PROJECT Lion Brothers Building

LOCATION  Baltimore, Maryland US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  3/1/2018

ARCHITECT Quinn Evans Architects

ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT  N/A

OWNER/CLIENT Cross Street Partners

CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Cross Street Partners

PHOTOGRAPHER  Patrick Ross

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Anath Ranon, Ethan Marchant, Allison McElheny, John Fricano

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

Transformation of the historic Lion Brothers Building into an innovative and modern workplace has given new life to the long-abandoned industrial structure in the rapidly revitalizing Hollins Market neighborhood.

Originally built in 1885 as a stable, the Lion Brothers Building was occupied for the majority of its life by the Lion Brothers embroidery company, which grew and expanded into seven buildings over the next 75 years. By the early 1920s, the Lion Brothers Embroidery Company was the largest embroidery factory south of New York City. The initial expansion phases in the 1920s and 1930s featured high ceilings, expansive steel-sash windows and heavy concrete structure to house large industrial equipment. As the Lion Brothers business flourished, it eventually outgrew the space, moving to larger industrial facilities in the 1950s and leaving the building vacant.

The adaptive use project, awarded both national and state historic tax credits, restores the building exterior while creating a modern-day interior workplace environment. The building’s main entry and central core features an existing industrial stair, protected by the tax credit conditions, which became the central organizing feature of the design. The stair inspires the arrangement of interior spaces by weaving together the legacy of the historic building, contemporary work spaces and shared building amenities.

The vertical circulation route through the building retains and celebrates many of the original utilitarian elements, materials and textures of its industrial legacy. Vibrant supergraphics highlight the stairwell with designs abstracted from the existing terra cotta medallions on the exterior of the building. On the first floor, light fixtures salvaged from the building playfully illuminate the public lobby, and artifacts from original industrial equipment become sculptural features.

Common areas are located around the historic core and provide amenities for building users. A full service cafe, meeting spaces of varying sizes, lounges and a private exercise room provide convenient spaces away from the workplace.

Within the first floor co-working space, an open office environment with flexible benching furniture, collaboration tables and lounges surrounds a wood clad volume containing discrete offices, conference rooms and a variety of meeting spaces. The highlight of the space is a “collaboration bar” that creates a place for individuals to gather at a common place to share ideas.

While the historic tax credits limited alterations to the building envelope, key sustainable features were included wherever possible. These include the open floor plans, which allow daylight to penetrate deep into the space, a highly insulated roof, storm windows added to the single-glazed industrial steel sash windows, and high efficiency rooftop mechanical units.

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project/Jury PDF

IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS

IMAGE 1  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 2  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 3  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 4  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 5  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 6  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 7  Lion Brothers Building. Patrick Ross / Copyright Patrick Ross Photography

IMAGE 8