Jim Plunkard is a principal with Hartshorne + Plunkard Architecture, a 16-year-old architectural firm specializing in adaptive reuse of older buildings.
Q. What are the main challenges in adapting older buildings for residential use?
A. First, there’s rarely any documentation on the building. So you have to sort of feel your way around and get what you can by measuring the building and do some selective demolition to get what the original building was. Because often these buildings have been renovated a number of times.
It’s just sort of trying to find out what the original building was all about, and a lot of times that’s a study of urban archaeology: Getting full access to the building, going to City Hall and finding what permits were pulled and finding out what drawings or any records might exist at City Hall.
In some cases, if we can determine who the architect was and the firm is still in existence, you’re able to go to them and get some documentation on the building.
Also, a lot of these old buildings are non-conforming. They don’t conform to the current building and zoning codes. So you have to work with those issues. You have to figure out what your differences are and solve those problems.
Sometimes it works for you, sometimes against you. Some old office buildings from a structural and fire standpoint can accommodate a parking facility within the building. And in other instances, in heavy timber structures, it’s more difficult.
Q. How varied have your adaptive reuse projects been?
A. We have converted everything from a convent to a hospital to every type of factory or old hotel. We turned a parking garage into residential units in Elmhurst. On the south side of Chicago, we developed the old St. Luke’s Hospital, which we turned into 90 residential loft units. That was one of the first developments in the south Loop. We developed that in 1993.
Q. From a resident’s point of view, what are the main advantages and attractions of living in an adaptive reuse property?
A. I think above all there’s a unique character that can’t be replicated today, given the current economic environment and budget. A lot of times that comes down to the way the building’s detailed, the ceiling heights and the historic character.
Q. Once a building is converted to residential, to what degree does the building’s original use influence the feel and atmosphere of living there?
A. It varies depending on the state of the building and the client program. But in almost every instance, if there’s some inherent character in the building both on the outside and inside, we try to work with the client to retain it and exploit it, so that building does differentiate itself.
We’re doing the Medical and Dental Arts Building, a Daniel Burnham building at Lake and Wabash, where we’re maintaining all the original hallways on the upper floors. And each door, which is partially glass and has the doctor’s and dentist’s names on it, will be maintained.
Q. Can a conversion project pose a greater creative challenge than designing a building from scratch?
A. They’re always more difficult than new construction. I haven’t run across a building yet that wasn’t. The reason is that if an adaptive reuse project is going to be successful, the first thing you have to do is recognize the spirit and intent of the original design. And then build on that, and build off of that. The process is a totally alien one to a lot of architects. You want to start fresh and develop your own ideas. But in this case, the only way it’s going to be successful is if you build off the original design.
Q. Given the popularity of living in older downtown buildings, are your clients finding it more and more difficult to locate properties fit for conversion?
A. I don’t think that my clients are finding it difficult to find buildings fit for conversion. But they are finding it difficult to find a building that’s for sale, that can be sold for conversion. In Chicago, there are numerous buildings yet to be developed that would make beautiful adaptive reuse projects. For a lot of reasons, they’re not being sold.
Either they’re too large given the current financial market, the sellers aren’t ready to sell yet or the neighborhoods in which they’re located are not yet ripe for development.
An example of a building that would be a beautiful redevelopment would be the Dr. Scholl’s School at Dearborn and Oak. Cook County Hospital is an example of another project that might just be too large.
And all you have to do is take a drive through the entire Fulton Street Market area to see all the buildings ripe for development, if there’s a slight shift in the zoning and the economic environment.
