The teen designers are helping create a modern coffee shop that will help revitalize the neighborhood and give special needs students at HEB ISD a place to work.
HURST, Texas — A relic of the 1960s sits vacant on West Pipeline Road in what used to be the heart of Hurst, Texas.
But the aging building, most recently home to a donut shop, is getting new life thanks to a collaboration with the city of Hurst and a new generation of teenage designers.
Chris Connolly, the executive director of economic development and tourism for the City of Hurst says the small building with the flat roof, red trim and a few crumbling bricks is right out of the era of ‘American Graffiti.’
“Back in the day, Pipeline was the main drag. We want to embrace that nostalgia and make it into something that’s a community space,” Connolly said.
The idea is to transform the building into a one-of-a-kind coffee shop that will help the city’s continued effort to revitalize southern Hurst. The collaboration, which also includes the nonprofit 6Stones, has students with Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD‘s Architectural and Interior Design class competing and collaborating on new designs for the structure.
“Testing their limits, testing what they can actually do with their creativity,” said HEB ISD senior Trteel Nagib.
And, it’s creativity with another purpose. Once completed, the coffee shop will employ students and young adults from HEB ISD’s Moving into Adult Roles and Communities (MARC) program, helping them gain life skills while connecting them with the community.
“So that’s when it moved from just filling an empty retail space to something that could be very special,” Connolly said.
“I think it’s amazing. I think it’s a huge deal,” said Rene Riek, executive director of special education for HEB ISD. “And gives students an opportunity to learn about design in a real environment, is pretty incredible.”
The City of Hurst owns the building. The teen designers were given three parameters: They need to add two restrooms, use the 1969 drive-thru lane, and make the common area as big as they can for people to hang out. There’s no timetable yet for when the student re-designs will become a reality. But the students are grateful for the real-life experience and for what their work will bring.
“I would say it definitely gives us a head start,” said senior Keanu Hoerner. “And we’re already kind of rolling towards where we want to be.”
“I think something all of us have in common is wanting to leave an impact,” added senior Nathan King.
And by breathing life into an old building, a new generation’s impact gives nostalgia a chance to brew again.