Atlas

DEMX Architecture

Short description

The Ellis Building’s rehabilitation recaptures the building’s original 1920’s character for use as Atlas, a new locally owned restaurant. Inspired by its namesake Atlas Shrugged, the fine dining restaurant is designed with an Art Deco influence.
As an early car service structure, the building expresses an initial part of modernization in the area. It was built in 1923 by Earl Ellis to house his garage, the Ellis Motor Company. After his death in 1926, the Lewis Chevrolet dealership moved in, parking cars to show and test on the street. Eventually, complaints about parking prompted the dealership to move to a more commercial part of town. The Ozark Battery & Electric Company, the “Willard Service Station” in the c1930 occupied the building next. The move appeared in the local paper as “one of the best locations in the city.” Around 1945 the heirs of Earl Ellis sold the property to the owners of the Lyle Bryan Motor Company, a local Packard dealer. The building was sold again in the mid-1950s, ending its car-oriented use, and became a series of shops and offices until the present.
The goals for the preservation of this building were to maximize natural light by restoring existing windows and clarifying the historic relationship between the entry, interior spaces, and the street. The building was to be retrofitted to accommodate the new full-service bar and restaurant while maintaining the building’s direct relationship with the street. The focus was on properly restoring the building’s envelope while maintaining and accurately reflecting the building’s historic qualities.
The new restaurant sits in an area of downtown Fayetteville that generally housed a mixture of residential and commercial properties from the early 20th century. Starting in the lounge, originally the showroom, diners can engage with the street through the main façade while interior glazing provides them with views of the dining area. Inside, the former garage space is articulated by floating ceilings and banquette seating, creating a variety of public and private dining spaces.
The restoration introduces fine materials, strategic lighting, and minimalist detailing that contrast with the building’s architectural elements from the early modernization era. The reimagined interior preserves the former garage’s open plan and large windows. The main dining is articulated by floating ceilings and banquette seating, creating both public and private dining spaces. These floating ceilings form visually folded planes to spatially envelope guests.
The Ellis Building’s rehabilitation recaptures the building’s original 1920s character for use as Atlas, a new locally owned restaurant. Inspired by its namesake Atlas Shrugged, the fine dining restaurant is designed with an Art Deco influence. The goals for the preservation of this building were to maximize natural light by restoring existing windows and clarifying the historic relationship between the entry, interior spaces, and the street. The restoration introduces fine materials, strategic lighting, and minimalist detailing that contrast with the building’s architectural elements.