One of the often-overlooked aspects of Smart Growth is adaptive reuse of older buildings. In her Smart Growth opus The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs talks about the concept at length. It was great to see an example of it here in Burlingame today. I stopped by the revitalized Janakos & Co. antique store in the 1000 block of California Dr. You might recall this as a pair of small shops with many little rooms. It has been adapted to a more modern retail style by taking out the interior walls and keeping the beautiful open-truss roof, the mouldings and all of the windows. Craig Janakos has furnished a lot of classic homes in Burlingame and it is great to see him adaptively reuse a retail space that has needed an upgrade. What would it take for some of the other landlords in Burlingame to do the same?
– Written by Joe Baylock
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