Rathbone Street Garage – ADC

“We found an old photograph and the story began to unravel,” said Joe Haire, director of Shoreditch-based practice, White Red Architects. The photo in question showed the original building the studio was working on as a car garage.

White Red had come to the project after being commissioned by Stevens Properties Ltd. to turn an old warehouse on Rathbone Street into offices. However, the idea to partially bring back the building as a garage emerged as the architects unpicked the building’s history during the design phase. Originally built in 1905 by Truman Stevens, the building initially operated as a two-storey car repair garage.

“The words ‘J. A. Stevens’ over the door revealed a personal connection between the client and his great-grandfather,” added Haire. “From this moment on, the project became about reestablishing this lost identity.”

In line with this new approach, the 26,000-square-foot building’s historical features have been reinstated and restored. Most notably, this includes an original sign that reads ‘MAGNETOS’ emblazoned across the building’s top floor frontage and an ornate archway found above the entrance doorway. Meanwhile, in the building’s stairwell and throughout office floors, old photos of the building’s past are now displayed to highlight its history.

In restoring it as a garage, the building’s reception plays host to a classic car which is replaced every few months, with the showpiece automobile entering and exiting in dramatic fashion through a giant glass garage door. Inside, the reception’s colour palette takes cues from heritage paint cards that were found on site.

To bring the building up to speed as a commercial office space, four new planted terraces have been added, including one on the roof, along with cycle storage and shower facilities.