Case Studies - Adapted for New Use

Sophisticated, modern in style, and convenient are the descriptors used for the rehabilitated Atlantic Permanent Apartments and D’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia, illustrative words that equally applied when the former Atlantic Permanent Bank headquarters building was erected in 1954. Beyond preserving the sleek lines of Norfolk’s only international style building, designers from Work Program Architects introduced another timely title: floodproof.

The goals of historic rehabilitation, sustainability, and affordable housing came together in this rehabilitation project converting this abandoned historic high school in East Haven, Connecticut, into senior mixed-income housing.

The comprehensive rehabilitation converted the school into spaces for a variety of local small businesses, including a fitness center, a café, a restaurant, a pottery, and a design firm.

Renamed “Courthouse Lofts,” the former courthouse was recently awarded the 2022 Jack Kemp Award for Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing by the Urban Land Institute.

The Hale Bathhouse is the oldest bathhouse on Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park. Its rehabilitation into Hotel Hale was made possible with a long-term lease from the National Park Service.

Instead of demolition and sale of the land to the highest bidder, the Krals sought a tenant who would appreciate the quirky characteristics of the space and sensitively adapt it to a new use. Design Vim, a women-veteran-owned interior design firm approached the Krals with an intent to renovate the gas station for their offices. The Krals insisted that the original elements of the building be respected and retained.

The Cook County Hospital Administration Building now houses two hotels, medical offices, retail spaces, and a food hall, and it is a significant, active component of the surrounding Illinois Medical District. Landmarks Illinois awarded the project a 2020 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Use. Local leaders hope that the important project will continue to catalyze further development of Chicago’s Near West Side.

Constructed in the mid-1920s, the Win-Mock Farm was once one of the largest dairies in North Carolina. The dairy farm was part of a larger estate owned by S. Clay Williams who at one time was a president of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. The name of the farm was derived from a combination of “Winston-Salem” and “Mocksville” as the farm lies halfway between the two county seats.

The one-and-one-half story, wood-frame house on North B Street in Virginia City, Nevada, was constructed c. 1875 after a devastating fire destroyed a large portion of the city. An example of an upper-middle-class home built on what is known as “millionaire’s row,” the property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Comstock Historic District.

The Tharp-Jewell Store and House is a contributing building to the North Milford Historic District in Milford, Delaware. Initially two separate and abutting structures—the two-story brick store with third-story living quarters was built in 1814 and the “house”, a three-story frame building, was constructed in 1840.