2nd Street Lofts + The Hive

A Place to Create

Decatur, Indiana

Biggs Group partnered with the City of Decatur to redevelop the “Music House”, as it is known to locals, to produce a creative ecosystem combining artist live/work housing and a creative engagement center. Since the establishment of the Decatur Sculpture Tour in 2012, the rural community has embraced the arts to promote quality of life and economic development, what Decatur defines as “artistically inspired innovation.”

2nd Street Lofts, located in the heart of downtown Decatur, welcomes a wide range of creatives to live and work in 16 artist lofts. The former Schafer Hardware Store has been transformed, but its character remains with exposed brick and large windows that look out onto the historic downtown center. The building posed challenges throughout design and construction.

Built in the early 1900’s, the building has served many tenants and was renovated repeatedly over the years. The building has settled overtime and has no true right angles and plumb surfaces. Due to continuous challenges beginning construction, the building was 3D scanned to field verify interior conditions. The result is a unique floor plan with no single apartment the same. The ground floor of the building houses The Hive Creative Co-Op, a creative engagement center, inviting artists and non-artists alike to engage with creative practices. Apartments on the upper floors of the building house a range of creative types.