tire kingdom

I Wish This Was is a weekly series of badly photoshopped images that transform ignored, vacant lots and properties in Orlando into something the City Beautiful can be proud of. 

This 7,560 SF vacant warehouse [Gmap] was built in 1969. It most recently housed a Tire Kingdom, as evidenced by the old window decals and awning, but is now sadly just an empty canvas for taggers and bird poop.

Here at Bungalower, we’ve been covetously admiring this space for a few years now. With the warehouse in the back and the open-window showroom in the front, we think this space would be an ideal incubator for some sort of hybrid concept (something where the space has multiple uses that are broken up throughout the building).

 

If Bungalower had it in our possession, we’d love to see it as some sort of ultimate “third place”, which refers to a popular urban planning concept – where there are three distinct places that people need in order to have a sense of place in their community; home, work and the anchor of community life, the third place, where people gather and create, and interact. A community center if you will.

tire kingdom 2

The pillars of a functioning third place are as follows:

  • Free or cheap to access
  • Must have food and drink
  • Easy to get to
  • Must have a group of “regulars” – or, those who habitually congregate there
  • Must be welcoming and comfortable
  • A place where you can find new and old friends.

We’d convert the back warehouse into an events space a la the Orange Studio (Facebook | Website) and convert the front into a clubhouse/bookstore/coffeehouse with some great community partners like Downtown Credo (Facebook | Website) and Bookmark It (Facebook | Website) and obviously throw in some sort of brewery connection, because … beer.

The parking lot out front could be converted into a food truck garden to feature a rotating series of curated trucks every day, and soften the hard-scaped lot with some potted trees for shade – or maybe just install a little taco window for a satellite Tako Cheena (Facebook) store.

If that’s not your cup of tea, we thought it would also be a great spot for an Up-cycled Art Boutique. The space could partner with entities like Keep Orlando Beautiful (Facebook | Website) and Waste Pro to divert reusable items like paint, textiles, furniture and things that just need a little bit of artistic TLC, from the landfills. It would be like a Goodwill, but catering specifically to artists and crafts people. The front of the shop could showcase actual items that were made by local artists and the back warehouse could be where all of the materials were held.

So to reiterate, we’d love to see it as a community hub with a taco windo or an upcycled art shop that diverts waste from the landfills by selling reusable items for cheap prices to local artists – you’re welcome.

What do you wish this was?

sky view

 

 

 

Brendan O'Connor

Editor in Chief of Bungalower.com

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  1. I think I have the same tires on my truck from the tire store that was there..A lot of people have, and had dreams for those fantastic windows and space… I hope something cool gets it.. your visions of spaces are cool.. more more more!

  2. Bungalower you guys should contact the new owner and figure out what they are doing with it! It looks like this property changed hands just a few months ago according to the property records…please find out for us!

  3. I wish it was a more permanent indoor/outdoor flea market/artisan space. Audubon/Mills market kinda vibe, but with Winter Park Farmers Market building/facilities. I’d sell there!

  4. Problem is environmental, underground there are oil vats and other crap that are expensive and difficult to address, and with them you won’t get a permit for anything like that

  5. We live a few houses behind this and are surprised this hasn’t turned into something else yet.

  6. We need a place that from a small town in northern NJ called “Nobody’s Inn”. They featured a young guitar and song artist who was my neighbor Johnny Pizzarelli who made in very big!

  7. I’ve always thought this, too. It’s the perfect layout for a brewery with a taproom. Not sure if there are any environmental cleaning costs which are holding this location back.

  8. Used to be a Frischs Big Boy across the street near there I think where the subway is in that area or maybe a little further east

  9. It needs to become a brewery. The warehouse area in the back would be perfect for brewing space. The area in the front, a perfect tasting room. The area on the east side, a great outdoor seating area. And, the front parking lot great for a food truck or two.
    I’ve been dreaming of turning this into a brewery for years.