Erma Bar

Location: Riviera, Texas

Specifies: Adaptive Reuse and Addition

Status: Completed 2022

The Erma Bar is a small stand-alone building on the site of the Erma Center in Riviera, Texas.  It is a multi-functional space that can be used in conjunction with the Erma Center or independently.  The Bar is composed of a small historic brick storage building which previously housed the central dial office for the Riviera Telephone Company.  This structure is maintained and utilized for utilities such as water filtration, HVAC, and a walk-in cooler.  The new Bar interior is a board-formed concrete and steel window shell that wraps the south side of the historic brick structure, allowing the brick a new roll as interior finish and backdrop to the serving area of the back-bar.  Utilities are concealed in a ‘floating’ wood ceiling cloud, and detailing of the concrete shell with galvanized steel accents is reminiscent of the utilitarian structures and infrastructure components of the adjacent Riviera Telephone Company.