Architecture in Austin - Guest Writer Series: Eva Schone and Catherine French
This is part of a weekly series of posts about architecture in Austin by local architects. The views expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook or beliefs of Austinist or anyone else in the IST network.
This column is by Eva Schone, AIA | LEED AP, and Catherine French, LEED AP. Eva Schone is the Co-Founder and Chair of AIA Design Voice. Catherine French is a Member of AIA Design Voice.
Big Box Re-purposed with Good Hands
Back-to-School, an event annually hosted by Manos de Cristo, will take place in a former Chair King warehouse, offering the first glimpse of an impromptu collaboration between Travis County, Ridgetop Neighborhood Association, and AIA Design Voice. Holding this event in this empty big box began as a “what if” posed by motivated and altruistic citizens, but rapidly revealed a rich and exemplary beacon of hope for all of Austin.
When driving north on Airport Boulevard and approaching the FM 2222 overpass, a passerby looking east toward 53 ½ Street will notice a desolate parking lot fronting an empty Chair King furniture store, now located at the relatively new shopping center at Mueller Redevelopment. Empty big box syndrome is not unusual in a city, like Austin, where swift growth and development have become commonplace and accepted. Passersby rarely give it a second thought. In addition to the void an unutilized warehouse leaves in our cityscape, the ongoing maintenance and operating costs for the owners often cause the wrecking ball to win the battle. The land this retired big box occupies is owned by Travis County. Though planning efforts for future development are under way, the building will most likely remain unoccupied for two to three years. Because the County has no short-term plans for the vacant warehouse and parking lot, the surrounding residents saw a golden opportunity to fill the barren big box with meaningful activities.
Led by a determined band of residents, the Ridgetop Neighborhood Association (RNA), which is naturally interested and involved in the future planning process for the County owned site, requested to use the empty building as a temporary Community Center. RNA was responding to the commonplace “empty big” dilemma by persuading Travis County to allow Manos de Cristo, a local community organization with an administration building within the RNA, to hold an event in the immense warehouse. Manos de Cristo serves a culturally and economically diverse community by providing basic needs, such as dental care, food, and clothing. In addition, Manos de Cristo offers long-term support by empowering people through education. Annually, Manos de Cristo organizes a Back-to-School event which allows elementary school children of qualifying families in Austin to select new, donated school supplies and clothing for their return to school in the fall, when otherwise they would go without.
Back-to-School is an ambitious event serving approximately 150 children a day for two weeks from August 3-7 and 10-14. Manos de Cristo was fortunate to have participating members, Judy Cardenas and Karen Green, rally with the RNA to utilize the vacant Chair King warehouse for the event and ultimately convince the County to donate the use of the space. The supplies and clothing Manos de Cristo has collected in donations will be stored, displayed, and distributed throughout the event. Changing rooms will be available for the children to try on clothing and assure that they have found a good fit. Seating and presentations will be available to families who wait for their children. Spatially organizing the interior functions, including the design and assembly of changing rooms and space dividers, presented a welcome challenge for a set of skilled designers and collaborators from Design Voice (DV), a volunteer organization within the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Emily Perchlik, a DV member who played a crucial role in the development and vision of the project for months, led a team of volunteers to layout the interior and exterior programs, develop methods of construction and assembly, and quantify and collect building supplies. These Design Voice contributors include Sean Guess, Scott Specht, Tania Jordanova, and Ned Dimitrov.
One of the most fervent neighborhood organizers is Martha Ward, who uses the term “re-purposing” to describe the creative re-use of the old Chair King store. Ms. Ward is the past president of RNA and a community activist. She enthusiastically orchestrated scoping out the venue, leading negotiations with the County, focusing the event to include Manos de Cristo, and visioning the building as a possible “Positive Solution Center” while it remains vacant. She hopes that this Community Center could resuscitate the vacant building to a life beyond Back-to-School by providing local Austin families with a safe, fun place to congregate and create. Some of the activities Ms. Ward has imagined are treating the walls as a canvas where young adults could have a graffiti club, showing movies on the large blank walls of the warehouse, and providing a venue for music and dance performance. Martha’s aspiration is that even if the building eventually comes down, the activity and community spirit will enliven another location.
Proactive and inspiring events like Back to School at the former Chair King offer an open invitation for residents to initiate neighborhood advocacy by focusing on the community-building opportunities latent in empty buildings. Vacant buildings, which traditionally break up the continuity of a cityscape and compromise the value of surrounding properties, can be filled with citizen led events and activities. When we become the catalysts to the conversation, we, as residents and community participants, envision and define our neighborhoods.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead
Design Voice (DV) is a volunteer organization within Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). DV has the mission to enable the greater design community to connect and collaborate with organizations and individuals interested in and engaged in housing advocacy, development and community building in Austin. Anyone interested in contributing experience, talent, and teamwork is welcome. DV is an organization, seemingly small at first glance, but weaved throughout Austin with deep investment in the community. DV works to facilitate volunteerism without redundancy, evaluating where the needs and skills are best matched.
