Experience our Showroom
The Freight House
A late 1800’s Freight Depot turned metal scrap yard was slowly deteriorating as it sat vacant for the previous 20 years in downtown Hamilton, Ohio. It had been placed on the Historic Registry, yet it was being neglected as vegetation consumed it, no owner cared for it, and the community grew increasingly discouraged with the constant reminder of neglect and lost potential.
On the opposite side of town, a local residential design + build firm was growing and expanding its influence. It was in need of a new home, and the now called “Freight House” needed not only a new resident, but a new life.
“Adaptive reuse” was the answer. As the site was cleared of unkempt, overgrown trees and brush, the architectural details were once again exposed. An 8-foot tall oppressive fence was removed and the site was reconnected to the neighborhood it belonged to through matching brick piers and black, transparent fencing. The building was the perfect blend of history, inspiration, and pragmatism, offering the historical and architecturally inspiring street frontage for the firm’s showroom and office space while the manufacturing component of the business would be located in the pragmatic warehouse space on the back side. Inherent to the original architecture are patterns of repetition in the arched openings and bracketry carrying the roof overhangs. To accentuate this repetition on the interior, steel beams center between window bays as the structure to hold the mass timber frame NLT (nail laminated timber) mezzanine level which programmatically allowed for office expansion above and a more intimate scale below. In an effort to respect the heritage and original designers and craftsmen, the overhead doors were repurposed as desks, window valances, and interior partitions. The door hardware was reimagined as light fixtures, rolling island furniture and display shelving. The reuse of existing materials fed the design theme of keeping materials in their raw state - the brick, concrete, wood, and steel inside the office and showroom are expressed honestly as the materials that they are - similar to the honest expression the design + build firm takes with its clients regarding who they are.
This historic building deserved new life; and new life is what it got. The design + build firm deserved a home; and a home is what it got. The community deserved a second chance; and a second chance is what they are getting.
An ancient prophet named Isaiah from the "cradle of civilization" once said: “You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, and make the community livable again.”
This is our hope.
The revitalization of this Freight Depot is emblematic of what many in the city desire for the entirety of the Jefferson neighborhood where the historic building resides. For historic buildings to be preserved, new life to be given, and the community to thrive once again.