MINI MART CITY PARK

A new arts-focused cultural center redefines a former gas station brownfield site.

LOCATION
Seattle, WA

CLIENT
Mini Mart City Park

ARTISTS & FOUNDERS
Sutton Beres Culler

ARCHITECTURE TEAM
Gentry / O’Carroll
Ben Kruse
Becca Fuhrman
Nick Durig

STRUCTURAL AND CIVIL ENGINEER
J Welch Engineering

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT
G-Logics

KINETIC WINDOW FABRICATION
Chris McMullen

LIGHTING DESIGNER
Fixture Studio

CONTRACTOR
Métis Construction

PHOTOGRAPHER
Kevin Scott

RECOGNITION
AIA National Small Project Award
Seattle AIA Award of Honor

Mini Mart City Park is a new community-focused cultural center and park designed by GO'C and initiated by the artist collaborative SuttonBeresCuller. The project has transformed a former gas station site into a Seattle hub for art events and community gatherings.

The design work began by exploring options to preserve the existing remnants of the 1930s-era, 450-square-foot filling station. It quickly became evident that in addition to being too small of a venue to host the desired community meetings and gatherings, the structure was too compromised to save. Plans were developed for a new, 1,500-square-foot building and 3,000-square-foot park which would satisfy the desired program and make better use of the site, resulting in more public green space. By dividing the program functions into two primary spaces, a gallery/community center at the front of the building, and a storage/utility box at the back of the building, an open-air courtyard was created in the middle. The courtyard enables the park and building to work together, merging built space and the park areas in between. The courtyard also serves as a multi-functional exterior space for large-scale art installations, movie night gatherings, and loading access for the main gallery. A 1,000-square-foot rooftop level provides an elevated space for small gatherings surrounded by areas of green roof planted with drought tolerant sedums and grasses and solar panels.

From the earliest stages of the design process, references to old filling stations (painted clapboard siding, a large overhanging roof protecting the forecourt, hand-painted signage, and divided metal windows typical of old storefronts), were an important part of the design. These are a nod to the past, albeit a transformed past: a new type of filling station–one dedicated to serving art, community, and civic engagement.

The main gallery space uses a few key design elements to increase the flexibility of the compact space. It includes a large pivoting window (6'-6"W X 8'-0"H) along the south gallery wall that opens to provide a strong connection to the park and serves as a café window during events. The gallery has exposed wood rafters throughout that filter light down into the space via a 15-foot-long skylight. The kitchen tucks into the cabinet wall along the back corner and opens directly to the courtyard through a large operable window wall. Having large operable windows and doors along three sides allows the courtyard and park to become an extension of the gallery.

Below the park and building footprint, a remediation system (including air sparging and soil vapor extraction) was integrated to clean the residual contaminants from the site's previous use. The control station for this system is on display in the utility room for visitors to learn more about ways to improve and rebuild on similar brownfield sites. With over 700 derelict gas stations in the Puget Sound region and over 200,000 nationwide, the project explores the potential of art and architecture as a way to heal an urban problem while simultaneously creating a shared, multi-use culture and community space.