Obie Companies Springfield Main Street Mixed Use

Springfield, Oregon

Nestled between the Springfield History Museum and the Emerald Art Center, the Springfield Main Street Mixed Use project seamlessly integrates into the historic downtown while introducing modern elements. The project connects to the layers of history critical to Springfield’s strong sense of place, creating a landmark that resonates with both the community’s past and future.

The proposed 5-story, 75,000 sf building combines boutique-scale commercial with multifamily housing. The building responds to historic precedents through its bay proportions and a coherent façade rhythm. Brick provides a simple, high-quality backdrop, while a cornice is visually replaced with metal paneling and overhangs.

A typical building width in the historic context is 30 to 40 feet, sometimes 60 or 80 feet, whereas this site features 189 feet of street frontage. Part of the design challenge is to mitigate this length into sub-elements to support the historic context. By breaking the building into smaller-scale forms and creating a break in the series of repeating bays for an entranceway and passthrough, the design creates engaging and activated street-fronts while preserving the efficiency of housing above.

To make the street livelier, the design includes a small south-facing plaza. This area opens up the sidewalk, providing space for outdoor seating for future restaurants and a more comfortable walk for pedestrians.