prairie star saloon

This is an urban infill project located on Massachesetts St, Lawrence’s most popular pedestrian street. It has a dual purpose of a bar/ place where live music is performed and a place where luthiers can work and sell thier pieces. I arranged the floorplan to showcase the luthier’s work even before you enter the store by creating a display case at the front. You can also peer down into the luthiers workplace from the street to see what they’re working on. I wanted to take elements from traditional Western Saloons and apply them in a way that functions well according to the space we were given. These include separate tables to converse and a very long bar across most of the given square footage. I also created a dance floor in front of the large garage window on the second floor that can be opened so that people walking on Massachusetts St can see dancing as well as hear the music that is being performed. The stage on the second floor can also be transformed by sliding within itself to make it smaller to accomodate any type of band/ artist that wants to perform here. The storage in the basement holds extra tables that can fill the void space, or it can turn into a continuation of the dance floor if needed. The saloon contains a catering kitchen to warm food and the bar serves as a place where orders canbe taken and numbers brought to tables as well as a place to sit and get a drink. For materials, I focused on using rustic looking wood and causual materials, so the venue becomes a place where people can relax and enjoy themselves in a casual environment. Light and dark contrasting woods were used to give the room some depth and the accentuate the wooden structure of the building.