An old gas station from the 1930s is being transformed into an urban park and cultural space. The project creates a place dedicated to art, community, and urban regeneration in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.
The site, once occupied by a small gas station, was too compromised to be reclaimed. Hence the decision to build a new 1,500 sqm building and a 3,000 sqm park, expanding the possibilities of use. The project, designed by GO'C Studio and promoted by the artistic collective SuttonBeresCuller, returns green public space and creates a new hub for gatherings and collective activities.
The project articulates the functions in two main volumes: a community center and gallery at the front and a service block at the back. Between the two, an open courtyard is created, a pulsating heart that connects architecture and landscape. Here, artistic installations, outdoor screenings, and collective events are hosted, transforming the space into an extension of the park.
In the new construction, references to historic service stations resurface: painted wood paneling, overhanging roof, hand-painted signs, and divided metal windows. These elements evoke the memory of the place, but with a renewed function: no longer a transit point, but a station dedicated to art, community, and civic participation.
Under the park, a remediation system removes the pollutants residues from the past, also offering an educational value to visitors. Mini Mart City Park thus becomes a virtuous example of how architectural projects can address widespread urban issues - such as disused sites - turning them into opportunities for regeneration and life.
