Wagging a tail

Revealing

Yesterday, Dog Days of Birmingham–the new pet grooming/daycare facility was presented at Design Review. Housed in the former Hunter Furniture Building on 18th Street North, the business will occupy the first floor and the owner will live in a loft apartment to be constructed on the second floor.

Once the 1960’s false front was recently taken down (you can see what that looked like here) the original masonry facade and windows were revealed, pretty much intact.

Architect Michael Gibson with Appleseed Workshop presented the plan for exterior renovation, including a sketch of a proposed asymmetrically angled bay window extending over 3 of the historic second floor openings. I held my breath wondering if the Committee would approve such a “modern” intervention to the historic structure.

The Committee unanimously approved it–I think in part because the intervention was relatively modest, and didn’t damage the existing facade. I also think there is a growing understanding on the Committee that historic preservation can accommodate thoughtful, contemporary design as part of the plan. But judge for yourself: Michael’s rendering is below.

Another angle

[Thanks to Michael Gibson for the rendering]