{"id":1004755579,"date":"2025-05-08T01:10:26","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T09:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004755579"},"modified":"2025-05-08T01:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T09:10:27","slug":"how-an-old-louisiana-schoolhouse-became-a-coworking-hub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/how-an-old-louisiana-schoolhouse-became-a-coworking-hub\/","title":{"rendered":"How an Old Louisiana Schoolhouse Became a Coworking Hub"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tucked away on the walkable streets of Gretna, La., across the Mississippi\u00a0River from New Orleans, a century-old schoolhouse was recently brought back to life. The 20,000-square-foot building that once echoed with children’s footsteps, now hums with the creative energy of small businesses and entrepreneurs that call the coworking space at Primary Workspace home.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Built in 1911 and vacant for 50 years, the former schoolhouse is now home to Primary Workspace, a 13,500-square-foot coworking space with modern amenities.
Image by Michael Mantese, courtesy of Formwork Development<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Formwork Development and Jefferson Facilities Inc., together with Studio BKA and Perrier Esquerr\u00e9 Contractors, successfully blended past and present at the 1911-built property that served as Gretna’s first primary school. Apart from coworking, the building also includes retail space and has the German Cultural Museum as long-time tenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the redevelopment’s main component is the 13,500-square-foot flexible workplace<\/a> with open and dedicated desks, hot desks and private offices, as well as meeting rooms and a two-story event space. Nonprofits, a construction company, a tech company and a political consultant are among its first members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its preserved pine floor and modern amenities, the space challenges the notion that work environments must be brand new to feel fresh. Instead, it showcases the city\u2019s local character while catering to the needs of modern workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this interview, we asked Formwork Founder & Principal David Hecht and Studio BKA Co-Founder & Design Director Kim Payne Allen to take us behind the scenes of a historic landmark revitalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ ALSO: <\/strong>Gensler\u2019s Co-CEO on the Workplace of the Future<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How did Primary Workspace come to be? What sparked your interest for this conversion? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Hecht led the transformation of the 114-year-old Gretna Primary School into a coworking-anchored hub.
Image courtesy of Formwork Development<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Hecht: <\/strong>Gretna Primary School is owned by Jefferson Parish and had been vacant for 50 years. More recently, the city of Gretna and the parish have done an incredible job reinvesting in historic downtown Gretna to create one of the true walkable mixed-use communities in suburban New Orleans. Despite this success, the parish had struggled to put the primary school back into commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formwork Development approached the city with the concept of a coworking-anchored redevelopment<\/a>. We crafted a public-private partnership structure that allowed this vision to become a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And how has the local community responded to the project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hecht: <\/strong>The building is 114 years old, so it\u2019s very much part of Gretna\u2019s historic fabric. In fact, the mayor\u2019s grandparents went to school there! The local community is thrilled that the building is back in use and wonderfully restored. In addition to coworking, the building serves as an event space and hosts community functions\u2014there are plenty of opportunities for locals to use the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were some challenges you encountered in preserving the original architectural details while upgrading the facilities to appeal to modern workers?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hecht: <\/strong>The school building has great bones\u2014high ceilings, large windows, wooden floors and a spectacular double-height former auditorium space. We leveraged these assets to create a beautiful and dynamic workspace. To create the scale and density of spaces needed for shared office use<\/a>, we introduced a second corridor along the back fa\u00e7ade, which allowed us to subdivide the original classrooms efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n

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“The entire identity of the Primary Workspace has a vintage flair to it,” said Payne Allen.
Image courtesy of Studio BKA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Payne Allen: <\/strong>The original wood windows are 100 years old and have suffered from moisture exposure from all sides\u2014roof leaks, hurricanes, contact with wet bricks. To restore the windows, we removed the sash and sills, grouted in a sloped subsill under sheet metal flashing with a back dam, reinstalled the sill and restored the sash. We also inserted through-wall head flashing to direct any internal moisture back outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another original element was the heart pine flooring. We tried to keep the heart pine flooring throughout, but there were not enough salvageable pieces to cover the entire surface floor area. We supplemented with Golvabia-engineered flooring in a walnut finish. Our strategy included using the heart pine only in the common areas, like the historic corridor and commons lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing electricity to areas where exposed brick was retained was a challenge. We created a thicker baseboard to conceal the conduit and, in limited areas, just let the conduit run exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, thermal comfort in historic buildings is always an ongoing challenge in our climate, especially where original windows are retained. We added a new zoned air conditioning system and installed automatic window coverings to help deal with glare and heat gain from all the large expanses of historic glazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you incorporate sustainability or energy-efficient upgrades into the redesign?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hecht: <\/strong>Adaptive reuse is inherently energy efficient<\/a>\u2014we reused this historic building and all of the embodied energy and carbon in its brick, wood and glass. The renovation included the installation of all new heat-pump HVAC systems and a thorough analysis and restoration of the building envelope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ ALSO: <\/strong>When Office Meets Hospitality: A Love Story<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Were there any inspirations, such as other historic redevelopments or design trends, that influenced the aesthetic of the coworking space?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payne Allen: <\/strong>Color drenching, which is being used in residential design, inspired the stage concept. We knew we wanted the silhouette of the arch to pop, so we drenched everything behind it to give the eye some contrast. Wallpaper, also used in residential design, was used in a few select areas where we wanted to elevate the space such as the small phone booths and bathrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a nod to the building\u2019s era of significance, we added subtle Art Deco elements into the wallpaper patterns and tile work in the elevator. The branding followed suit, so the entire identity of the Primary Workspace has a vintage flair to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What design elements distinguish Primary Workspace from other coworking spaces in the region and what are some architectural details that have been preserved at the 1911-built schoolhouse?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hecht: <\/strong>The mail room! We\u2019ve got the best mail room in the region! Jokes aside, the combination of warm materials, historic details and the soaring scale of the spaces makes for a truly unique and serene environment. The restored plaster arch around the proscenium stage in the Commons area is especially noteworthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n