2013 BOY Winner: Office Adaptive Reuse

They called it Automobile Alley back in 1930, when this handsome building began its life as the home of Sharp Auto Supply Co. The structure grew increasingly derelict with the passing of decades, languishing beneath incompatible accretions and layers of paint. Stripping to restore architectural integrity inside and out was only the first step, however, when Interior Design Hall of Fame member Rand Elliott was brought in by the latest owner, a company specializing in construction services. Equally important was the way that Elliott subsequently slipped completely contemporary elements into the 12,000-square-foot brick shell. 

The double-height lobby is now washed with sunshine from the storefront and the skylights inserted between existing bow trusses. Walls, rather than being regular gypsum-board, are clear polycarbonate that reveals their skeleton, as if by x-ray. Embodying and underscoring the excellence and integrity of the construction company’s workmanship, revived architecture becomes a living portrait of a new occupant.