Project Name:  T Square

Location:  Casper, Wyoming

Size:  11,500 square feet (7,300 square feet unfinished for future speculative commercial complex)

Completed:  2014 - 2019 

The project began when Stateline No. 7 Architects’ principal architect / owner resolved to merge home and office into a live / work environment in an urban location.  The deteriorating building had been vacant for nearly a decade.  It was located in a gritty edge of downtown, lacked maintenance, needed significant renovations, was overpriced due to a foreclosure, and was infested with pigeons and vagrants.  In early 2011 the price was drastically reduced an effort to “dump” the property and suddenly the property became a viable option, allowing the needed renovations to fall in line with the available budget.

The original footprint is comprised of two major additions, one from the mid-1940s and an art deco lobby and storefront from the mid-1930s.  The overall building size far exceeded the program, but allows for future development and income potential. 

The town has expanded over the century and the former rail yard site is presently situated on a prominent corner demarcating the southern entrance to downtown at a major arterial intersection in a bustling commercial district in one of Wyoming’s largest city centers and the nearby residual rail turned bike path fosters a pedestrian-friendly interaction within the urban core.  This in-town, un-platted parcel lacking historic designation came without restrictions allowing greater creativity.

The architect and owner acting as general contractor allowed this experimentation in hands-on design-build to save money, overcome deficient expertise, and keep personnel productive during an economic recession.  Limited funds and major renovations dictated a protracted schedule - taking three years to realize, of which a year was dedicated to demolition and façade paint removal.  The hand-selected demolition contractor ensured that over 70% of the demo materials were salvaged and repurposed.

The structure is one of just a handful of “survivors” from the former rail yard, historically a warehouse and constructed at the turn of the century in what was the industrial edge of town.  This history inspired an industrial warehouse concept for the repurpose where the original building components are reinvigorated and exposed in their original character while contemporary industrial warehouse elements are integrated to contrast and complement.

Components were cleaned and exposed - retaining the industrial character and texture of the space and celebrating the inherent beauty of the materials.  Nearly a century of misguided building remodels were stripped away down to the building carcass, allowing for this paradigm shift to occur;  the original character was refreshed by removing up to eight layers of paint, uncovering original brickwork and exposing long-forgotten hardwood floors that had been preserved beneath carpet for decades into naturally distressed hardwood floors.

A kit of industrial components - steel plate countertops, stairs and barn doors; catwalk grating guardrails; rebar handrails and Grainger-cable picture displays are deliberately juxtaposed and play upon the contrast.  Salvaged plywood from window replacements was reimagined as interior wall finish.  Signage took inspiration from stenciled artifacts uncovered during demolition and cues of past industrial machining encouraged the selection of the accent furnishings, completing the interior expression. The loft is designed with less-than-traditional approach to living; an open floor plan embraces the active life of family and friends with living spaces flanked by solid volumes of support spaces and adjacent to the office.  A simple wall delineates between loft and office; and re-glazed openings combined with open floor plans generously illuminates and filters natural daylight throughout the interior during the day and animates an exterior lantern effect by night.

The dog run functions as an informal urban courtyard and a separate loft entrance while preserving several established trees with a stacked pallet-inspired enclosure echoing the former building use. The urban connection will be further strengthened with the addition of a rooftop terrace in the future.

The project employs a range of sustainable strategies:  urban walkability, thermally efficient windows that facilitate infiltration of natural light, reintroduction of natural ventilation, high efficiency HVAC system, salvage of 70% of demolition into repurposed construction materials, and a passive energy strategy through the re-employment of the little-understood “building mass” of the exterior multi-wythe brick walls.

The T Square building embodies the delicate balance between historic preservation and sustainability in this downtown turn-of-the century railroad warehouse style building.  This adaptive reuse marries the original features with modern features to create spaces that are unique in character and modern in convenience.  The clear distinction between new and old highlights and pays respect to the historic structure while serving the contemporary uses.

Neither formal historic preservation nor sustainability accreditations were sought; however their dual embodiment ensures that the project is recognized with regard by both.  The project was awarded a federal historic tax credit and was the subject of a University of Wyoming thesis paper entitled “Historic Preservation and Sustainability:  A Wyoming Case Study”.  The project has established itself as a catalyst for the ongoing transformation of the once blighted area and the project has been featured in several newspaper articles and a City educational documentary entitled “Preservation:  Casper” - made to teach about the projects historic and sustainability strategies.

A centennial birthday was celebrated in 2017 for the building.