126a Mountain

126a Mountain Ave., a proposed façade improvement, is located on the north-east corner of Tenney Court and, along with the Galleria entrance, creates a gateway to Mountain Ave. Pedestrians parking in the garage just to the north use Tenney Court for quick access to all that Old Town has to offer. The Galleria building has ground level windows and material changes that creates a human scale feel. In contrast, plain facades of 126a, by means of flat, single material surfaces, gives an stale warehouse feel. This is enhanced by the openings being minimally located or up high.

Our project, The Shops at Tenney Court, seeks to create boutique retail shops along the alley to provide the finishing piece to the gateway. We propose a façade improvement that would remove the existing EFIS to expose the original brick. Large storefront windows would be cut into the façade to engage the alley and the boutique shops within. Fiber cement panels would introduce a different material to provide façade undulation.

The existing Use of the building is Office and in order to create the retail shops, a Change of Use will be required, Due to this change, accessible entrances become a major element. The main level of the building is roughly 30 inches above the alley and an accessible entrance is not provided. Our project also proposes a stair and ramp system so that each space would have the code required accessibility. This system is located tight to the eastern façade which is also the same location as below ground electrical lines. Based on earlier communications with several City departments, special care has been given to this system and it will be designed to be completely removable so that access can be maintained.

GH Phipps has been assisting the Owner and the design team through the Conceptual Review process.