2nd Place, Historic
In an age when adaptive reuse often means layering new materials over the past, this project took the opposite approach: It became extraordinary by removing the things that never should have been added.
What began as a 3-story department store in 1875 had devolved over time into a shadow of itself—a windowless box, clad in 1960s metal paneling and used most recently as a low-budget discount retailer. By the time the building sat vacant in the heart of downtown Hastings, Neb., it was written off by many as too outdated and too far gone.
But the bones were still there.
The dramatic facade and pop-of-color signage provide a cheeky contrast to each other and enliven the once forgettable streetscape. 
HISTORIC: The original Wolbach’s Department Store. 
BEFORE: An 1875 department store had devolved into a windowless box for a discount store. The local Community Redevelopment Authority peeled away the updates to find original materials beneath. 
Dropped ceilings and partition walls were removed, opening up sightlines through the voluminous retail space. 
BEFORE: Prior to renovation many layers of dropped ceilings and furred walls concealed the building’s historic features. 
The owners sourced reclaimed retail fixtures and furnishings, infusing the new store with an eclectic, nostalgic atmosphere that resonates with visitors. 
Creating a 3-story shopping experience for every type of customer, a kid-centric retail area anchors the top floor. 
The mezzanine level overlooks the main retail space and includes seating, gathering space and an ice cream parlor. 
The uncovered arch windows offer a jaw dropping view over Hastings’ main commercial street. 
The historic department store is one of the earliest buildings on Hastings’ main downtown drag. 
The original mid-block building did not include any code compliant egress stairs. In honoring the historic building, vertical circulation had to be strategically carved out. 
The project’s various attractions – shopping, refreshments, and screen printing – were programmed intentionally to draw visitors through the entirety of the immense building. 
Floor plans
PHOTOS: Tom Kessler Photography; BEFORE/HISTORIC PHOTOS: Hastings Community Redevelopment Authority, Hastings Tribune and Patrick Moore; DRAWINGS: Kyleigh Seim, Tessa Hamling and Janae Rusher
The turning point came when the local Community Redevelopment Authority took the first bold step: peeling away the failing façade and revealing the original masonry, limestone and storefront glass beneath. That act of subtraction set the tone for the entire retrofit.
When the owners of Small Town Famous, a local, family-run screen-printing and apparel company, stepped up to take on the building, they didn’t bring a big-city budget or a national retailer’s playbook. What they brought was a deep love for their community, relentless resourcefulness and a vision rooted in elbow grease.
Facing a tight budget and cavernous, outdated building, Goodlife Architecture and its team found savings by reclaiming rather than replacing. They salvaged display fixtures from shuttered stores, sourced lighting and furnishings from regional auctions, and spent nights and weekends picking through warehouses and craigslist ads. Today, every floor tells a story; every finish carries memory; and every design decision reflects a balance of budget, history and function.
The retrofit challenges were real:
- No existing vertical circulation met code.
- The building lacked fire-rated egress and accessibility.
- The deep floor plates made daylighting and ventilation a constant concern.
- The program—a return to full-scale retail—defied current trends and economic assumptions about what a small-town Main Street can support.
Rather than subdivide or convert the upper levels into housing, the owners doubled down on the idea that this could once again be a department store—not in name only, but in physical and experiential reality. That decision required surgical design moves: threading a new stair tower through the back of the building, reactivating long-covered skylights and weaving life-safety upgrades into the building fabric without erasing its character.
Perhaps the most beautiful architectural act was restraint. By choosing to remove rather than overlay, the team revealed a building that had always been capable of greatness. It just needed the right hands to unearth it. The design honors the structure’s layered past while allowing it to feel contemporary in its new role—a bustling storefront, production and fulfillment center, and proud headquarters for a thriving local business.
This project is a rare example of grassroots preservation with commercial viability. It wasn’t rescued by a foundation or a national brand. It was saved by people who live down the block and refused to let a key piece of downtown disappear. It’s a reminder that preservation doesn’t have to be precious—it just has to be smart.
The building now stands as a 40,303-square-foot blueprint for what small-town America can do with its existing building stock. If you combine architectural creativity, community willpower and just enough stubbornness to see it through, it’s not just a retrofit; it’s a revival.
Judge’s Comment
What a dramatic transformation of this maligned historic department store! Such a fine example of ‘addition by subtraction’. The creativity of modernizing the egress system, the seemingly delicate restoration of the original façade and the creation of great retail space inside—all successes!
Andrew C. Smith, AIA, principal, Hennebery Eddy Architects
Retrofit Team
Architect: Goodlife Architecture
MEP Engineer: Morrissey Engineering Inc.
Structural Engineer: Lange Structural Group
General Contractor: Cardinal Construction
Development Consultant: Queen City Development Group
Façade Enhancements: Hastings Community Redevelopment Authority
Historic Tax Credits Coordinator: Re:Ignite Strategies
Materials
Historic-replica Windows: Boyd Aluminum (Steel), and Andersen Windows (Wood)
Elevator: TK Elevator
Other materials were existing, custom-made or reclaimed/secondhand.
