Who remembers the old saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without?” Many people take the saying to heart, using hand-me-down clothes, recycling cans and bottles, shopping in thrift stores and buying secondhand cars. But there are much bigger and ever-changing ways to recycle, and the term “adaptive reuse,” which you may not have heard before, is one of the biggest. It’s happening more and more in cities all over, and it benefits just about everyone.

What exactly is adaptive reuse? Wikipedia defines it as such: “Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion, and is an effective strategy for optimizing the operational and commercial performance of built assets.”

Michael Pavey, the mayor of Rushville, Ind., said, “The concept of an adaptive reuse of the former Masonic Lodge was first conceived with a 2005 Feasibility Study from Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. The results that came from the study were viewed as very valuable, but the original design of the City Center was an evolution of the original concept.”

The Masonic Lodge and the Princess Theater were two historical buildings being considered. Pavey said the Masonic Lodge had fallen into such disrepair “that it was in danger of being razed. This motivated the community to rally around a plan to save the building. Once the community got behind the concept, we had to engage the elected officials so that business/government/funding portions of the project fell into place.”

City Center celebrated its ribbon cutting on April 4, 2019, and includes the city of Rushville government offices, the Princess Theater, Ivy Tech Community College classrooms and a community meeting space. The project brought a complete renovation of the interior and exterior of the building and updated electrical and plumbing systems.

It was funded with a general obligations bond. Pavey said, “That bond was underwritten by leases of the ‘mixed-use’ spaces, which were theater (the Wolf Theatres) and satellite college classrooms for Ivy Tech.”

As hoped, the success of this led to other similar reuses. “We have another city-owned building across the street from the City Center. At the time of its construction, it was a furniture store. The first floor has been transformed into a microbrewery, and the second floor is being prepped to become a launch space,” Pavey explained, adding there were some unforeseen issues with such projects. “Sure, all renovation projects come with surprises. This project was no exception. Most were manageable, and some were unique. A 10-foot beehive in an abandoned fireplace chimney was an unexpected challenge!”

The public has been a huge supporter of this project, “whether through community-wide surveys or via raising funds.”

Pavey noted half of the $100,000 was raised while the other half was matched through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, in conjunction with Patronicity, for the recreation of the marquee.

He said, “This project has instilled a sense of pride in the community, and it has also advanced the quality of life for the Rushville residents.”

Surprises and challenges notwithstanding, he said, “The timeline of a renovation is typically shorter than new construction. This project was delayed —not as a result of the building — but because the city changed the delivery method early in the project timeline.” He continued, “We went to great lengths to preserve as many historic architectural details as possible. We took great pride in having a truly historic building in looks, which is also outfitted with the most modern technology.”

Pavey hoped other towns would look into this kind of possibility. “I would encourage all communities to consider adaptive reuse. It can be adapted to a variety of different potential project solutions. A downtown adaptive reuse allows the community to maintain the historic facade and fabric of the downtown while providing a building with all the modern conveniences. And in another application, adaptive reuse can also be used as a way of remediation for blighted projects, or blight elimination.”

And there are other uses for these old buildings. In some cases, like in Denver, Colo., vacant office buildings are being converted into housing.

Genna Morton, marketing and communications specialist for Community Planning and Development for the city and county of Denver wears many hats in her line of work, and she wears them well. She said, “Denver has a history of successful adaptive reuse projects, from the REI in Confluence Park to Cerebral Brewing on East Colfax Avenue. The city began a formal pilot program for Upper Downtown last summer, with a focus on office-to-residential conversion, and with a larger goal of shifting the area from a central business district to a central neighborhood district. Late last year, the city also started a pilot program from the East Colfax area with a focus on commercial to other uses.”

East Colfax is a big part of this metamorphosis. Morton explained, “The idea for an adaptive reuse program came out of the community planning process for the East Colfax neighborhood. Construction of a bus rapid-transit system along East Colfax will begin this year. The city anticipates more interest in transit-oriented development along the corridor, and the adaptive reuse program can help to retain some of the unique character and legacy of small businesses during this change. During COVID, the city recognized that office tower vacancies were rising downtown, and the process of adaptive reuse was identified as one tool to help transition this area from a traditional, central business district into a central neighborhood district.”

Public reaction has been good, too. “The feedback we have received has been positive, and there has been a lot of interest from developers in the pilot programs,” she explained. “The pilot program has not yet seen a completed conversion, but previous adapted reuse projects have been very successful. An old Catholic school dormitory was recently converted into affordable housing in the Loretto Heights redevelopment, for one example.”

She added, “The pilot programs are ongoing, and it will likely be years before the construction begins. The goal of the adaptive reuse pilot programs is to better understand the regulatory, procedural and financial barriers that adaptive reuse programs face in Denver, and how the city can best support the success of these projects in the future.”

Morton also hoped other cities would consider this kind of reuse. “It’s important to understand the condition of the existing building stock, what conversions the market will support and if there is an experienced development community interested in taking on this work. Adaptive reuse projects can be uniquely challenging and rewarding, but they do require careful study and disciplined execution.”

Funding is also vital. “To be clear, it’s fairly challenging to fund any type of construction now, whether a renovation, adaptive reuse or new construction. For adaptive reuse, the purchase price of the existing building can make or break a deal, so careful negotiation is key. Adaptive reuse can also pose unique risks, so it’s important that the team be able to stack funding sources if needed,” Morton said, adding that the pandemic supply chain shortages have mostly resolved, so shortages are not typically a construction schedule driver.

“So far, the adaptive reuse pilot projects are all still active and moving through the permitting process,” Morton said.

As to whether or not this approach has raised property values and community pride, she said, “One of the benefits of adaptive reuse in general is that it can maintain neighborhood character. Instead of tearing down an existing building, it can be repurposed, keeping the familiar architectural style.” As for community pride, she elaborated, “The pilot programs are geared toward a development community audience, but we’d love to see volunteers advocate for adaptive reuse programs, incentives and education at the local, state and federal levels.”

She noted, “Adaptive reuse is not a new idea, and there are quite a few books, articles and project case studies on best practices that have been published over the years. The challenge is to understand barriers that these projects are facing today, so in addition to the pilot programs, the city commissioned a strategy paper and an office-to-residential conversion study to understand the potential of adaptive reuse in Denver.”

It’s definitely food for thought. Take a walk through some of the older neighborhoods in your area, or drive through the downtown business district and rethink empty buildings’ purposes. What could they become? Is there a new use they could serve? What can your town do to make this kind of project a reality?

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