It's time to reinvigorate the Oroville Main Street. The town sits on beautiful Lake Osoyoos and is proximate to a mid-size Canadian town with a thriving tourism industry. The one-story, 5,000 sf building at 1412 Main is in the heart of Oroville’s historic downtown, surrounded by several handsome historic masonry buildings. The building itself was once a factory and, after a fire, was repurposed as a restaurant, most recently The Plaza.
Although once home to many flourishing businesses, Oroville has struggled to traverse an economic inflection point resulting from the consolidation of its historical orchards. Today, within two blocks from the art center location, over ten vacant storefronts line Main Street. While accessible and located directly on the active Hwy 97 north south travel route, the Main Street downtown has limited opportunities for shopping and dining.
Margo Peterson-Aspholm, AIA -- a Senior Principal of Prentiss + Balance + Wickline Architects (PBW )-- and her firm generously created and donated a phased concept design for the building. This PBW adaptation project includes input from The Guild artists, and the results are outstanding. By beautifying the building and setback and creating a welcoming entrance as guided by the PBW concept design, we are going to give art lovers, visitors, and local residents a delightful and inspirational reason to stop and linger in the downtown area.
Phase 1
Phase I of the project will include repurposing the existing vintage signage, a paved patio with outdoor seating and overhead light strings, a beautiful mural, and corten planters to create a barrier to the street. Plantings will be native grasses and shrubs, such as Saskatoon berry and bunchgrass.
Phase 2
Phase 2 will include the addition of a glass La Cantina folding wall to allow fluid movement between indoor and outdoor spaces. Phase 2 may also include a trellis element as part of a new entry. Under consideration will be higher-quality linoleum throughout and track lighting to increase flexibility of art installations.