The former Co-op Connection building moved on from its original incarnation on the corner of Forest and Chestnut streets in 2016.
The building was designed in the 1960s by the late James Zervas, founder of Zervas architecture firm. The modernist building design reflected the influence of an apprenticeship that Jim Zervas served early in his career under renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Co-op worked diligently to find a new home for the intact building, and for a short while it looked like the building would be relocated. Sadly, due to zoning complications that deal fell through and we moved on to the next best option—deconstruction focused on reusing as much of the building as possible.
With the assistance of Re-Use Consulting, The RE Store, and Co-op Facilities Manager Aaron Longstreth, the building was carefully deconstructed with the goal to reuse the majority of materials, recycle what isn’t reusable, and send less than 5 percent of the material to the landfill.
goal to reuse the majority of materials, recycle what isn’t reusable, and send less than 5 percent of the material to the landfill
Some of the repurposed materials were used for the construction of the covered bike shed that is in the parking lot of the Downtown store. The majority of the other materials went to community members for use in various personal building projects.
