A ‘Wonder’-ful Transformation in Memphis, TN
Project Name: Orion Federal Credit Union, formerly Wonder Bread baking factory
Location: Memphis, Tennessee
Quaker Authorized Dealer: Pitman Glass Company
Architect: LRK Architects
Windows: H601 Picture Windows
Receiving an Honorable Mention in the Transformation category of Retrofit Magazine’s 2020 Metamorphosis Awards, architect’s LRK out of Memphis, TN, repurposed an abandoned Wonder Bread factory into a gorgeous office space and headquarters for Orion Federal Credit Union. The 63,000 sq.ft. building, initially built in 1921, which had stood empty since 2013, now features a 3-story day-lit lobby, multiple meeting spaces, and a 7,100 sq.ft. rooftop break room and deck overlooking downtown Memphis.
Orion Credit union wanted to revitalize this particular stretch of neighborhood that connected the Edge neighborhood to downtown, while also paying respect to the history of the original building and neighborhood. Therefore, the developers kept the original lines (bones) of the previous structure, used bricks from the throughout the complex to update the facade, and transformed items such as an old flour chute and former dough beds into modern elements such as a chandelier and flower beds. This project also features picture windows from Quaker Windows & Doors Historic Series (H601), meant to replicate the feel of the original windows of a former era, while providing the energy efficiency and structural integrity synonymous with today’s window & door technology.
This project has also a finalist for Best Renovation in the Memphis Business Journal’s, Building Memphis Awards. To learn more about this project, please visit Orion Federal Credit Union OR LRK Architects Project Profile.
