Adapt and Reuse: Transforming the Old to the New

Refurbishment, rehabilitation, retrofitting, adaptive reuse: Call it what you will, but the transformation of an existing building from one state to another can be an effective way to build community. At its most basic level, adaptive reuse takes an existing structure and modifies it to be used as something else. An auto repair shop renovated to serve as a diner. An empty warehouse turned into office spaces.

Throughout the country we have hundreds—thousands—of examples of existing structures that are under-used, or not used at all, that with the right investor and market conditions could be re-purposed into something new, alleviating the need for new construction.

Adaptive reuse is a sign that our towns are healthy, and worthy of new investment. Plus, there’s something a bit sad about leaving old buildings behind, then going somewhere new and putting all our time and energy into creating shiny new buildings far from our town center. In 10 or 20 years, those buildings begin to age and we repeat the process all over again. The buildings in these examples are a reversal of that process. They represent the idea that, with a bit of creativity and elbow grease, even the most downtrodden of our old town buildings can find new life. In a world where things fall apart, it’s nice to know we can put them back together again.