Over time, 902 N Mangum has changed, its original footprint of 150 square feet having grown to 2300. The building is something of a Russian matryoshka doll.
Walking into the main entrance, you find yourself standing in what’s believed to be the original 150 sq ft building built in the 1920’s. The room is rectangular, wider than it is deep. Directly ahead is a small doorway, formerly an exterior door whose transom window holds no glass, only a vintage metal screen.
Walls to all sides are cinder block, painted yellow. Shadows of dirt draw wide lines across the walls, a map of another layer now gone.
Underfoot is a patchwork of flooring styles that were in vogue at different times over the last century. A checkerboard of small black and white linoleum tiles partially cover their predecessors – 12″x12″ olive green squares popular in the 1970’s.
Standing in place, you’ll see a doorway to your right leading to a bathroom. To the left a doorway to a garage. Through the doorway straight ahead, a triangle-shaped space with various electrical, piping, and machinery.
The garage space to the left once held two glass-panel garage doors facing North Mangum St. No longer in tact, a perfunctory cocktail of plywood, siding, and paint has taken their place. The walls are a hodgepodge of cinder block, red brick, and plaster covered in pealing paint. Above, silver duct work is draped from exposed ceiling joists.
To the right another doorway leads to an immense warehouse-like space that more than doubles the building’s footprint. It has high ceilings, cement floors, and another garage door that faces East Geer St.
This space will be our primary focus as we begin renovations, preparing the space to accommodate cool and cold storage, as well as our food hub partners.