Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club
Citation Award // Rick & Duffy Monahon Award for Design Excellence in Architectural Restoration and Preservation
Architect // Andrew Sidford Architects
GC // Auger Building Company
Structural Engineer // JSN Associates
MEP Engineer // Thompson-Engineering Company, Inc.
Civil Engineer // Altus Engineering, Inc.
Description
Owners Michael and Peter Labrie bought the dilapidated and mostly abandoned YMCA building in downtown Portsmouth with the intention of creating a cultural center combining a world class jazz club with a contemporary art museum. The challenges facing the project were formidable – a dilapidated building with a patchwork of exterior modifications and an ambitious program. Tasked with these challenges, Andrew Sidford Architects’ solution was to restore the historic front of the building while juxtaposing a daring, sculptural glass addition to the rear. Restoration details included bay and stained-glass windows, a metal truss system that was the marvel of its era, and delicate fireplace surrounds. As well as being a dynamic space itself, the glass addition at the rear of the building has the added benefits of bringing natural light deep into the interior of the historic building while disappearing at night allowing the original brick structure to be highlighted.
Jury Comments
“This is an ambitious work for a small town, with a complicated program: make a historic downtown building commercially viable again. It’s accomplishment surely contributes greatly to the sense of community. There’s a living history, now a revitalized history, to the building, and a longer future that the architectural effort has brought to it.”
“It’s extraordinary to bring back the original character of the street façade; the façade work alone is noteworthy. More of a re-creation than a restoration, plus a contemporary addition to the exterior rear (for market reasons, egress, and natural light), the project is not only an amplification of architectural and social history but a realization of the faithful care necessary in the making of a good place. The level of sophistication of the renovation, and the addition, along with the restoration in the front is all well done: it's an impressive project.”
“This is a great example of how a long overlooked or undervalued community building, through careful restoration and expansion, can really add an extraordinary amount of new energy and vitality to a community. As a jury, we want to acknowledge the complexity of the project, the excellence of its design and construction, and the contribution of the project to the main street. This is an example of how our work as architects – our professional presence - can play a sustaining role in our communities.”
Photo credit: Peter Vanderwarker