Relish in Architectural Record

Across the country, vacant big-box stores are being rethought for new uses. In Louisville, Colorado, Relish Food Hall & Pickleball offers one example of how these spaces can become something more social, flexible, and community-centered.

Originally a former Sam’s Club, the 88,000-square-foot building was transformed into a food hall and pickleball venue with 19 indoor courts, local food vendors, gathering spaces, and outdoor patios. Following the Marshall Fire, the building had also served as a temporary community resource—adding another layer of meaning to its reinvention.

Dig Studio collaborated with Swan Dive Design Studio and Engine 8 on the project, helping shape the outdoor spaces that support the experience beyond the building. While the site still needed to accommodate substantial parking, the redesign introduced planted public space and patios that make the edges of the building more welcoming and usable.

Relish shows how adaptive reuse can do more than fill an empty building. With the right vision, it can create a new kind of community anchor—one that brings people together around recreation, food, and shared experience.

Read the full article in Architectural Record.