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A new steel parapet replaces the original brick parapet on the building’s front elevation.

Main Street Marvel

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Main Street Marvel

  • The new library is on Main Street in Gentry, Ark. The architect worked with a $1.3 million budget to renovate the 11,000 sq.ft. structure.

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    The new library is on Main Street in Gentry, Ark. The architect worked with a $1.3 million budget to renovate the 11,000 sq.ft. structure.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The new library is on Main Street in Gentry, Ark. The architect worked with a $1.3 million budget to renovate the 11,000 sq.ft. structure.

  • Interior columns are framed with shelves and lighted glass boxes.

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    Interior columns are framed with shelves and lighted glass boxes.

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    © Timothy Husley

    Interior columns are framed with shelves and lighted glass boxes.

  • The team preserved the existing mechanical hand-lift for horse carriages.

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    The team preserved the existing mechanical hand-lift for horse carriages.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The team preserved the existing mechanical hand-lift for horse carriages.

  • The judges praised the pop-out windows that line both sides of the building.

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    The judges praised the pop-out windows that line both sides of the building.

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    © Timothy Husley

    The judges praised the pop-out windows that line both sides of the building.

  • The team restored the tin ceiling.

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    The team restored the tin ceiling.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The team restored the tin ceiling.

  • Another view of the boxed columns.

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    Another view of the boxed columns.

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    © Timothy Husley

    Another view of the boxed columns.

  • A new steel parapet replaces the original brick parapet on the building’s front elevation.

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    A new steel parapet replaces the original brick parapet on the building’s front elevation.

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    A new steel parapet replaces the original brick parapet on the building’s front elevation.

  • The pop-out windows are on both sides of the library.

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    The pop-out windows are on both sides of the library.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The pop-out windows are on both sides of the library.

  • The community room is to the left of the main library.

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    The community room is to the left of the main library.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The community room is to the left of the main library.

  • New glass boxes cover the existing upper openings.

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    New glass boxes cover the existing upper openings.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    New glass boxes cover the existing upper openings.

  • The front elevation has a new load-bearing steel plate and glass curtain wall.

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    The front elevation has a new load-bearing steel plate and glass curtain wall.

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    © Timothy Husley

    The front elevation has a new load-bearing steel plate and glass curtain wall.

  • The glass front of the library.

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    The glass front of the library.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The glass front of the library.

  • The team rebuilt the existing skylight as a vertical glass column.

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    The team rebuilt the existing skylight as a vertical glass column.

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    The team rebuilt the existing skylight as a vertical glass column.

  • The pop-out window as seen from the interior of the library.

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    The pop-out window as seen from the interior of the library.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The pop-out window as seen from the interior of the library.

  • The pop-out windows seen from the side of the building.

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    The pop-out windows seen from the side of the building.

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    © Timothy Husley

    The pop-out windows seen from the side of the building.

  • The interior of the community room.

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    The interior of the community room.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The interior of the community room.

  • The library as seen from Main Street.

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    The library as seen from Main Street.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The library as seen from Main Street.

  • Gentry citizens can view the entire open room of the main floor of the library.

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    Gentry citizens can view the entire open room of the main floor of the library.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    Gentry citizens can view the entire open room of the main floor of the library.

  • The renovation plan included convering a 25-foot by 145-foot side yard into a small park that can be accessed from Main Street and from the community room.

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    The renovation plan included convering a 25-foot by 145-foot side yard into a small park that can be accessed from Main Street and from the community room.

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    © Timothy Hursley

    The renovation plan included convering a 25-foot by 145-foot side yard into a small park that can be accessed from Main Street and from the community room.

  • Before: The existing hardware store.

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    Before: The existing hardware store.

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    Before: The existing hardware store.

  • Before: Original mechanical lift.

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    Before: Original mechanical lift.

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    Courtesy Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Before: Original mechanical lift.

  • Before: main floor

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    Before: main floor

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    Courtesy Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Before: main floor

  • Before: exterior of original hardware store.

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    Before: exterior of original hardware store.

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    Courtesy Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Before: exterior of original hardware store.

  • Before: Interior prior to renovation showing existing columns.

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    Before: Interior prior to renovation showing existing columns.

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    Courtesy Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Before: Interior prior to renovation showing existing columns.

  • Exploded axonometric showing existing brick shell and new architectural elements.

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    Exploded axonometric showing existing brick shell and new architectural elements.

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    Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Exploded axonometric showing existing brick shell and new architectural elements.

  • Floorplan of main level.

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    Floorplan of main level.

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    Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Floorplan of main level.

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    gail

  • Longitudinal section.

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    Longitudinal section.

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    Marlon Blackwell Architect

    Longitudinal section.

  • A model of the renovation.

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    A model of the renovation.

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    Marlon Blackwell Architect

    A model of the renovation.

  • A 1908 photo of the hardware store under construction.

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    A 1908 photo of the hardware store under construction.

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    A 1908 photo of the hardware store under construction.

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Location: Gentry, Ark.
Contractor: Albert Hertzing , SSi Inc. of Northwest Arkansas, Tontitown, Ark.
Designer: Marlon Blackwell, Marlon Blackwell Architect, Fayetteville, Ark.
Structural engineer: Joseph Looney, Joseph Looney and Associates, Lowell, Ark.

The residents of this small Arkansas town wanted to keep the exterior of the 1908 hardware store visually intact, but they needed a new library with a community center, as well as storage for the city’s history and genealogy collection.

To meet the community’s requirements, architect Marlon Blackwell worked within the building’s existing brick shell, adding a load-bearing steel plate and glass curtain wall to the front with a display area for books.

“The exterior is engaging to the pedestrians going by on this classic Main Street,” one judge said.

The judges also praised the team’s effective use of the $1.13 million budget: “They accomplished a lot of things. With a couple of remarkable gestures, they’ve made it magical.”

The project’s most noteworthy element, the judges agreed, was the new fenestration, especially the windows on either side of the building. “The pop-out windows are wonderful,” commented one judge. “It’s a great way to bring in light.”

To preserve the second-floor windows, Blackwell floated sheets of glass over the eight openings. He also incorporated other existing details into the design, including the original tin ceiling and mechanical hand lift for horse carriages. He reconstructed the existing skylight as a vertical glass column.

—Nina Patel, senior editor, REMODELING.