Places to Live Downtown

2012
​While suburban development grew, retail business in our downtowns decreased, the condition of historic façades deteriorated and residential population in the City center diminished.  Recently however, new businesses have sustained a flow of customers and downtown foot-traffic has gone up with these changes.  To help build upon this trend, and help local business attract more patrons to their storefronts, we show the opportunity to turn open lofts spaces in any of the architecturally significant buildings into finished livable apartments.  After offering these residential floor plans to building owners free of charge, we initiated public viewings of developed, developing and developable residential spaces downtown through an organized tour.  200 visitors went though downtown Wilmington’s upstairs and saw these drawings and could imagine themselves living there.

[Download the Downtown Loft Tour Presentation]