26 East Main Street
26 EAST MAIN STREET
CATEGORY: CIVIL DESIGN, COMMERCIAL
LOCATION: CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE
A dilapidated building. An unkempt gravel parking lot. A forgotten lot on the corner of two of the most commercially viable streets in downtown Chattanooga.
When CEG was invited to engineer the transformation of 26 East Main Street, our team was delighted. The job represented what we do best – converting and remodeling a downtrodden site into a viable, thriving space that fits seamlessly into the heart of a commercial corridor.
Located at the intersection of bustling Market and Main streets, the site was designed for commercial space on the ground floor and residential above. Partnering with a well-known builder and architecture firm, CEG prioritized cost-effective timeliness to honor client needs and vision.
Careful to protect the historic nature of the site and adjacent buildings, CEG also proactively built and maintained relationships with neighbors and nearby residents. CEG addressed challenges around stormwater retention and trash collection by offering two novel solutions:
An underground vault was built to cache and collect stormwater that would ultimately tie into city lines.
An out-of-sight room was designed under the building’s stairwell as a hidden repository for trash carts. On trash days, residents wheel out carts for dumpster truck collection.
Repurposing bricks from the original structure, CEG created a beautiful and cost-effective alleyway connecting the new parking lot to the building.
Today, as tens of thousands of people drive by Market and Main, they encounter a beautiful, transformed site, a signature of excellent CEG design.
