Greenwood American Kitchen & Bar, Highwood, Ill.
RETROFIT TEAM
ARCHITECT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER: DMAC Architecture
- Dwayne MacEwen, principal
- Aaron Beyers, project architect
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Rockey Structures LLC
ENGINEER: WT Group
CONTRACTOR: 41 North Contractors
FOLDING DOOR DISTRIBUTOR: Bricks Inc.
MATERIALS
The visually intriguing structure that is now Greenwood American Kitchen & Bar began decades
ago as a 5,300-square-foot auto repair shop on the corner of a busy intersection in this suburb
of Chicago. Surrounded by plenty of pavement for parking, the original brick-façade building
had been altered in a manner that diminished structural integrity, and the light-industrial structure attached to it looked like little more than a tear-down.
DMAC Architecture saw something else: A chance to honor the building’s history and create a modern aesthetic through a combination of adaptive reuse and new construction.
DMAC chose to keep the existing structure intact, exposing an interior concrete block wall layered with paint and other imperfections for an urban feel. Original garage door openings were outfitted with modern glass doors that allow movement and views. The floor plan was segmented to allow multiple seating configurations and efficient service while maintaining visual unity throughout.
Warm wood furnishings, fabrics, and wooden walls backed with black insulation boards offset the concrete surfaces and soften the appearance and acoustics of the space.
The east dining lounge, one of two additions to the original structure, opens onto the terrace using LaCantina’s zero post corner system and two LaCantina folding door systems that erase the boundary between indoors and outdoors.
“At the east dining room, there is an open corner that is cantilevered with no structural post. It was a unique condition where we wanted to enhance the physical and visual relationships between the indoor dining space and outdoor terrace. LaCantina folding doors worked seamlessly to accomplish our design vision,” says Dwayne MacEwen, DMAC Architecture principal and creative director.
Another set of LaCantina folding doors connects covered patio dining with a second interior bar area.
“We chose LaCantina for the slim and modern frame profile to help maximize the glass opening. The door systems maximized opportunities to have a very open and fluid indoor-outdoor restaurant experience,” MacEwen adds.
DMAC’s respect for the past, eye for possibilities and careful attention to detail all contributed to the Greenwood project being named Best Renovation in the Best of LaCantina 2019 competition.
FOLDING DOORS AND ZERO POST CORNER SYSTEM MANUFACTURER: LaCantina
PHOTOS: LaCantina