A Proposal for a Historic Café Building
— by Mike Bowermaster — 27 January 2010 — 7 comments below »
Monday evening’s workshop was successful on many levels, while disappointing on others. The landscape design of Dynamite Square is now taking on a form that begins to make the transit plaza something special. Historic elements are starting to be incorporated into the square. The old powder factory had carts on tracks or wooden roadways that moved volatile dynamite materials around the waterfront. The design team has added benches along the western side of the plaza that are made to look like these carts. The patterning of the central hardscape has been made to mimic the “tracks” that these “cart” benches would follow west to east across the square. While immovable, the “cart” benches and cart “tracks” add a historic logic and patterning to the public square. The design team should be commended for this creative use of the historic past.
In the old factory days, the terminus of the cart tracks were little garage structures. For the cafe I have proposed integrating this idea. Where the cart “tracks” intersect the cafe building, large wood and glass doors could be added that open up, allowing the “tracks” to continue inside. The hardscape of Dynamite Square could become the floor design of the cafe. In addition, the truss structure of the cafe’s ceiling could be integrated and continued as the trellises over the outdoor patio area. When the doors are up, thereby making the majority of the western wall open, the cafe would become an indoor/outdoor continuous space perfect for our sunny climate. One could imagine tables and chairs naturally spilling out from within the cafe. By using the patio trellises and the cart “tracks” terminating into the cafe, the landscape architecture of the plaza could seamlessly become the interior design of the cafe. I have drawn up a sketch to help illustrate these ideas (click image to enlarge):
Alternative cafe design, illustrating historic architecture and integration of cart paths.
This drawing also presents a design of the cafe that pays homage to historic train stations. Last night’s presentation had a history of Hercules which was intended for only helping determine Dynamite Square’s interpretive elements. While this was nice to have the research, I asked why only the two-dimensional graphics (interpretive elements) of the plaza are being influenced by the rich history of the area? Why is the actual three-dimensional cafe building itself not taking advantage of historic Hercules, train stations, or more generally, cafes? This key corner building on the plaza needs to reflect the historic waterfront, like I hoped to portray in the above sketch. Instead, we currently are being offered a bland modern cafe with a historic sign in front of it.
I like it. I hope you have success in getting the attention of the city. I like the cart track idea. The other idea blends too much with the larger building and doesn’t stand out on its own. This is a nice blend of historic looking but not old.
It’s difficult to imagine the look of your structure from a B&W drawing, however I like the historical references and appreciate your effort and commitment to the Bayfront area.
If the city will consider your concept, then I hope the “dynamite concept” will be even more extended to the architecture itself and of course to the outside/inside decoration.
The design you have drawn is a nice design but though it my have elements reflecting historic train stations it doesn’t reflect historic Hercules. That is one of the reasons I have hoped to see a design with the elements of the old generator plant. That design certainly reflects historic Hercules and it does so in two ways.
1. The Hercules Powder Company in fact had a building that looked like the old generator plant…it was the old generator plant.
2. The style of that plant reflects many industrial building around the bay and around the country.
Also, its elements offer opportuniy for a solar roof and a hugh amount of sky lighting. It is also a design that can incorporate brick, glass, and steel to reflect the industrial elemnts of the Waterfront Initiative.
So, now matter how nice some other building design may look I am firmly in favor of a design fashioned from the old generator plant. Nothing else will do!
Mike, I like your homage to old train sheds! I think it is very appropriate and even fun for it’s location. The more modern train platform design doesn’t necessarily scream “train” but having a small hint of train in the immediate area is a very fun idea!
I can appreciate Phil’s idea of the design playing directly off the old generator building, but I don’t think there needs to be a very literal interpretation of that structure. I think that the old generator building and old train sheds have enough in common stylistically that a design could be achieved where there are hints of both styles. I think it would be really fun to be able to look at the cafe building and say “oh ya! there’s a hint of the old generator building there, but it looks like kind of like a train shed too!”
I like your idea of the cart tracks too! More fun hints of the past! I’m not really a fan of the tracks going up and over the benches though. That idea kind of breaks the allusion for me…
Thanks so much for the effort and passion that you bring on an ongoing basis!
-Dave
@Shelley Salinero – You’re right about the current modern design reflecting and calling attention to the worst aspects of the main station.
@gerard – Interesting thoughts about architectural rendering and presentation styles. I’ve had an article that needs to be written on this topic bouncing around my head for some time now. I feel in the early conceptual stage, loose freehand grey-toned pencil drawings are much more effective at generating discussion about various design possibilities. Contrast this with hard-edged computer simulations which lock the creative process into one finished solution long before the project has been effectively designed or explored.
@Phil Simmons – A very valid opinion. The waterfront and a good portion of the lower Refugio Creek watershed is composed of literally hundreds of historic and traditional buildings. We are principally defined by the traditional architecture of Bayside, Baywood, Promenade, the company homes, the administration building, the clubhouse, the old post office, the old police station, the old Queen Anne, the notorious Civic Arts building, and the Railroad Avenue liveworks. I agree that the cafe is best as a design that is historic and traditional in nature.
@Dave – I appreciate your analysis and enthusiasm, good points.
For the record, this sketch was done only with the intent to help facilitate a solution that is what the end users want, above all else.
I think that black and white highlights the simplicity of an idea, a concept. We get lost in the details of a color rendering. We see the forest, but not the different types of trees.
This design really highlights the tie with the dynamite factory. We talked, at the last meeting, about a name for the plaza and several of us thought that Dynamite Plaza (something with that kind of reference) was appropriate in this location – it makes sense for this location to be the industrial reference, others will reflect the environmental and Native American past.
I like this design, Mike. I especially like the large overhang of the roof and the arbor. The arbor is an excellent addition, as the afternoon sun will be very intense in the courtyard. The only time it is warm, here, is between 4-8 pm, the time of the setting sun, so shelter will be appreciated then.
I think that this is a very important building, as it is really the most prominent building on the site. It needs to look GREAT!