Press Clipping: Extreme Makeover
Downtown Journal
November 13, 2006
By Michelle Bruch
The Lamoreaux is transformed from drab to stylish in a single day
In a single autumn day, more than 100 volunteers transformed drab community rooms and kitchens at the Downtown Lamoreaux into cozy, stylish spaces.
The Lamoreaux, 706 1st Ave. N., is a 76-unit housing complex for people experiencing homelessness and people who earn 50 percent of the area median income. Most of the apartments are efficiencies, with residents sharing kitchens and other common areas.
“You were really seeing the wear and tear,” said Tashia Weisenburger, Central Community Housing Trust’s volunteer program coordinator. “It’s been amazing, when a space goes from second-hand furniture to something that beautiful.”
A resident survey indicated occupants wanted a quiet space to read or play games, as well as an additional television space. With those parameters, Macy’s interior designers and merchandisers were largely given free rein to plan the redesign. With plans in place, volunteers started arriving at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 15 and they had finished the renovation by 5 p.m. the same day. A dozen residents teamed up with 160 volunteers from Macy’s North to paint walls, hang artwork and haul new furniture into the building.
“One load came out, and the next load came in,” said Clevelen Brogden, manager of the Lamoreaux. He said teams of people came in succession throughout the day to paint and clean the walls and install carpeting in preparation for the new furniture.
In one community room, maroon carpeting topped by stark white walls and furniture was replaced with deep leather couches, pastel blue walls and a series of mirrors, elegant lamps and new plants. Artwork featuring bright paintings and wooden carvings line the walls and hallways. New bookshelves are stacked with a fresh selection of donated books. The building’s piano is retuned, and the piano bench is reupholstered.
Desiree, a resident of the Lamoreaux, said she worked alongside the volunteers, cleaning walls for about five hours. She said she appreciates the new community rooms.
“It gives you peace of mind; it’s a good place to get rested,” she said.
Harold Walker, another resident, helped pack the dumpster with old furniture.
“I like the couch on the second floor,” he said.
Weisenburger said the redesign at the Lamoreaux has transformed the attitudes of some residents. She said Target employees renovated the Continental Hotel in the week following the Lamoreaux project, and Lamoreaux residents volunteered for that work as well.
“This cleared the way for some residents who are volunteering almost weekly now,” she said.
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 Click here to see an image gallery of the transformation
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