why hasn't anyone done anything with that building?
Recently, along with LivWell Development, we were featured on two local news stations for our involvement in an effort to stop the proposed demolition of one of downtown Little Rock’s most historic commercial buildings. I won’t bore you with all of the gory details, but suffice to say an out-of-state developer had a grand vision of turning the lot into a carwash…….A. CAR. WASH. Don’t even get me started.
The Gay Oil Co. building at 300 S. Broadway in Little Rock was built in the 1920s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. - Photo by Jeff Gammons
Anyway, because of our very quick movements and with the help of preservation organizations in our city the developer saw the error of their ways and withdrew their application. Since then we have received a lot of positive feedback for our willingness to step out front and help bring forward proposals for the building that are not just viable but economically feasible as well. And the other day while at a state conference for architects I was asked an interesting question that sparked this blog post:
Why hasn’t anyone been able to do anything with that building?
A great question, right? It’s probably a question you’ve asked of a building in your own town or city. It’s a question many of us ask, even architects, on a regular basis as we see our downtown cores continue to struggle and stumble forward with lackluster development and economic investment. Little Rock is no exception. So what is the answer? Why is it that we see so many buildings sit vacant with no apparent use? What does it take to create a plan for old buildings within a community? The simple answer:
An Architect.
Unfortunately I have to call out myself and my colleagues on this one, because not all architects will have the passion or the vision to look at an old building, a historic building, a run down building, and say “you know what, I could do something with that,” and then take the initiative to create a design proposal. Because the reality is we tend to sit back and wait for someone else to come to us and say “hey, I’d like to do something cool with this old building.” And THEN we get to work. What would happen, instead, if architects started thinking like developers? What if we started thinking about our communities not in terms of “where is the next client”, but rather “where is the next project”?
Here’s the thing. Cities are always looking for ways to attract new investment. Sometimes that is in the way of improved infrastructure and transportation. But mostly it is in the form of new commercial and residential development. And there are a lot of vehicles City and State governments have to accomplish this, but it is generally all negotiated and solidified before an architect is even thought of. What if there was a better way? What if there was a way to leverage local architectural talent to CREATE economic opportunities for corporations, developers, and investors to come to your community? Imagine for a moment architects in your community joining forces with City officials and the Chamber of Commerce to create viable projects for developers and investment groups to participate in. It would be a sea change in the way businesses have traditionally sought out new cities and communities to invest in. And Architects would be at the center of that change, finally dictating the method and manner in which our communities grow and thrive rather than reacting to arbitrary market forces completely out of our control.
If you’re interested in learning more and/or partnering locally, please reach out to us via email to info@roguearch.com.