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Before - a wardrobe failure. After - Restored rhythm, a sunny get-up.
 Back in the year 2000, lower Solano Avenue in Albany was a small-town Main Street lost in time. Once-stylish buildings were suffering from decades of low expectations. Years of tepid commerce had resulted in a shabby clutter of mis-matched signs, unfortunate finishes, and ill-executed maintenance.
This unassuming commercial building adjacent to a popular art-film cinema was a gem in the rough, and its rehabilitation would mark the advent of a commercial renaissance for the area.
First on the agenda was to restore the rhythm of the building's elegant arcade: tile is replaced with stucco, and new matching storefronts are recessed beneath a new light shelf, softening the front to draw customers in. Slate tile adds a warm and richly textured lining to the entries. The owner, a talented artisan, has contributed hand-hammered copper shields and address numbers to the facade.
The floor plan is reconfigured to create a wider, more leasable space in the front, and to activate an under-utilized storage buidling at the rear of the site as leasable office space. New accessible rest rooms are located along a common passage that doubles as a second emergency exit for all the tenants. Mechanical systems are upgraded throughout.
Below: A decade later, keeping it real.
Business flourishes, and the arcade provides an upbeat armature for
a cacophony of commercial accessories.
 • Commercial Buildings
• Starters |
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