Lewis Communications

This once-neglected building, in the heart of Mobile, was reimagined from disrepair into a modern workplace for a communications and branding firm.

Originally an automotive showroom in the 1920s, the building embodied a sense of glamour with its Art Deco façade. Over the years, the building changed tenants, slowly losing its original flair and becoming more industrial.

The property is listed as a contributing structure on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Automobile Alley District and one of our key challenges was balancing modern needs with historic preservation, especially to secure state and federal historic tax credits. Many of the original openings had been removed, blocked in, or altered, which created significant structural challenges as we worked to restore the historic light-filled character.

A new two-story painted stucco addition and rooftop terrace adjoins the west elevation wall, sitting back from the south property line a full bay. The second floor of the new addition is set even further back with the purpose of keeping the clerestories in view on the west elevation, exposing more existing historic brick and the pilasters, and minimizing the visual impact of the new addition as you approach the historic building.