The old Fennel Wagon/Auto building has a wealth of history and economic activity embedded within its walls. The brick structure of the Fennel building is mostly intact but has undergone a variety of patchwork alternations over time. Non-historic bricks fill in old windows, mortar that does not match the original historic character has been used, non-historic doors and windows have been installed, and strange paint colors were chosen. These conditions combined with the old "ghost signs" have left this building as a shell of its former self.

 

The design for the Fennel Seed Missouri Market adaptively reuses the existing conditions of the old Fennel building in a number of ways. It saves the parts of the property that are historic and in usable condition, demolishes structure that is either not useful or has deteriorated, and paints, replaces, and seals the Fennel building structure as a means of "freshening up" the exterior facades. The new adaptive reuse building design acts as a painted canvas for new descriptive signage, colors, and murals, keeping with the tradition of painted advertisements popular with historic buildings of this time period.

 

By saving the historic 1-story brick facade along the eastern side of the property and constructing new covered walkway structures and facilities to the north, a courtyard is formed that acts as an outdoor food truck park. A drip irrigation greenhouse is located within the courtyard, where fresh produce is grown and sold on site. Fresh, locally grown produce such as sweetcorn, tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, and a variety of other foods can be sold at affordable prices due to the lack of necessity for transportation, water collection and purification, and farm-to-table method of production.

 

According to a recent local housing study, there is a need in the community for better quality housing and more varieties of housing typologies. The Fennel Seed Market project includes a multi-family housing development, either sold as condos or rental properties, that allow for a more walkable bikeable downtown community. The new housing includes two story structures that share walls and combine to form a variety of private residence only outdoor courtyards and terraces. The buildings also include a number of rooftop gardening greenhouse facilities. Sustainable farming practices can be taught at the Fennel Seed Market and practiced here for residents as well. Many Missouri families invest their future into single family residential and farmland because they want to grow and maintain a garden for the benefit of growing their own farm fresh food. This new residential development addresses the needs of the community for new sustainable housing as well as provides useful outdoor amenities that are currently lacking in much of Missouri's urban housing market.