What occurs when an old factory is left empty for several years? In Chicago, one uninhabited dairy structure discovered a really various future. Integrated in 1918, the structure was when a Borden Dairy Depot. The two-story factory ultimately sat unused for about a years. Its working life was over, nevertheless, the structure still had something that was quite hard to recreate in a brand-new hotel, its initial character.
Hotel creators Michael Downing and Robert Baum saw that capacity. Rather of clearing the website and going back to square one, they turned the old dairy factory into FieldHouse Jones, a 52-room shop hotel in Chicago’s River North area.
The task became part of a larger modification happening in old American commercial structures. Throughout the nation, previous factories, storage facilities and other commercial websites were being provided brand-new usages as hotels, dining establishments, galleries and public areas. FieldHouse Jones kept a strong connection to the structure’s past.
What occurred to the old Borden Dairy Depot
The Borden Dairy Depot had actually been sitting uninhabited for a years when Downing and Baum discovered the home.
The initial structure was a two-story dairy factory. Its open commercial design provided the designers lots of area to deal with, however turning it into a hotel needed significant modifications.
The restoration included a practical 2nd flooring with skylights. The lower level was likewise ended up and upgraded. The previous open layout was divided into various locations, consisting of a coffee shop, occasion area and visitor spaces.
The remodelling did not eliminate the structure’s history.
Among the clearest tips is the initial stone-engraved Borden indication. The exposed brick was likewise kept, enabling visitors to see parts of the old factory instead of covering whatever with brand-new surfaces.
For Baum, those old information were a huge part of what made the job worth doing.
“There are so many elements with old factory buildings that are impossible to replicate, and that’s what makes them so special.” “It’s a lot enjoyable to bring a modern-day twist to these antiques while still accepting the intrinsic curiosity.”
Why turn an old factory into a hotel?
FieldHouse Jones was one example of how developers were finding new uses for aging industrial buildings.
Old factories often have large open spaces, strong structural details and materials that are difficult to reproduce in a new building. That made them useful starting points for hotels and other modern projects.
The same idea could be seen in other parts of the country.
In Los Angeles, an old flour mill became the Hauser & Wirth art gallery, in Washington, D.C., an abandoned Georgetown incinerator was turned into the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown and in New Orleans, seven historic warehouses became the Eliza Jane Hotel.
These projects differed in size and purpose, but they still shared one basic idea which is an old industrial building did not have to disappear simply because its original use had ended. FieldHouse Jones turned into a 52-room boutique hotel. FieldHouse Jones still shows parts of its life as a dairy factory.
The old Borden Dairy Depot had spent roughly ten years empty. Its next chapter looked very different from the one that came before it, but the exposed brick, original sign and industrial character remained part of the story.