The Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery is situated in the former carriage house of the Old Naval Hospital, c. 1866. The neglected civil war hospital and site were rehabbed and transformed into the Hill Center, a vibrant home for culture, education and city life that opened in 2011. BELL Architects served as the architect for this renovation project and won seven design awards for Historic Preservation, Adaptive Reuse and Sustainability. The Cafe’s Carriage House exterior rehabilitation was completed during this project and included a wood and glass addition to house garden view future dining space.
BELL’s cafe project consisted of planning, selective demolition, reconfiguration of interior stair, locating major ductwork and equipment, all new building systems, and indicating the impact of changes to the historic resource of this national register listed property.
The first floor includes inside and outside dining with carryout services while the second floor is reserved for the commercial kitchen, food prep, storage and support spaces. The interior was completely redesigned with entry area, dining spaces, serving area and toilet rooms on the main floor. Upgrades to the second floor included widening and re-orienting the stair, analyzing the load capacity of the floor for heavy equipment and stacked storage, and providing an interior lift system for moving bulk goods from the lower level.