The project: Renovation of an abandoned warehouse complex to create a new home for the nonprofit, including offices and production facilities.
Size: 36,000 square feet
Completed: November 2021
Cost: $925,000
Architect: Group 4 Design Inc.
Additional vendors: American Plumbing, Jacksonville; Earthworks, Jacksonville; ELD Painting, Jacksonville
Contractor: Opus Group, Jacksonville
Rethreaded Inc.’s campus in Springfield is an all-in-one manufacturing, warehouse, administrative and retail center. Contractors and architects used a mix of “homey” and industrial finishes to renovate the 73-year-old former auction warehouse as the headquarters for the nonprofit that provides employment, life and career development services for survivors of human trafficking.
The project restored the building’s steel framing, brought in recycled wood shiplap and used new drywall and wood finishes. The project allows Rethreaded to separate operations that previously coexisted in one open space in its former headquarters in the Rail Yard District.
The Springfield facility comprises the retail shop for employees’ “up-cycled” products; raw materials storage; sewing and manufacturing; a counseling area; and administrative offices. Original features of the auction house remain, including a large steel fire door, and the steel framing is exposed.
An outdoor terrace provides event space that can be rented. The garden integrates the property’s old railroad lines into a shaded brick walkway.
The project used materials that are inexpensive and easy to maintain to ensure revenue is reinvested into the nonprofit’s programming.
