Thank you to all who submitted to the Shreveport Common, Inc. Re-Imagine 959 Texas Avenue Contest, and to our partners, AIA and LADEQ, the Re-Imagine 959 Selection Committee and the MPC team who helped review how each project fit the UDC/zoning, ordinance and historic district criteria. If you submitted an entry, you should have received an email from us to let you know that it was a difficult decision. There were some really interesting and exciting submissions for Use and Design of 959 Texas Ave. While it wasn’t an easy choice, this submission’s Design and Use scored the highest/ best fit the contest’s Criteria for winning.
Congratulations to Johnny Wessler, who submitted CITY TOURS.
Next Steps: we will begin looking for donors and funding sources to bring the building up to code, estimated to cost around $100,000. Timing is important as the new roof, windows, and HVAC must be completed immediately after the building is remediated. As for the other entries, we’ve reached out to the submitters to see if they want us to share their proposals with developers and property owners. So far, they are excited at the opportunity to see their ideas come to fruition. In the meantime, if you are looking for a business and or building opportunity for your business, call us. We want to help. (318) 673-6537.
Thank you again for your support of the revitalization of Shreveport Common to an UNCOMMON Creative Cultural Community.
Re-Imagine 959 Design & Use Contest
Deadline: Oct. 23, 2023 EXTENDED to mon. Nov. 13, 11:59 PM Central Time
The Challenge
Win Our $1000 Grand Prize
Reimagine an underutilized property into an innovative new business space for this Creative Placemaking Neighborhood!
Shreveport Common, Inc., with the help of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Louisiana and the Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality (LADEQ),
is sponsoring a new collaborative Design and Use Competition that combines the Creative Community with the Business Community.
Adaptive Reuse Design Competition!
What could you do with a 2,500 sf. empty building that will soon be remediated and brought up to code? Could you transform the 19,000 sf property into something awesome with a small budget? Could you re-imagine it as an exciting new business? Could you use simple design concepts to create something useful and unforgettable?
The estimated cost to bring this building up to code is about $100,000.
Before You Enter: Important Reads Below Video
Re-Imagine 959 Texas Ave. Contest 90 Second Video
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VIEW CONTEST AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
SUBMISSION: Deadline: EXTENDED to Mon. Nov. 13. Winners announced Nov. 30, 2023
Submit Entries to: Reimagine959entries@gmail.com
Submit Questions to: Reimagine959questions@gmail.com LOOK FOR ANSWERS BELOW UNDER Q&A
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Most questions can are addressed in the “More Contest Information.” link above. For other questions, all inquiries must be emailed to us so that everyone has the opportunity to see the responses.
First, see if your question is answered under one of the categories below. If not, email your question to Reimagine959questions@gmail.com and we will answer as soon as we can so check back here regularly.
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Can a student team up with a teacher? The answer is YES. The contest is open to everyone. Teams are encouraged. If you have the winning entry the hardest part will be dividing up the cash prize.
How many people can be on a team? A team might be one person or as many you want to have on a team. The important thing is to make sure your entry meets the criteria. Also, in case your team wins, remember to decide ahead of time how the prize money will be split.
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Only one proposal per registration is permitted. Participants are entitled to register multiple times if they wish to participate in the competition with several proposals.
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Entries will be judged by how they meet the criteria listed in the CONTEST AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES above. “The Winning Entry Will Be Evaluated On How Well It… Entries will not be judged by the credentials of the submitter or team
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I don’t have a way to scan my entry. May I drop it off? No, all entries must be emailed. Many UPS drop off stores and office supply stores will help you scan and email for a nominal price. The library can also help you with scanning and emailing.
If we decide to submit multiple proposals, do the submissions have to be completely different variations or are slight differences acceptable? You may submit multiple proposals, but it might be in your best interest to let us know there are similar proposals and name them in a way that we know what makes them different.
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Is there more in depth information on the budgeting of the project for more accurate results or should we aim for approximate figures for the purpose of the competition? Our budget of $100,000 is what we believe will make the building occupiable - roof, windows, doors, HVAC, plumbing and and electrical box. Your budget would start there and then include approximate figures for improvements / upgrades such as non-weight bearing walls, facade, murals, improvements, upgrades, lighting, parking lot improvements etc.
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Q. 1. For clarification, are the COA and COD documents for our information about the process of designing within the historic district guidelines or are they requirements that must be followed through as part of the design competition? The COA/COA process included was for informational purposes only; however, should the winning design move forward though actual construction, a COA and/or COD would be required (depending on the scope of work). Any improvement requiring any sort of demolition would require a COD; and any improvement to the exterior of the site (new building, building addition, site work, etc.), and said improvement required a building permit, a COA would be required.
Q 2. In Article 4. Zoning District Regulations, Figure 4.4, since the site is within the boundary of 2 story minimum height, are there any guidelines in reference to windows of abutted buildings? Since Figure 4-4 of the UDC states that the property in question (959 Texas) requires a 2-Story Minimum Height, the existing building is non-conforming. The existing building can stay exactly as it is; if no additions take place. If an applicant wanted to demo the building and build something new … the proposed new building would need to meet the 2-story minimum height. If the applicant wanted to expand the existing building… the whole site would need to come into conformance (meaning the existing building would need to meet the 2-story minimum).
Q. 3. In the Historic Preservation Design Standards, building orientation requires the facade to be parallel to the street. Can the facade that is parallel to the street be used to conceal a part of the building that's oriented differently (that is an angled element directly behind/to the rear of it)? The Design Standards for COA’s say the principal façades of new buildings and structures within an historic district “should” be oriented parallel to the street; they do not require that they are parallel to the street. The ultimate goal of HPC when reviewing a COA application is to determine if the proposed design is harmonious with the character of the historic district.
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I In Article 4. Zoning District Regulations, Figure 4.4, since the site is within the boundary of 2 story minimum height, are there any guidelines in reference to windows of abutted buildings? No, but this could be a Building Code and/or Legal Concern. As a reminder, the two-story minimum height would come into play with a rebuild or structural addition to the property. If needed, a two-story facade could be employed, if it were considered in harmony with the area by the Historic Preservation Committee.