Be Intoxicated With WinesCHINA VISION MAGAZINE ARTICLE — April, 2009
When you think of most wine bars you think of an uptight contemporary scene with forced smiles amid the sound of clinking glasses. As you sip your wine, you try to relax but wonder why you are still stressed.
Not so, at the In Fine Spirits Wine Bar that Joel Berman Architecture created in Andersonville, Chicago. Here, the feel is like a comfortable, old-world, coffee house somehow made modern with natural colors and materials. It’s an innovative approach that preserves the best of the old and stylishly blends with what’s new.
Diversity
Andersonville itself is a community of contrasts. Thanks to sensitive architects like Berman who have worked with many retailers here to preserve and honor the Andersonville’s past, it is definitely not a “yuppie-ville.”
The Andersonville community developed in the late 19th century from a Midwestern prairie to today’s “middle-class residential” neighborhood. Most of the buildings were built at the turn of the century with the names of early settlers and business establishments still chiseled on them.
Clark Street, the main business street in Andersonville, is a narrow, bustling street that meanders northward through city grids.
The retail spaces are small and average only between 500 to 1500 square feet. Everything feels crammed-in, yet friendly. Visitors are always impressed by the old-time look of the street. Many cultures and a hodgepodge of goods come together to create the distinctive Andersonville look and energy. Like the old,trading posts of the Wild West, there are household goods, furniture stores, antique shops, restaurants, and specialty shops selling everything from art to olive oil. Residents are Lebanese, Swedish, Persian, Italian, South American, German, and Asian, and they all live together in an area that embraces its ethnic diversity and,not surprisingly, its sexual orientations. As a well-known gay community,there is a huge respect both for the individual of today as well as for the Old World architecture
To capture all of these various Andersonville elements, Berman looks to the simplicity of nature which dictates the placement of the tables, chairs and bar stools at In Fine Spirits. Bartenders and customers feel relaxed right away and are quick to talk to each other here. In keeping with the history of the building, Joel hones in on the fine details—even the duct system, the track lights, and ceiling panels all follow a natural color palette.
Individualism and nature are the keynotes that Berman used to create this wine bar that invites everyone from all corners of city life to mingle and socialize.
Trends
The owner of In Fine Spirits wanted to preserve the fine features of the old building and agreed that they should try to hold on to the past while adding the warmth of a clean, all-natural setting. Original materials were used wherever possible in this 1906 structure that was formerly the Capital Coffee Shop with a rental unit on the second floor. In another incarnation, it was also an animal clinic where the owners divided the space into tiny rooms, covered up the brick floor with carpeting, and added a ceiling. Berman knew right away that his main challenge would be to evaluate what original materials could be salvaged and what needed to be scrapped altogether. A lot of the original tin ceiling panels were damaged, and at first he thought that most of the windmill-shaped brick flooring were all right. On further examination,however,the animal clinic owners had not properly installed the brickwork.
Berman installed two small kitchen areas at the rear of the space and another kitchen in the second floor apartment. Original ceiling panels in the rear area were used to replace broken panels in the front. The remaining good panels were then re-used as coverings for the vertical common walls on the second floor. Then,locally-made red brick and dark tiles were purchased to decorate the walls and floors. All of these touches worked together to bring a natural look to the space while preserving its history. Berman designed the front part of the gallery to complement the historic character of Clark Street. He also installed a nook at the south end of the building using the store’s original, stone-framed windows which serve to acknowledge its history as the Capital Coffee Shop. Berman believes that using as much of the original building materials as possible helps preserve the spirit of a structure.
Heritage
The wine shop is really a wine gallery that looks at home within the rich history of the Andersonville street. The owner wants this re-created space to serve as a place where wine lovers gather, not only to find great wine, but to celebrate the history of wine. Wine-loving patrons gather for private parties and meetings and tastings. Berman designed a full wine cellar and used colored panels for the both the floor and the cabinetry. The shop is a real beauty. The three panels on the store’s logo are the same pattern as the ones used in the shop.
Besides wine, In Fine Spirits also serves handcrafted cocktails and beers. Customers love the distinctive atmosphere so lovingly created here. Joel Berman Architecture has shaken up the traditional view of a wine bar as a toxic place and has created a a respite where people find calm and contentment as they immerse themselves in a time long gone by but not forgotten. At least, not in Andersonville.
If you would like to pursue your own architectural project, please phone Joel Berman at 773.275.5968, or send an e-mail with questions about an architecture project.
