800 Lincoln Road

2021 AIA Florida Award of Excellence for Renovation and Addition
Built in 1936 and designed by Robert Law Reed, 800 Lincoln Road was originally home to the Burdines Department Store. It featured a streamlined steel and concrete frame structure which was originally intended to serve as a pedestal for the future addition of five more stories. After Burdines moved to a new, larger space, the building was occupied by Richard’s Department Store and several other commercial businesses before finally becoming home to Art Center/South Florida.

The design aims to bring back the original character of the building by restoring the cast concrete panels that made up the façade skin and the polished aluminum trim that established discrete bands of diverse surface treatments. It also establishes a clear demarcation between the original building and any new additions. The newer portion of 800 Lincoln Road retains the use of concrete as a surface material while differentiating itself by using board-formed concrete, which has a rough texture that contrasts sharply to the smooth surface of the original panels. The volume of the addition is set back from the plane of the original building and is separated from the historic structure by a continuous band of glass that runs from the entry to the addition at the southern edge of the historic volume up to the rooftop restaurant.