Vavrek Architects, Inc.

The new protective glazing is being installed over the stained glass at St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church here in Whiting! The difference is stunning, especially when compared with the unrestored windows. Although small, St. Mary’s is the mother church to many of the parishes in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood in Chicago.

Earlier this year, Damar Services, Inc. announced it was acquiring the Carmelite Home in East Chicago, thus starting a new chapter of the facility that cared for thousands of children for the last 110 years. Akin to the legacy of the Carmelite sisters, Damar provides services to children with developmental, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. Recently, Damar hired Vavrek Architects to make updates to the building, including a new entrance canopy, offices, and family gathering spaces. In addition, we are providing support to help convert the former convent into a group home for 10 children. We look forward to our continued partnership with Damar and their mission of support children in need!

This Art Nouveau railing from Argentina is just one of many objects to be incorporated into a soon-to-be-announced restaurant/ gathering space in NW Indiana. Our client is an avid collector and has accumulated a number of fascinating objects! When completed this space (a former hayloft above a stable) will be a speakeasy bar.

Well, it's not Halloween yet, but this is something we found to be really scary! While traveling thru South Whitley, Indiana yesterday to do a site visit for a potential new daycare facility, we had to stop and take this photo. No idea what's holding up this roof or keeping more brick from falling, but thankfully, they placed warning tape around the building to keep people from getting hurt?

Had a great time last night at KSA's lighting show at the House of Blues in Downtown Chicago! It was 4 stories of manufacturers displaying their latest and greatest products. it also provided an opportunity to see every square inch of the House of Blues!

We are excited to play a part in Damar's mission to provide services specifically for children with autism. Our work, featured on the front page of their latest newsletter, will include a new entrance canopy, offices, and family gathering spaces. Additionally, we are providing support to help convert the former convent into a group home for 10 children!

Today we are in Laporte Indiana visiting a 3 story building from 1890 that has seen a lot of changes over the years. We are in the process of preparing drawings to stabilize the structure and convert the building to 6 apartments with commercial space on the lower level. Being in downtown Laporte across from the Courthouse, we see this development as yet another example of Laporte's recent revitalization!

Construction has officially started on The St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church stained glass project! Thankfully, the old wood frames that had been covered for years by yellowed Lexan glass show no signs of deterioration!

In today’s episode of Adventures in Architecture, we get some insight into the “behind the scenes” operations of an abandoned restaurant. Besides the instructive sign above the hand sink and the tidy back office, we also appreciated the walk-in coolers/ freezers were turned off, but still filled with food! ??

After years of planning and navigating obstacles, it was especially heartwarming to see children using the new Geminus Head Start Porter County Early Learning Academy! Yesterday was the ribbon cutting for this facility, which was designed to provide a much-needed service in Porter County to further Head Start’s mission of promoting school readiness for young children from low-income families and, in turn, to help break the cycle of poverty. Below are photos from today’s event.