Alfred Williams Downtown Showroom Design by Vernacular Studio
We got quite excited by the news that Alfred Williams was transforming a concrete facade in downtown into a glass showroom. Now, Vernacular Studio have sent over the renderings and text to prove that the building will indeed undergo a huge renovation (aka beautification). This is one of the better renovations we've seen in downtown in years and these renderings make the project even more tangible and exciting. Check out the before and after images below.
Founded in 1867, the Alfred Williams Company began as a bookstore and stationery company located on Raleigh's historic Fayetteville Street. They later expanded their services, offering office supplies to local businesses as well as public school textbooks. In 1948, Alfred Williams began supplying office furniture. Since the late 1970's, the company's showroom has been located on a busy stretch of Capital Boulevard. While conveniently located, the busy thoroughfare lacks integration with the urban context of downtown Raleigh.Today, Alfred Williams & Company are members of the Herman Miller Certified Dealer Network and offer interior design services, as well as office environments with in-house delivery and installation. With a focus on customer service and building strong working relationships, the company has considered a return downtown for many years. Chairman and CEO J. Blount Williams expects the new downtown location to perform as a catalyst for renewed energy for the company, all while hosting "a dynamic place for our customers to visit." Their return to downtown Raleigh shows renewed interest in being a part of the vibrant, urban fabric from which the company began over 140 years ago.The design incorporates the same simple, modernist palette found in a number of Herman Miller designs: glass, metal and wood. With refined detailing and materials integration, the design hopes to significantly elevate the street presence by activating a formerly austere concrete box.
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Architecture , Other posts by Jedidiah.
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Unique1
01/26 09:58 AM
Nice!. Great improvement
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Raleigh Boy
01/26 10:41 AM
Love the images of giant office furniture painted on the walls. The murals will help enliven that otherwise dreary section of Salisbury St. Now if only the City of Raleigh will keep its nose out of it…
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Carver
01/26 01:38 PM
What a welcomed upgrade to that area…Lets hope it looks as good/better than the renderings!
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reesian
01/26 03:39 PM
Nice job Vernacular!!!
Now, if the N&O, the TBJ and other ignorant reporters would follow suit with New Raleigh and give credit (and in most other cases, the blame) for design responsibility in our city, maybe architects would be empowered(or shamed)to take their work more seriously! -
DPK
01/26 04:22 PM
Wow, that looks pretty cool. I wish them luck on hopefully pulling it off as I’d love to see that downtown.
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Jake
01/26 08:37 PM
That is waste of a prime location for something much much taller, *cough*RedHat*cough, but something is better than nothing I suppose.
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reesian
01/26 09:06 PM
Red Hat requires much larger floor plate(s)areas than this site offers…plus, a taller building would require the complete demolition of the existing building—its structure is not designed for it.
I’m glad to see that building (which currently has NO street presence) not being torn down, but re-purposed. I’m also glad to see Alfred-Williams coming back to downtown…Red Hat could follow that cue and re-purpose the outgoing Progress Energy building…it’s structure is made for it.
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MAS
01/27 01:50 AM
Funny, Edge Office selling the more affordable Teknion brand set up shop in Glenwood South for the past 3-4 years and few truly supported them there.
What gives, folks? Why will Alfred Williams selling overpriced Herman Miller wares make life any better? This isn’t really “retail.” Just sayin’ ...
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kg
01/27 10:47 AM
I don’t think the story is about Herman Miller furniture. I think what people are excited about is that (a) Vernacular Studio has designed a beautiful building repurposing a site that is currently considered an eyesore, and (b) that a company with historical significance in Raleigh is moving its headquarters back downtown.
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DPK
01/27 07:16 PM
Ignore Jake. If he had his way we’d bulldoze all of downtown’s historical buildings and build 2000 story buildings everywhere.
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jdp
01/28 10:08 AM
alfred williams is a great company with a rich history…vernacular studio is not too shabby either. nice work on both companies’ part.
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Jim
02/03 03:23 PM
Love ANY sincere attempt at refacing, updating, improving the public face of ANY downtown space! As owner of Artcraft Sign Company (Hillsborough Street, Downtown) I can say that we try on a daily basis to improve the aesthetic (and thus to a degree the economic viability) of downtown with appropriate well designed and effective commercial signage and wayfinding. The struggle from our small window is the city’s overly restrictive (and economically counterproductive to small business success) signage regulation and an almost unbelievable lack of awareness and progressive thought on the part of local business owners spending thousands of dollars over time by saving hundreds as they compromise their visual identity with inexpensive and infective branding and promotional products.
Yeah, a big chair on the side of the building gets the point across! DO IT! Do SOMETHING! Do it LOCAL and do it NOW. Someones job (in RALEIGH) is on the line.
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