Main Entry: par·vis
Variant(s): also par·vise   \ˈpär-vəs\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English parvis, from Anglo-French, modification of Late Latin paradisus enclosed park.
1. A court or enclosed space before a building.

 

The 11 buildings that make up the 32 apartments and ~14,500 SF of commercial space vary in size from 3-5 stories. While we can join many of these buildings with new hallways, there is no place for the much coveted roof deck. With no feasible way to incorporate upper floor outdoor space into the plan, we began to look at Parvis Alley and the rear of the buildings as a natural spot for community gathering. This space, with tables and chairs, plantings, and a grill, will be one of the feature amenities of the apartments. Because the alley will be gated off, enclosing the area behind the buildings, Parvis Lofts was a natural choice for the complex's name.

 

As a resident of The Emery Center, I know what great communitiy space does for an apartment complex. It provide city residents a chance to relax and entertain in their building, and it helps foster a sense of community within the building--I have met many of my neighbors grilling on our roof deck.

 

We're still working on the final plan for the layout of the community space and how it will integrate with the commercial tenants. As we finalize more details I'll provide more information here.

 

In the meantime I wanted to share some photos that were taken by a few of the kids at the SCPA. I took them through a tour of the buildings a few weeks ago, and they took some great shots. There will be more to come in subsequent posts, but these teaser photos taken by Asia should tide you over for now.