“The Crown City” and “The Glass Capitol of Indiana” are monikers for the city of Dunkirk, Indiana which represent past and present glories of small town America. Although the Gas Boom of 1880s has long passed and the natural gas has dried up, the memories of this prosperous time and lasting notoriety of glass manufacturing can be seen in the architecture.

 

The city received a Planning Grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to fund a Downtown Revitalization Plan. The focus of the study was to analyze the city’s current physical characteristics, economic condition and available resources.

 

ARCHitecture trio, inc teamed with Rundell Ernstberger Associates, LLC and the Strategic Development Group to develop a study of the historic buildings in the city’s downtown core. Five major buildings were specifically analyzed in regard to their historic and architectural features as well as their structural integrity. Other buildings within the downtown area were examined from their streetscape context noting existing conditions and creating proposed Schematic Design improvements.

 

Significant interaction with members of the community was a crucial element for the study. Team members were introduced the through a pre-planning meeting and ARCHtrio has continued involvement with the community through visioning forums and individual business owners meetings.

 

A key component of the project was to help the community recognize the architectural merit within their city and to propose phased improvements that would allow the community to regain its luster as “The Crown City” and once again become a vital and bustling area.

 

Study Completion: Spring 2009