Lucille is a pizzeria with all the toppings. The flatiron-shaped building, in the downtown Capitol Square section of Madison, Wis., first served as an early 20th-century bank. Two local restaurateurs, Patrick Sweeney and Joshua Berkson, teamed with investor Urban Land Interests to buy the 9,340-sf building—most recently used as the offices of a newspaper—and make it into an hip, environmentally sound pizza parlor.
Design firm OPN Architects and contractor Ideal Builders examined historic photos and drawings of the building to determine its original features, which had been abused by a 1970s renovation. They gutted the interior, uncovering handsome brick masonry walls, rugged steel beams, a terrazzo floor, tall arched windows—even a nearly century-old mural painted on an adjacent wall welcoming the “new” Capital City Bank.
The first floor features a zinc bar and an authentic Neapolitan pizza oven. The owners wanted the kitchen to be open to the exterior as well as the interior, but the local health code forbade such a configuration, for fear of vermin infiltration. The designers came up with a solution that isolated the mechanical system to prevent pests from getting in. Sweeney and Berkson instituted operations standards that satisfied health authorities that unwanted visitors would not be welcome.
In the lower lounge, a bank vault was turned into seating for up to 40. The contractor cut an opening in the two-foot-thick reinforced concrete wall so that diners would be able to get out if the vault door was accidentally closed. Whew!
Photo: Mike Rebholz Architectural Photography.
Project Summary
Silver Award WInner
Building Team: OPN Architects (submitting firm, architect) Strategic Structural Design (SE) JDR Engineering (MEP) Ideal Builders (GC).
Details: 9,340 sf. Total cost: $1.3 million. Construction time: January 2015 to May 2016. Delivery method: Design-build.
See all of the 2017 Reconstruction Award winners here
Related Stories
Reconstruction Awards | Jan 6, 2021
University of Pennsylvania’s Stemmler Hall forgoes retrofit in favor of complete renovation
The Edward J. Stemmler Hall project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020
The reenvisioned Sazerac House: A delectable cocktail that's just perfect for the Big Easy
The 51,987-sf Sazerac House is an interactive cocktail museum, active distillery, corporate headquarters, and event venue, all under one roof, next to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Can converting a landmark office to a clinic raise up a downtrodden Philadelphia neighborhood?
BD+C’s Reconstruction Awards recognize the adaptive reuse of the Kensington Trust building.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 18, 2020
Spokane Riverfront Park U.S. Pavilion project creates a refreshed gathering place in Spokane
The project has won a Bronze Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 16, 2020
Voters resuscitate an abandoned high school in northern California
A 2014 bond issue provided financing to seismically stabilize and modernize Historic Alameda High School, a 2020 Silver Reconstruction Award winner.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 14, 2020
Wyoming Capitol Square renovation project is all about the details
The Wyoming Capitol Square project has won a Gold Award in BD+C's 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 12, 2020
A famed dome of a historic glasshouse is revived to its rightful glory
Scaffolding played a critical role in the repair and restoration of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s Palm Dome at the New York Botanical Gardens, a Gold winner of BD&C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 8, 2020
A synagogue in Toronto is renewed while preserving its history
Holy Blossom Temple is a Platinum winner in BD+C’s 2020 Reconstruction Awards.
