DMAC Architecture is a full-service design studio with more than 25 years of experience in architecture, interior, product and furniture design, with work that spans a wide range of scales and typologies–including hotels, health and lifestyle clubs, spas, casinos, restaurants and bars. DMAC recently relocated to the former Mount Moriah Masonic Temple, a 1929 building designed by Walter T. Bailey, the first African American architect to receive a license in Illinois. For many decades, through the civil rights era and beyond, the building was a center of political, economic and social activity for Evanston’s African American community.
In 2015, DMAC purchased the building, which was in need of a complete update. DMAC approached the renovation with sensitivity to the original design and neighborhood context. The formal limestone front is preserved with beautiful yellow brick details while the back of the building is activated as a “second façade” intended to be casual and engaging with the residential backyards and elevated Metra line. Many of the rear windows were infilled with brick weave to add visual interest and filter light. Inside, the original herringbone parquet floor and a cast iron stairway are featured elements in the renovated space.
