Still harboring 1930’s equipment that once burned fuel to heat the old Ford Assembly Building factory complex, the boiler house’s iconic flue gas stack, Escher-esque catwalks and volumetric drama called for a special use. A waterfront café wonderfully fit the needs of both the new community and the region. The restaurant’s theme exploits the complex’s historic industrial legacy.
Original finishes, such as the glazed tile walls, clay tile floors, steel fixtures and finishes were salvaged and patched. Select industrial artifacts were restored as visual sculptures dramatically lit with LEDs, and an existing raised platform shelters the bar. The new construction material palette is consistent with the structure’s heritage: long custom tables with tree slab tops and Emeco aluminum chairs; an oak bar designed atop a blackened steel base; and diamond plate treads leading to the mezzanine over the bar.