Storefront Design Updates

788 N. Jefferson St.

Two small projects, one in East Town and the other on the East Side, are currently taking an existing poor design situation and attempting to activate the street through new designs.

The 788 Building, at 788 N. Jefferson St. in East Town, has long been a closed system, unwelcome to pedestrians, and disconnected from the street.  Even after the recent remodeling of the building’s facade the building still failed to connect to the street particularly well. The new design, by Matt Rinka, Rinka Chung Architecture, will add light and visual interest to the facade.  Additionally, a section of the building, which will be opening as a new bar called Belmont Tavern, will feature doors that, much like the doors at Taylor’s across the street, better connect the indoor and outdoors.  This design invites pedestrians into the building, while extending the bar into the public realm.

Crank Daddy’s

On the East Side Crank Daddy’s is moving from Farwell Ave. to 2170 N. Prospect Ave., and is redefining the existing building’s connection to the street in the process.  The existing structure was either built during a time of little zoning, or simply with little consideration for the street as the building is setback from the street behind a surface parking lot.  The new design, by Chris Socha, The Kubala Washatko Architects, Inc., attempts to correct for this mistake by creating a bicycle court to activate the space with customers and bicyclists.  Further, the design includes a small covered bike parking structure which helps to create a partial street wall along the sidewalk. The store will open this week.

Both of this projects are small, but interesting as they attempt to take an existing building and make it better.