Describe the history of the land and key milestones in the development of the project.
Built in 1929, the building started out as Se-Ling Hosiery Mill. During that time, many of the nearby residents worked there, making it a central tenet of the neighborhood. After the hosiery mill closed circa the late 1950s, the building became the factory headquarters for the Genesco Shoe Company, a local brand that would go on to become an international retailer. After its closing at this location in the early 60s, another company inhabited it for a short time, but then the building sat abandoned until Tamay bought it in 1995 and began using it for his restaurant equipment business, L&L Restaurant Equipment Supply. Many in the neighborhood had been into the store at one time or another, but with a run-down brick exterior and a barbed wire fence, it didn’t have the most welcoming facade, something that became clearer as the buildings and area around it were redeveloped.
The building is nearly 100 years old, and many aspects hadn’t been repaired or updated in 40-50 years or more. For example, the roof was in rough shape from years of neglect, with holes throughout from prolonged deterioration, causing water to infiltrate the building in many locations. Nearly 30% of the roof and the original wood decking underneath needed to be replaced. So, Tamay commissioned Dowdle Construction Group and Southeast Venture Design to help him create what the place is today.
Describe the physical building or space in more detail. Describe the sub-spaces and their relationship to one another.
The space is set up in a marketplace style with individual retail spaces as well as vendors in the open spaces in the hall. The design incorporates as much of the original materials as possible, which was very important to the developer.
The original wood decking below the roof (the inner ceilings) was true tongue and groove design, which is difficult to find nowadays, but the team found a mill in Kentucky that would replicate the exact decking style. It’s an important part of the design and is visible throughout the space.
We were able to save many of the existing windows. We stripped away the old paint and added insulated window panes. Additionally, we wanted to provide private access for some of the tenants, so the windows along the exterior alternate between the original windows and storefronts we created. Some of the old windows were repurposed and used as mirrors in the restrooms.
The building also has a large courtyard with the defining feature, a 70-foot smokestack, reminding visitors of the building’s history. The original structure was a coal-fired furnace. We created a two-tiered patio space in the courtyard decorated with string lights, accessible to both visitors and the brewery tenant.
Inside, we resealed and diamond-polished all the original flooring and kept as much of the exposed brick walls as possible. All of the brick was hand-washed to retain character, and the window casings were restored to maintain the industrial aesthetic that is popular right now.
If multiple developers, please separate their names with a semicolon. Example: City of Springfield Redevelopment Authority; Springfield Investors I
Tamay Ozari – L&L Marketplace, LLC
If multiple primary designers, please separate their names with a semicolon. Example: Best Studio; Buildings + Buildings
Southeast Venture Design; Dowdle Construction Group
