Kickstarter

RE.dwell Design Studio

Muncie, Indiana is a mid-size Midwestern town with a rich history as an important manufacturing center for the region. Now with the industry gone, and a large portion of the population with it, many of the city's oldest homes and buildings are vacant have been left to rot.

I moved to Muncie in 2003 to attend Ball State University’s College of Architecture where I studied sustainable design, alternative building methods and received my master’s degree in architecture. It was during this time I fell in love with Muncie and the immense potential hidden beneath the decay. During grad school I met a local furniture builder, now a good friend and partner. Together we deconstructed a century old blacksmith’s shop and used what we learned to start a business. Two years later, over fifty homes, half a dozen barns, and a church all have been taken down by hand. The materials from these structures were saved, cleaned , then resold or turned into new wood flooring, furniture, or other small built structures.

It was during my time in school and helping my friend with deconstruction that I discovered my love for furniture making and finding other uses for the reclaimed materials. I have met so many other people that come into our warehouse to browse through the old doors, windows, mantels and other materials that share this same creative passion.

After six years of school and two years of working in Muncie I thought it was time to give something back to the community that has inspired me.

This little century-old building has been neglected for years. It has a demolition order on it, so if it is not purchased and rehabilitated it will be torn down. I want to save it. In doing so I would like to create a shared community workshop where people with similar interests can come to share ideas, tools, materials, and create.

Rehabbing a hundred year old neglected building myself will be no small feat. It’s going to be a lot of long weekends and late nights but it is an endeavor I am passionate and confident about undertaking.

I want to use this project as an example of how reclaimed materials can be used to creatively, effectively, and economically rehabilitate structures in need of improvement or repair. In this first phase of the project, my time and energy will be focused on stabilizing and securing the building. This will mean removing a small addition on the back of the building that is unsafe and beyond repair, fixing several large holes in the roof, and restoring existing windows, doors, and brick work. This is where you come in.

As many of the materials as possible will be reclaimed from other structures which have already been taken down, but there will no doubt be some things that will need to be purchased. I am be contributing as much of my time as the project demands, but there will undoubtedly be some elements of the project that I am not qualified to complete myself and will need to be able to compensate other professionals who contribute their time.


With your help we can make the RE.dwell Design Studio a reality.

Thank you.