The Conservation and Maintenance of Storefronts
This Conservation Note can help storeowners, tenants,
LACACs and building professionals in conserving and maintaining their
historic commercial properties. This guide provides information on the
components of a storefront and gives methods of maintaining the building
before deterioration problems reach the serious stage.
History of Storefronts
During the Middle Ages, temporary markets were held on the grounds near
cathedrals, and people came from great distances to exchange goods and
information. At these events, merchants built temporary stalls to display
their wares. Eventually, the most successful markets became permanent, and
merchants began to build multi-storey structures with a storefront on the
ground level, and housing, offices, or storage in the upper storeys. We
still use this basic arrangement today.
In Ontario, storefronts are the distinguishing feature
of the main streets in our towns. "Main Street" was often part of a
transportation route constructed through the wilderness, for incoming
settlers. Along this road, commercial buildings were constructed, usually
in a cluster at an intersection, which later became the centre of a town.
The main street's commercial facades were designed as rows of attached
buildings, often in stone or brick, in a similar fashion to storefronts in
large cities. The solidity of these two- and three-storey buildings
enclosed the street and made it an identifiable and defined space. With
concentrations of buildings containing grocery stores, barber shops,
clothing stores, hotels, the town hall and the post office, the main
street became the heart and soul of the town. In Ontario, many of our main
street storefronts date from the middle of the 19th century.
Goals of Good Storefront Design
The storefront is the single most important feature of the commercial
facade, visually and socially. A good storefront and its parts perform
many functions simultaneously. It attracts attention, provides effective
display space, invites pedestrians to window shop, allows natural light
into the store, and enhances the rest of the street.
A storefront's ability to perform these functions is dependent on the
character of the storefront's individual parts: base panels, display
windows, signs, etc. When the parts work together, they provide a
coordinated visual presentation.
When the storefronts of adjacent commercial buildings are conserved, a
consistent theme develops which visually links the various facades of the
street.
Guidelines for conserving storefronts:
- Where the original storefront remains largely intact, conserve and
repair it.
- Where changes are out of character, probe behind the modern layers
to see if anything original remains. In many cases, the authentic
elements may still be in place, hidden beneath later alterations.
- The storefront should be conserved by keeping any of the original
building fabric which survives. Replace only the missing features.
- Documentary evidence such as historic photographs can be used when
the original building's fabric has not survived.
Components of Storefront Structure
A commercial facade is usually comprised of three parts: i) the
bottom or storefront, from the base panel to the storefront's cornice;
ii) the middle facade; and iii) the top, or the building's
cornice.
Base panel
Function: A base panel -- where the building meets the
ground -- provides a strong anchor to the storefront. It also acts as
a plinth for the display windows, providing a simple method of placing the
display area at an effective viewing height. Base panels also act as
kickplates.
Maintenance: For fit and durability, the original base panels
are the most practical, and they can be maintained with painting and other
periodic repairs. Materials used for replacing base panels should fit in
with the rest of the storefront -- and be durable. If wood is used as
a replacement, it should be exterior grade, properly sealed, and
painted.
Display Windows
Function: Display windows encourage window shopping and allow
the potential customer to view the merchandise on display as well as the
inside of the store. They also allow daylight to enter the store and
increase the feeling of openness. These windows reduce the barrier between
the store and the customer on the sidewalk: the storespace becomes part of
the street.
Maintenance: Display windows are important visually and
socially. They should not be blocked off or reduced in size. Replacing
large display windows with solid walls or smaller windows damages the
visual connection along the street, disrupting the effect of a continuous
display case. Reducing natural lighting and restricting views may also
diminish the attractiveness of the building's interior.
Display window frames are made of wood, metal, copper, or stainless
steel. Most original cast-iron and wood frames have stood up well over
time and should be maintained. They usually have a better fit, and repairs
and maintenance are cheaper than replacement. If the original frames have
been lost, they can be replaced with new frames using patterns similar to
the original.
Storefront Entries and Floors
Function: The storefront entrance is usually recessed, "pushed
in" from the display windows. These recessed entries bring attention to
the doorways, while leaving the display windows in a prominent position.
Recessed entries contribute important features of depth and shade to the
street, and when repeated in adjacent stores, they create one of the
important rhythms in a traditional commercial area. And the floor surface
of a recessed entry provides an important welcome mat to the customer and
contributes to the quality of the greeting.
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