Beholder

Indianapolis, IN

This new restaurant project integrates a new modest addition to an unoccupied and abandoned existing neighborhood service building. Previously programmed as an automotive service building, the project site is located along a strong east-west collector street positioning itself between established neighborhoods in the early stages of revitalization and downtown Indianapolis.

The symbolic importance of the three street-facing garage doors provided the natural design progression of preserving these openings, by replacing the doors with contemporary glass-bayed dining vitrines to allow controlled natural light and views. These three bays become the historical thread, preserving the original openings with large crisp glazed bays, allowing the inside-outside connection without diluting either the old or the new. This contrast carries into the interior, retaining the original grit of the service station, leaving concrete block and graffiti as a backdrop to new, clean, and simple finishes.

Interior of a stylish bar or restaurant with a fully stocked bar counter, dark wood tables with red napkins, and black chairs. There are three hanging pendant lights and various bottles and glassware on shelves behind the bar. The walls have a mix of exposed brick, decorative wallpaper, and eclectic art.
Interior of a modern bar or restaurant with a dark wooden bar counter, shelves of liquor bottles, and several tables with chairs, some of which are occupied by people dining and drinking, with large windows showing an evening outside.
Empty restaurant with dim lighting, tables set with glasses, red napkins, and candles, with a wine cellar visible through a large window cut into a cmu block wall in the background.
A man with tattoos and a beard, wearing a gray apron, stands behind a kitchen counter in a professional kitchen with stainless steel appliances including a stove and oven, ventilation ducts, and concrete walls. There is a glass of red wine and some dishes on the counter.
A modern, single-story commercial building with large glass windows, illuminated by exterior lights, and an empty parking lot with wet pavement reflecting the lights, during dusk.
Exterior view of a modern building with large glass windows and a concrete sidewalk in front. Trees and a parking lot are reflected in the glass.
Interior of a modern restaurant with large windows, tables set with glasses and napkins, and people dining and conversing.
A building with illuminated windows and a parking lot in front, taken during twilight with wet roads reflecting lights, and surrounded by trees.

Photography

Lesle Lane of Studio 13