Originally an A&W restaurant, constructed in 1953, the building needed major changes to become the walk-in, drive-through coffee shop the client desired.
Inspired by “car-hop’ architecture and the vocabulary of the strip, a playful palette of colors and materials were developed, including stained plywood, aluminum store front systems, angled glazing, corrugated metal roofing for the exterior seating canopy, painted steel and stained concrete.
Functioning on two very different scales, rooftop signage and the exposed, glazed interior make the building visible at 35 mph, while the vividly finished interior and canopied, exterior seating area create a human scale and intimate sensibility.
Trout Architects/Chartered received an AIA Award of Honor, a Boise City Design Review Award, an ASID / Sunset Magazine Special Citation, and was featured in a prominent Architectural magazine in story about adaptive re-use.
In 2006, this project was razed to make way for new development.
Design Team: Dwaine Carver, Steve Trout
