STOREFRONT AFTERLIFE

Institution:

SUNY University at Buffalo

Instructor: Conrad Kickert

Semester: Spring 2021

Ever since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of retail stores lining America’s Main Streets has been in decline. The advent of online shopping and large corporations have been driving this change over the past decades. The result is a changing consumer spending pattern leaving storefronts vacant and unoccupied. Planners and government officials have begun to explore potential uses for vacant storefronts. What would a postretail future look like?

This Environmental Design studio sets out to answer that question. The backdrop for this studio is 1202 Broadway-Fillmore, a vacant storefront located in a neighborhood hard-hit by disinvestment and segregation. The studio examined the current conditions of the neighborhood, and explored potential non-retail uses for vacant storefronts. This exploration focuses on one possible re-use for a vacant storefront: a brewpub.