U14 is a 10,500SF adaptive reuse project close to the major intersection of University Ave and 13th St. in one of the biggest college towns in America. Rather than tear down a dilapidated former Presbyterian Student Center, the client spied an opportunity to transform an dying institutional building into a vibrant cultural and commercial corner. The facility could easily have been torn down to make way for higher density private apartments or the like, but was instead conceived as a eatery corner block for six (6) restaurant tenants, complete with sidewalk cafes. The new design garnered handy approval and financial backing from the City of Gainesville, receiving a facade grant of $50K, the highest amount awarded to commercial facilities by the Community Redevelopment Agency, part of the City's initiative to bring better street and building design to the community.
And the client says:
Dura designed a shell building, restaurant and bar for us. There were lots of details and in spite of the obvious limitations they did a great job attending to every detail very professionally! They are talented, meticulous and patient. We have used several other architects and Dura Architecture are by far the best!
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