travel Bringing new life to a former bus depot By ALIA AKKAM Photography by EMILY ANDREWS Although it never reached the glamorous apex of air travel, the bus- forever canonized by Greyhound-signifies its own distinct brand of progressive Americana. One bus depot brimming with optimistic transcontinental travelers was erected in Savannah, Georgia in 1938, and remained open until 1964, the height of the Civil Rights Movement. After becoming home to Café Metropole, which closed in 2002, it sat neglected for years. That is until entrepreneur John O. Morisano bought it and tasked New York firm Parts and Labor Design with resuscitating the Art Moderne building as the casual fine dining Grey restaurant. "We wanted to preserve its history-to celebrate where we are today in comparison to the segregation experienced when the bus station was in full throttle," says principal Jeremy Levitt. "We also wanted to exploit its perfectly intact gorgeous curves in every way." Original features, such as the skylight and pink terrazzo flooring, 1. The horseshoe bar in the Grey's main dining room is an upgrade from the classic diner aesthetic. 1 2. Blue and white Vitrolite glass panels were recreated for the façade's update. 2 hospitalitydesign.com May 2015 287http://www.hospitalitydesign.com