After finding a recently vacated lot located just outside of the St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center campus, the optometrists at Capitol Eye Care sought to move their practice into a new and updated facility. With BRS Architects assistance, the growing company now has a prominent and sophisticated new facility with room for future expansion. One of the most foremost design dilemmas to overcome was the project’s proximity to the Emerald Street overpass. This meant that the project would be viewed from all four sides as well as an elevated vantage point nearly ten feet above the roofline. The architects developed a building program that would allow a pitched roof to cover most of the structure then use integrated mechanical wells and entry towers to screen much of the mechanical equipment. The entry towers; although unquestionably signage locations, promote wayfinding from both the neighboring freeway and the adjacent surface roads without resorting to inauspicious towering monument signs. This design implementation creates a stalwart street presence that allowed for more landscaping and a less intrusive monument sign.

Another strategy to evoke a bold street presence was to allude to classical design elements. The building’s profile evolved into a subtle resemblance of Hellenistic colonnade design. A sturdy light gray base grounds the brick shafts. The stucco detail band that runs the length of the building extends beyond brick shafts creating a capital. Similar in composition to that of an Ionic façade, the remaining stucco, detail band and fascia embrace the metaphor by providing the architrave, frieze and cornice respectively. Without looking overtly Hellenistic, the project stands purposeful on the corner of Raymond and Emerald Street.