Respecting the Past

We believe sustainability is simply part of architecture. Sustainable buildings should be designed to outlive their initial use and live on to become something else. We live this belief through our extensive experience with historic preservations, adaptive reuse projects, restorations and renovations.

Preserving or adapting a building so that it can be repurposed is the ultimate in recycling. Our communities benefit, too. Saving historic buildings lets us collectively respect those who came before us – and those who will come after. But these types of projects require their own set of skills, research and problem solving. We intimately understand what it means to breathe new life into an old building – and do so within budget and time constraints – because we’ve done it for ourselves as well as our clients. We know how to communicate with community leaders, collaborate with preservation experts, leverage the latest technology for quality and efficiency, and pursue available historic and new-market tax credits.

200 East Brady

Through the careful and imaginative use of light, space, materials, and technology, Narrate Design revitalized an old neglected warehouse in Tulsa’s Arts District into an impressive office space for Wallace Design Collective. The original two-story, brick and concrete building was […]

300 East Brady

A classic example of art deco industrial architecture, 300 East Brady was slated for demolition. Instead the abandoned warehouse, originally constructed for Holloway Wire Rope in 1937, was transformed into office space and a second-story loft apartment that brings life […]

Nate Waters Physical Therapy

Nate Waters was a Tulsa icon. As an advocate for individuals with disabilities, Waters was a symbol of knowledge, dignity, compassion, and tireless service to others. The Nate Waters Physical Therapy Clinic transformed a former downtown car dealership into a […]

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CAMPStreet

CAMPStreet, a prime upscale adaptive reuse urban loft, is located within the thriving CAMPStreet arts community just outside of downtown San Antonio. The historic 1926 Duerler Candy Factory, which was re-purposed for residential use, also features the Linda Pace Foundation […]

Ice House

Ice House, located just east of the Pearl District, is an adaptive reuse of the former Tulsa Ice Company building, built in the mid-1920s. As the former office space for Narrate Design (formerly Selser Schaefer Architects), the Ice House maintains […]