OPN honored with design merit award from AIA Central States

OPN received a design merit award from The American Institute of Architects Central States Region (AIA CSR). The firm was awarded a design merit award for Adaptive Reuse for Lucille Pizzeria on October 12, 2018.

OPN Architects transformed a historic building at the apex of one of Madison’s signature triangular blocks forming a ring around the city’s downtown capitol square. Originally a bank, the building was renovated and purposed many times over its 100-year history. Most recently an office building for the Isthmus newspaper, the century-old brick structure is now an 8,000-plus-square-foot bar and pizzeria.

Lucille restaurant in Madison, Wisc. (Photo by Peter Wynn Thompson/peterthompsonphoto.com)

A 1970s renovation had altered or covered many of the building’s historic characteristics. The team’s design goal was to restore and celebrate the building’s industrial structural qualities while adding an aesthetic that married Madison’s relaxed northern vibe, rock and roll, and whimsy. This was accomplished with the use of rich, soulful reclaimed materials and pops of modern elements. Madison restaurateurs Patrick Sweeney and Joshua Berkson, who also own the popular Merchant restaurant on the same block, describe the space as “an indoor/outdoor, double-decker, hi-fi American pizza venue.”

Lucille has also been awarded with the following awards:

2017 Silver Award, Reconstruction Awards, Building Design + Construction

2017 Merit Award, American Institute of Architects, Wisconsin Chapter

2017 Award of Excellence, International Interior Design Association, Wisconsin Chapter

2017 Commercial Design Award, InBusiness Magazine