Salvation Army presents conceptual design for Central City Plaza bridge; commission offers largely positive feedback

Representatives of the Salvation Army presented a conceptual design on Oct. 6 for a two-story, roughly 7,100-square-foot addition that would connect 1730 North Seventh Street and 1747 North Sixth Street in the Central City Plaza Historic District. The commission provided feedback on massing, visibility, landscaping and functional issues and indicated the design direction appears acceptable in concept.

Major Beverly Gates (Salvation Army) explained the programmatic intent: 1747 North Sixth Street will house a clinic and food pantry (with the lower level used as the pantry), the connecting structure (the "Bridge") will contain the dining area, kitchen and offices, and 1730 North Seventh Street will continue to operate as family shelter and respite space. Major Gates said the nonprofit is pursuing a capital campaign with a $30 million goal to support building work, operations and an endowment; staff and Salvation Army representatives identified the building cost at roughly $25 million within that campaign.

Staff and the commission reviewed site planning, accessibility, egress and service access. Design review staff had given preliminary input on loading-dock and egress routing, and public-works planners and other reviewers had waived or noted issues to be addressed in later design phases. Commissioners suggested modest revisions to maintain a clear visual separation between the historic building faces and the new connector (for example, stepping back doors or recessing new entrances slightly so the historic volume reads as a distinct object). The commission also urged attention to the proposed playground and to dumpster/loading locations, which are prominent near sleeping rooms.

Commissioners said the proposal, as shown, generally preserved view lines to contributing facades and avoided large-scale demolition of the historic buildings; staff indicated the project will return during construction-document review for formal COA consideration and that some aspects (materials, exact fenestration and final loading/delivery plans) will require more detailed scrutiny.

The commission placed the conceptual submission on file, noting the applicant will return with construction documents and responses to comments from public works and design review staff. Commissioners advised coordination with historic-tax-credit and new-markets-tax-credit consultants given the Salvation Army's planned financing strategy.

Clarifying details
- Concept: Two-story plus basement, approximately 7,100 square feet, connecting structure (the "Bridge") between 1730 N. Seventh and 1747 N. Sixth.
- Program: 1747 to contain clinic and food pantry (lower level), the Bridge to contain dining/kitchen/offices, 1730 to remain shelter/respite and sleeping rooms.
- Funding: Salvation Army stated a capital campaign goal of $30,000,000; staff noted building costs of around $25,000,000 and references to operations/endowment funds.

The commission did not issue a COA at this conceptual stage but signaled general support for the connector's form and for preserving the historic buildings in place; detailed review will follow later design phases.