Sooooo Many Ideas and Inspirations....Please Bear With Me!!!

Since we didn't have school today because of snow, I had time to think about my project. While visiting the site as a class on Monday, my ideas were taking shape. This project is going to be unlike any of my other projects. Before, I found myself creating more in the modern, contemporary style, but now I am moving more towards traditional with this one; more of a preservation project. Why you ask? Well, first off, I wanted to create spaces that would blend in with the surroundings of the historic downtown. Even though Circus Square is a new development, the Galloway and surrounding buildings are historic to the city of Bowling Green. I didn't want to create a contemporary building that would look out of place and not stand the test of time. The hotel I develop, I want to be there for years to come for people to enjoy and appreciate. Even though I am creating traditional exteriors on the new hotel design and the existing Galloway building, there will be more modern touches inside the buildings such as lighting, fabrics, and accessories mixed in with traditional, historical and classic pieces. With this project, I want thhe community to be involved since the park was originally a community-driven project. I will use local materials, carpenters, builders, and local artists to help make this design become a community project just like the park became.

Now onto the names! While researching via the internet about Circus Square, I came upon a video about the park. Throughout the video, one commentator kept on referring Circus Square as a "Corner stone" of the historic district downtown. That term stuck with me so I decided to do some research. The definition of cornerstone stated: a concept derived from the first stone set in construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone. It is an indispensible and fundamental basis of a building. This term describes perfectly my overall desire to design a building that will be the beginning of connecting the historical aspects of Circus Square with the new additions to come. I hope my building will unite the old with the new. Therefore, the newly constructed hotel will be called, The Cornerstone! I want it to have a classic look; it will be bricked, and include cornerstones with the building's date inscribed, giving it the historic look. Also, I want the windows to have awnings and have a classic u-shape drive up for guests to pull up while greeted by doorman and valets. What really sets this hotel apart from any others in Bowling Green will be the rooftop garden where guests can take advantage of the beautiful views especially during the Summer where they can experience the music festivals in the park right from the rooftop!

The Galloway building has so much potential for my restaurant and spa. However, I want to take advantage of my favorite part of the existing building which would be the current entrance with all the surrounding windows and where the current offices are located. When I first walked into the space, all I could think about were people sitting at tables around the windows enjoying a nice glass of wine and listening to great music. This is why this space will be the main entrance for the restaurant and will house the wine bar. Customers can walk in and either sit down for a drink at the bar, or go to the host/hostess and be seated at the restaurant where they will walk down the stairs into what is currently the huge warehouse area. The kitchen and restrooms will be incorporated into the front part by the bar. I would like to include modern touches with lighting fixtures and seating for the bar/restaurant. In the bar area, I would like to incorporate old black and white prints of the classic cars that were sold once there at Galloways's to tie in the "historic theme." Also, I would like to incorporate a stained glasss mural of a circus behind the bar hence "Circus Square." The name for my wine bar and restaurant is...."Tastebuds." This was an inspiration from my sister-in law who has always dreamed of opening her own restaurant and if she had the chance, she wanted to name it "Tastebuds." I love the name because it's fun and different. The menu for the restaurant will include multi-cultural foods inspired from the annual Multi-cultural festival held in the park. Like I have seen on old businesses, I would like to have "Tastebuds" in huge letters that light up ontop of the roof of the building above the windows. The windows on the Galloway building will also have awnings to help tie in with the hotel which will also have awnings.

Now for the spa area. On the other half of the existing warehouse, I would like to use the side (closest to the hotel) as the spa area. Honestly I haven't gotten that far yet on ideas for the space but I have came up with potential names. Introducing Connections! The name derived from the placement of the spa. The spa is located in between the new hotel and the restaurant/bar area, thus making it a connection to the old and the new. There will be a breeze way above the existing sidewalk that is currently there so hotel guests can access the spa and restaurant area without going outside.

In conclusion, I am excited about this project! I want my design to be a cornerstone of historical downtown! The Cornerstone Hotel, Connections, and Tastebuds will be a great addition to downtown Bowling Green.