Creative Reuse: 12 Before & After Projects That Repurpose Old Buildings Into Inspired New Homes

Architecture 12-2-2020 DWell 334

From the neighborhood bodega to a dilapidated motorcycle shop, these once disused buildings were given a new life, thanks to imaginative renovations.

After: "This garden buffer area serves as a way to get light inside and also act as an acoustic and privacy barrier from the street," says the firm.

Rather than demolish, these designers use neglected and forgotten architecture as a springboard for creative solutions.

A Rundown Bodega in Chicago Is Reimagined Into a Vibrant Live/Work Space

Starting with an abandoned bodega on a Chicago corner, Matt Nardella and Laura Crip of moss Design Studio transformed the rundown building into a 6,000-square-foot complex called Logan Certified. The new space includes moss's design studio and offices, a showroom, a furniture and art gallery, as well as a personal apartment and a rental apartment. There's even a private courtyard with a custom pizza oven.

Before: "We created a courtyard by carving out a portion of the building," the architect says.
Courtesy of moss Design

After: "The studio and the showroom share the courtyard, and the large windows bring in plenty of natural light and warmth during the winter," says the firm. "To reinforce the nature-in-the-city feel, we installed cedar siding, as well as a custom wood-burning pizza oven, which is perfect for entertaining. The base of the oven is constructed from bricks that were salvaged during demolition."
Carmen Troesser

A St. Louis Architect Builds a Perfect Party Pad Over a Brownfield

St. Louis architect William G. McCuen, Jr. passed a neglected midcentury gas station on the corner on his daily commute for eight years. Whereas neighbors saw an eyesore, McCuen saw potential. "It appealed to me that it was just so pathetic. Every time I’d pass it, I’d think, 'Man, that would just be a great house’," says McCuen.

McCuen converted the former brownfield into a three-bedroom home, perfect for large family get togethers and aging in place.