In Context: Legacy Hall

The building, designed by Gensler, mimics the simple style of a steel rigid-frame equestrian arena. The industrial aesthetic is carried throughout the interior with exposed structure and mechanical systems, brewery piping, and raw steel accents. Fabricator shop marks were left in place on the weathered steel frames for each food stall. The bars and beverage stations draw further character from metalwork by the artisans at Stash Designs in Dallas.  

The first floor of the hall is energetic, crammed with a large bar and 20 artisan food stalls run by local chefs and entrepreneurs. A long row of beer fermenting tanks serves as a backdrop for seating and another bar on the second level, while the third-floor taproom hosts live music and the brew kitchen for the hall’s house brand, Unlawful Assembly beer.

The backyard of the food hall is branded the Box Garden, an event space that gets its name from the shipping container boxes that surround its large stage and video-screen wall. The boxes hold a barbecue stall, five more bars, restrooms, and other accessory spaces for the venue. Another unmarked container on the second level houses a working hydroponic vegetable farm, an expression of the Food Hall Co.’s farm-to-table ideals.

Design Team:

Architecture and Interior Design: Gensler
Contractor: Rogers-O’Brien Construction
Structural Engineering: L.A. Fuess Partners
MEP Engineering: Purdy-McGuire Engineers
Lighting Design: Scott Oldner Lighting Design
Metalwork: Stash Designs

Contributed by Cindy Smith, AIA, an architectural project manager at Harwood International.
Photo Credit: Michael Cagle