Favorite Adaptive Reuse Buildings

[BTinSF]

When I posted before, there wasn't much to see of the largest AR project happening in San Francisco right now, but it's finally coming together. It's the Ritz Carlton Residences which has done a vertical addition to the old DeYoung Building (the DeYoung family were the founders and long-time owners of the SF Chronicle and endowers of the city's largest art museum, the DeYoung Museum). More importantly, though, this reuse project stripped off the horrid 60's sheet metal fascade to re-expose the DeYoung's glorious brickwork.


Photo courtesy farm1 on Flickr: farm1.static.flickr.com/254/518826077_0bbbd0a46c_b.jpg

The following are my own photos:

Showing restored brickwork on either side of an unrestored section


The brick unrestored after stripping off the sheetmetal cladding and its attachments



Some of the beautiful detail that has been restored

[ardecila]

Navy Pier

Opened in 1916 as Chicago Municipal Pier, as part of Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago, to centralize the harbor operations of Chicago and open up the river and rivermouth. Soon, downtown Chicago lost all of its harbor operations due to trains and trucks, and the better harbor at Lake Calumet 20 miles away.

It's been 'adaptively' reused many times through its history. It was operated by the Navy during WWII to train sailors, which is why it is called "Navy" Pier today; later, the University of Illinois held classes there to educate returning veterans under the GI Bill. It also hosted exhibitions of art, music, and cuisine during this time, as well as concerts.

In 1990, it was renovated into what it is today - a festival marketplace with a whole host of tourism-oriented attractions, from Chicago Childrens' Museum to convention space to the Skyline Stage. Many charter boats, including a tall ship, are moored along the south side of the pier. Recently, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater moved to unused space on the Pier.