Rush County, Ind ., a lively community in central Indiana, had once been an abandoned large box retailer, and it had the same dream. Their vision was to connect various community programs into one location that can break down economic, social, physical, and cultural barriers to encourage connectivity, development, and unity. We’re collaborating with their community leaders to help make their dream come true.
Transformation of the large retail store into a hub for the community is possible because it brings essential community resources to one location. This new REC (Recreation Education, Recreation, Collaboration) Center will include The Rushville Public Library, the Rush County Community Assistance Food Pantry, a new child care center, and an exercise center with an outdoor pool for families and a basketball court. The center will also provide offices shared by social service organizations like those from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Kids (WIC), Interlocal Community Action Program, Firefly Children & Family Alliance, and an exclusive gathering space and cooking area for Rush County Senior Citizens Center. In addition, there will be an ample gathering space, a community room, spaces for meetings, and an outdoor courtyard that will be standard amenities for everyone.
As early participants in this project, we’ve assisted with the work of its Steering Committee in various practical ways, including aiding their fundraising efforts by providing drawings and narratives that inspire donors. “Two years ago, we didn’t have a penny,” Rush County Economic Community Development Corporation Director John McCane told The Greenburg Daily News. “If plans all come together as we anticipate, we should have the final commitments of $24 million to carry out this transformative project.”
Leveraging an Early Partnership
Creating a new identity and purpose for an old big box store requires an entire village of lenses. Creating a creative collaboration among local experts and industry knowledge is essential. Gathering the team in the early stages enhances efficiency and increases collaboration. Engaging with the architect and interior designers when the project is in its early stages permits the group to consider the more significant and minor aspects. The REC Center Steering Committee engaged our design team at starting their project to show the vision of the initial grant funding. Through the entire design process, we’ve brought our experience in workplaces and libraries and the adaptive reuse of projects to inform programming, build an integrated design narrative, and aid in budgeting choices.
Renovating an existing structure for new mixed-use uses has its own set of difficulties, but working in collaboration with stakeholders earlier can result in a more efficient process. Other members of the team that are part of the REC Center are the REC Center Steering Committee, Rush County Community Foundation, Weddle Brothers Construction, Triangle2, and Taft Law.
Connecting Communities
If a large-box store is removed from a location, it leaves the site with a massive hole in the economics of that small-sized town and a building that needs to be built to benefit the community. My colleagues Stefan Cornelis and Eric Puryear have written about architectural strategies for breaking down big box retail structures designed for a single, short-term activity–shopping–rather than learning, gathering, and socializing. Together with structural improvements that create a fresh image for the building with an updated façade and a new exterior, our initial work on programming with the REC Center partners helped identify each of their needs, spotted the overlaps between these demands, and facilitated efficiency within the program. The participants realized that sharing facilities could be advantageous for all.
One of these open amenity possibilities was the parking area. It is often separated from pedestrians and the street by the moat of parking; the big box retail stores can feel like unwelcome places on the ground. The REC Center is making the parking lot an attraction by creating an area that will be used by catering trucks. It will also provide a safe pickup and drop-off space and an outdoor gathering area. The plaza’s design will create a new opportunity for people to be connected to one another.
Creating a Whole Greater Than the Sum of its Parts
Inside the REC Center The public space for gatherings, the outdoor plaza, extends into the inside “Main Street.” This utilizes the existing building’s substantial open area to create an inviting, open space. The planter benches inside, and the sunlight from the skylights and courtyard are the key to bringing the outdoors in. Warm wood accents are the focal point of the various programs. Acoustic panels and a comfortable seating area with perspectives of the patio complement them. This is the perfect setting for partnerships and synergies to develop. People who visit the library can stay for a free yoga class. A person who comes to the food pantry may attend a cooking class or register to get an account with the library.
In Rush County, food insecurity, food insecurity, transportation reliability, and digital equity are the most prevalent issues. Coordinating the programs into one location reduces travel time and transportation needs and provides an enjoyable experience in social activities. Mutually beneficial programming can extend beyond the individual “storefronts” to the Main Street and meeting rooms. It’s a single-stop shop that is convenient and simple.
Rendering courtesy GBBN
“The beauty of this type of facility is that it can change over time,” Rushville native Dan Moster told The Greenburg Daily News. Moster, together with John McCain and other local officials, is a member of the project’s Steering Committee whose passion has helped keep fundraising going. “You reach the stage where interest and demand grow. This Main Street design opens the doors to a wide range of partnerships that will flourish,” says Dan.
Partnerships that thrive, which are established early, are the critical factor in transforming a vacant retail store into a community asset. It requires an entire village. The village that is involved in this project comprises leaders from the community who have local expertise as well as the experience of interior and architectural designers who develop visionary designs that meet the client’s goals and budgetary requirements, as well as construction managers who work together to come up with cost-effective solutions for the design strategies that are in line with the vision and objectives of the project.