsis:
History
Originally serving as a granary, the building is part of the former Prussian Military Unit barracks complex in Gliwice. The complex was built between 1892 and 1914. After the war, it was used as a drugs warehouse for the nearby Military Hospital.[1]
(Re)Developer
Wektor Inwestycje sp. z o.o. has been converting the entire military barracks complex into a new residential area by reusing old buildings as well as adding new ones. The adapted complex now has lofts, houses, apartments, and retail spaces.[2]
Outcome
Near the city center, The Granary is perfectly located along with low and medium residential buildings and the Grunwaldzki Park. The ground floor of the building is intended for retail and/or office functions. The upper floors include 30 lofts of varying size (850-3,450). The residential portion retains the old granary aspects with exposed brick and wood beams. Two access columns with stairways and elevators were added alongside the building so as not to alter the original building.[3]
