Adaptive Reuse | Preserving and Revitalizing our Collective History

A community’s history deeply influences its character and sense of place.  Architecture is an avenue for preserving and telling the collective stories that are reflected in the built environment.  The creative places and spaces we treasure most were often shaped by decades of previous thoughtful design and construction.  Adaptive reuse offers Architects and Builders an important and exciting opportunity to breathe new life into older historic structures while also promoting sustainability and energy efficiency. 

The Benefits of Adaptive Reuse

In noteworthy communities along the California Central Coast, leaders and locals take pride in their architectural heritage. Preserving and enhancing historic buildings promotes a sense of place and a connection to the past. As Architects we have the unique opportunity to preserve a community’s identity while updating and revitalizing buildings that have significance and stature. This design approach embraces sustainability at its core and promotes environmental stewardship. Repurposing old structures significantly reduces the energy consumption associated with demolishing an existing building and constructing a new one to replace it. 

Adaptive Reuse Highlights

DMHA has had the honor of completing numerous adaptive reuse projects throughout the central coast. Capturing, preserving and enhancing the unique identities of the various communities within our region is a privilege and honor we are proud to embrace:

Cota Street Redevelopment

In 2015, we had the privilege of redeveloping the Dal Pozzo Automotive Center and the Hendry Brothers Industrial Building on the corner of Chapala and Cota Street. Designed in 1930 by the noted architect Roland Sauter, the Dal Pozzo building was initially constructed for Freeze and Freeze Auto Supply Company with the motto, "everything for the automotive." The adjacent corrugated-metal Hendry Brothers Building was built in 1915.

DMHA added an L-shaped second floor level and rooftop deck while bringing the entire project up to current seismic and energy efficiency code. Maintaining the historicity of these iconic Santa Barbara properties was a priority throughout the design process. We carefully protected the existing corrugated metal skin while meticulously painting the new siding to match the original color, detail and texture.

Linden Avenue

Nestled between local businesses and the Pacific Ocean, the 700-block of Linden Avenue lies in the heart of downtown Carpinteria. DMHA was approached to redesign and refine  the architecture of this exciting project, reinventing the unused vacant buildings in the heart of the downtown corridor.  Proposing a new multi-tenant retail, restaurant, and office development with a central outdoor plaza, our design proposal received rave reviews from the local design community revealing the important architectural character of the original historic structures.. 

Our design solution is intended to completely revitalize the downtown City block of structures, while also adding a new second floor composed of office suites, a bar, and a rooftop patio. Each new architectural addition sensitvely reflects the signature features  of the original structures and details. With a spacious central plaza anchoring the project, a new gathering place and focal point will be created for city-wide events including the Farmers’ Market and the world famous annual Avocado Festival.   This unique downtown project presented an opportunity to preserve the heart and soul of a historic community streetscape, while also repurposing and revitalizing the buildings at the center of this historic Coastal California community.

Promoting Connection to the Past with a Focus on the Future

Great architecture involves a delicate balance of inspiration, function and form. Our DMHA design team is committed to intentional and thoughtful placemaking and adaptive reuse is an important tool that allows us an opportunity to preserve noteworthy historic structures of the past while also repositioning them for the future. DMHA is proud to have been able to complete the design of these significant projects. Our team embraces placemaking as a fundamental objective of quality architecture.