Preliminary Introduction
The development of downtown Baton Rouge is proceeding rapidly. Within a few years, downtown Baton Rouge is expected to be a center of residential, commercial, and retail life in the city. The emergence of downtown as an arts and cultural center is another goal for the city’s developers. The Shaw Center for the Arts and several art galleries demonstrate this gravitation. The downtown area would benefit from places that support the presence of the arts and help to connect it to the community.
My proposed design for the Kress, Knox, and Welsh-Levy buildings includes a dance and performing arts school and a combination deli and grocery store. The design will include the deli, practice spaces, a small black box theater, and an outdoor performance space on the roof. The deli and grocery store will serve to connect the school to the surrounding community and provide the downtown area with a necessity that does not currently exist there. The rooftop performance space will be partially covered with an open, tent-like shell structure that will provide shading and acoustical control and serve as a distinctive identifying feature for the school and the downtown area.
The school will cater to all age and skill levels and include dance and perhaps music therapy. The practice and performance spaces may sometimes be used for public events, and the deli will be open to the public. The deli and grocery store will be geared specifically toward health-conscious individuals.
SITE
EXISTING CONDITIONS
The Kress, Knox, and Welsh Levy buildings are currently undergoing renovation. All three interiors have been gutted, and the ground-level facades have been removed revealing the interiors of all three buildings.
ORIENTATION
The buildings are situated on the corner of Third and Laurel St. facing east. The Welsh Levy building also fronts to the north.
INFLUENCES
Context
The buildings are located in an area with several currently vacant buildings. The Fuqua Building, located across the street, is future home to new condominiums. Buildings currently in use in the immediate vicinity include the Capital One building and a Chinese restaurant. The buildings are located two blocks east of the Mississippi River levy. A parking garage is located one block to the north, and parallel parking is available in the area, and an on-grade parking lot is directly behind the buildings.
Access
Main entrances are on Third St. for the Kress and Knox buildings and Laurel St. for the Welsh Levy building. Fire stairs are located in the Kress and Welsh Levy buildings on either side of the Knox Building exiting onto Third St. An elevator shaft is located on the northwest corner of the Welsh Levy building. Roof access is available for the Kress and Knox buildings.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
All three buildings are listed on the Louisiana Register of Historic Places. The Kress building has specific historic significance as it was the site of a 1960 civil rights protest by Southern University students at the lunch counter of the five and dime.
My proposed design for the Kress, Knox, and Welsh-Levy buildings includes a dance and performing arts school and a combination deli and grocery store. The design will include the deli, practice spaces, a small black box theater, and an outdoor performance space on the roof. The deli and grocery store will serve to connect the school to the surrounding community and provide the downtown area with a necessity that does not currently exist there. The rooftop performance space will be partially covered with an open, tent-like shell structure that will provide shading and acoustical control and serve as a distinctive identifying feature for the school and the downtown area.
The school will cater to all age and skill levels and include dance and perhaps music therapy. The practice and performance spaces may sometimes be used for public events, and the deli will be open to the public. The deli and grocery store will be geared specifically toward health-conscious individuals.
SITE
EXISTING CONDITIONS
The Kress, Knox, and Welsh Levy buildings are currently undergoing renovation. All three interiors have been gutted, and the ground-level facades have been removed revealing the interiors of all three buildings.
ORIENTATION
The buildings are situated on the corner of Third and Laurel St. facing east. The Welsh Levy building also fronts to the north.
INFLUENCES
Context
The buildings are located in an area with several currently vacant buildings. The Fuqua Building, located across the street, is future home to new condominiums. Buildings currently in use in the immediate vicinity include the Capital One building and a Chinese restaurant. The buildings are located two blocks east of the Mississippi River levy. A parking garage is located one block to the north, and parallel parking is available in the area, and an on-grade parking lot is directly behind the buildings.
Access
Main entrances are on Third St. for the Kress and Knox buildings and Laurel St. for the Welsh Levy building. Fire stairs are located in the Kress and Welsh Levy buildings on either side of the Knox Building exiting onto Third St. An elevator shaft is located on the northwest corner of the Welsh Levy building. Roof access is available for the Kress and Knox buildings.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
All three buildings are listed on the Louisiana Register of Historic Places. The Kress building has specific historic significance as it was the site of a 1960 civil rights protest by Southern University students at the lunch counter of the five and dime.
This entry was posted by Emily, on
Monday, November 5, 2007.
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