BBAx Architects

Daniel | Stark Law Offices

2009 AIA Brazos Chapter Design Award and 2010 Texas Downtown Association Presidents Award finalist

Programmatic Requirements

Daniel Stark is a personal injury law firm dedicated to helping those who have been injured by other’s negligence. Its principal office is located in Bryan/College Station, with branch offices in Austin and Waco. The firm’s rapid growth dictated the need for larger office space. Their emphasis on quality led them to an historic landmark building in the heart of resurging downtown Bryan. The four-level building provided floor space to allow for continued growth of the firm.

Design Solutions

The national register landmark building, First State Bank and Trust Company, was built in 1929 and was designed by the Dallas, Texas firm, Lang and Witchell in the Art Deco Style. The new owners’ emphasis on quality within their firm and the design of their building, provided the opportunity to incorporate a modern design, while maintaining a sensitivity to the building’s historic style. An ornate plaster ceiling that had been destroyed and covered by an earlier remodel was reconstructed to its original state in a portion of the lobby. The use of modern indirect, blue lighting, is used at the ends of the lobby to contrast and place emphasis on the original ceiling design. Brushed aluminum mezzanine railing reminiscent of the streamlined style of architecture wraps around the lobby, while a transparency is created throughout the building with broad expanses of butt-glazed glass.