Mills Pharmacy + Apothecary is a comprehensive, two-phase renovation and expansion of a neighborhood staple. The family-owned pharmacy, originally opened in 1946, included a 13 seat soda fountain and served nearby families for generations. More than 60 years after its opening Mills Pharmacy undertook a major transformation with new family ownership and expanded services, from a full-service pharmacy to a beauty and wellness boutique with an adjoining market.
Set within an existing retail strip at the edge of a residential district, the original 3000 square foot pharmacy was expanded by overtaking an adjacent 6000 space. The ground floor retail spaces were combined and reconfigured to link the rear entry (used by the neighborhood and most clients arriving by car) with a series of retail space long the street frontage. Unlike the traditional pharmacy where the pharmacist is at the hear of the store, the main counter is centrally located, allowing the pharmacist to acknowledge clients as they enter through both the front and rear entryways. Non-public support spaces including a compounding lab and long-term-care pharmacy are connected by an office for the pharmacists. A single skylight illuminates the office and spills into the pharmacies on either side through sandblasted glass walls and doors.
The material palette employs a number of common materials, designed to age gracefully and suggest a tactile familiarity. The primary wall of the pharmacy, that extends into the apothecary is finished with a plaster, suggesting an aspirin-like finish. Pre-weathered copper panels frame a new opening and reworked entry way on the front, while a metallic glazed brick suggests the alchemy of the pharmacist. A reclaimed oak, milled and stained, are worn without overselling themselves as antique. Built-in millwork cabinets alternate between MDO plywood used for highway signs (white) and slip-resistant surfaces (black), while the market uses a common Fir plywood to line the space to create a wall of candy. Stand-alone displays are fabricated from hot rolled metal frames and custom laser cut and fabricated blackened metal shelves. A new, burnished concrete floor unites all of the new spaces for clients.
The site proved particularly challenging, given a number of existing structural conditions, bearing walls and other elements. The project sought an organization that took advantage of these obstacles for a spatial and experiential benefit, suggesting a subtle interplay of mass, depth and surface. Once again a well-worn neighborhood fixture.
View Original