EXTENDED USE / CITATION

Project: Blue Orchid Thai Restaurant
Owner: Witiwas Srisa-an
Firm: Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects
Photographer: Thomas Kessler, Omaha, Nebraska

The site is located in an existing historic structure that has undergone a revitalization to become a living and shopping place within the heart of the old downtown of Lincoln. The restaurant occupies the original mail sorting depot of the old post office, which sat redundant and derelict for decades. The dramatic architectural features of the space were maintained and visually enhanced, which includes the volume of the space and the clerestory skylights. The space is filled with light during the day and is moody, dark and intimate at night. The mandate for elegance has been achieved.

Jury Comments: “This restaurant makes a significant improvement to the street which is very important. The backlit columns are luminous as a light feature and really make the space.”