Commercial Architecture April 2018 - 11

restaurants

FEATURE

Left. Building on Detroit's rich history of neighborhood
markets, the District Market reinterprets the food hall
of today through a sophisticated, contemporary design
within Little Caesars Arena. Photo: Michelle and Chris
Gerard, courtesy McIntosh Poris
Below left. The District Market combines aspects of
urban and farmers markets and food stalls into an upscale, gourmet destination for casual dining. Food stations offer everything from salads to hearty meals and
cocktails. Customers can create their own meals or
choose from handmade sandwiches, burritos, and pastries. Photo: Michelle and Chris Gerard, courtesy McIntosh Poris

reinterprets the food hall for today through a
sophisticated, contemporary design within
the Little Caesars Arena. Owner Olympia
Development, Detroit (ilitchholdings.com),
in conjunction with client Delaware North,
charged Poris and the design team with
creating the concept from branding to the
station designs. In developing the market,
architect Poris studied popular food halls
throughout the country and consulted with
food-service expert Next Step Design,
Annapolis, MD (nextstepdesign.com).
"Like the Kid Rock restaurant, District
Market's design is a hybrid of different
elements," said Poris. "We combined
aspects of urban and farmers markets
and food stalls into an upscale, gourmet
destination for casual dining."
Food stations offer everything from
salads to hearty meals and cocktails.
Customers can create their own meals
or choose from handmade sandwiches,
burritos,

and

pastries,

which

are

baked by Zingerman's of Ann Arbor, MI
(zingermansdeli.com).

The

architects

worked with the New York graphic-design
firm Patricia Spencer Design (psdnyc.com)
to give each station its own identity, while
maintaining a cohesive look throughout
the interior. Patrons can take their food to
go or stay and eat in the market's dining
areas. The quick-service stations and
Opposite page:
Top left. Part of the Detroit's new Little Caesars Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons, Kid Rock's 230-seat restaurant expresses the
musician's personality and musical interests. The restaurant concept is meant to draw fans, event goers, and people from outside the arena. Photo: Michelle and
Chris Gerard, courtesy McIntosh Poris

seating areas throughout the open space
are finished in materials drawn from
Detroit's industrial and Arts-and-Craftsstyle heritage, including copper, concrete,

Left. Eclectic furnishings at Kid Rock's include leather Chesterfield sofas, faux-cowhide-upholstered seating, and vinyl flooring resembling worn wood to capture
the feeling of what Kid Rock calls the "Redneck Plaza." Photo: Michelle and Chris Gerard, courtesy McIntosh Poris

tile, and metal mesh, to further connect the
market to the city.

commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

APRIL 2018

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

http://www.ilitchholdings.com http://www.nextstepdesign.com http://www.zingermansdeli.com http://www.psdnyc.com http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture April 2018