12 Radical Renovations and Repurposed Spaces
Every space has potential—just because you can't envision what can be done with an empty industrial building, historic landmark, or blighted parking garage right off the bat doesn't mean it won't work for a new use, whether its retail, office, hospitality, or something else unique.
From churches that became hotels to gutted warehouses that are now office headquarters, here are 12 adaptive reuse projects that show how a little creativity can reinvent any space.
Historic Denver Building Transforms Into 'California Modern' Retail Collective
Before Los Angeles retail entrepreneurs Raan and Lindsay Parton turned 1801 Blake St. in Denver's hipster LoDo neighborhood into their “California modern" retail collective Free Market, the historic structure had been home to an aging sports bar and a restaurant for more than 15 years.
Los Angeles Warehouse Reimagined into Light-Filled Tutoring Center
Faced with an open-plan, 11,000-square-foot former warehouse and detached gymnasium, local architecture firm Design, Bitches opted to introduce freestanding plywood volumes into the spaces to create areas of intimacy and comfort for the organization's various activities like teacher trainings, workshops, community classes, and after school programs.
Historic Industrial Building Gets a Homey Makeover
Gensler's San Francisco office took on the enormous challenge to transform the city's 130-year-old Pier 70 into offices for a growing benefits and payroll company.
Tech Firm Turns Gutted Warehouse into Unique Office
Architecture firms collaborated to build out wall systems for nine private offices around the perimeter of the 4,000-square-foot, completely raw space.
L.A. Parking Garage Gets New Life as Wellness Oasis
Concierge wellness doctor Jonathan Leary created the moody Remedy Place in West Hollywood “to teach people how to introduce self care into their life."
The Hoxton, Chicago Transforms Former Industrial Site into Coworking Hotel
The Chicago location will be home to the brand’s first coworking concept for freelancers, small businesses, and travelers, who will be able to use the dedicated work space outfitted with desks, studios, and meeting spaces that span two floors of the building.
Renovation Turns Old Macy's Into New Retail and Office Space
The historic Meier & Frank Building in downtown Portland, Ore., was successfully transformed into a mixed-use configuration.
At Atlanta's Ponce City Market, Entrepreneurs Thrive Alongside Big Brands
Local developer Jamestown L.P.'s unique approach to tenant mix is showcased in full glory at Atlanta's Ponce City Market, housed in the former Sears, Roebuck & Co. headquarters in the city's Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.
Historic New Orleans Church Reborn as Heavenly Hotel
The 71-room, four-building complex encompasses a former church, rectory, school house, and convent, all of which have been restored and updated for the new use.
Iconic Chicago Post Office Renovation Delivers New Office Space
After sitting vacant for two decades, the historic landmark is getting new life as office space.
Audible Wanted Optimal Acoustics, So They Set Up HQ in a Church
Audible turned the church into a modern innovation hub while still preserving the building's historic bones, such as the original stained glass windows, a pipe organ, the arched stone interior, and wooden pews on the balcony.
Shinola Polishes Brand with 'Living Room of Detroit'
Texas venture capitalist Tom Kartsotis is burnishing the Shinola brand with a 129-room hotel at the corner of Woodward and Grand Avenues in the heart of downtown Detroit that occupies two historic buildings on a block that includes new buildings that look old.
