Lucia Pasta Bar is a restaurant renovation located within the historic Starland Dairy, a 1932 Art Deco milk depot that once served as a major supplier for Savannah. After decades of vacancy, the building was restored and transformed into a multi-use cultural hub, housing a concept hotel, bookstore, pasta bar, and ice cream shop — all at the heart of Savannah’s vibrant Starland District, a neighborhood named after the dairy itself.

The clients were deeply committed to honoring the original 1930s aesthetic, so the design integrates Art Deco elements — geometric detailing, soft curves, and period lighting — while introducing modern touches for a fresh, functional dining experience. Key historic elements, like the exposed steel structure, original masonry, and weathered surfaces, were preserved to let the building’s age and authenticity speak for itself.

At the heart of the project is a central courtyard, a shared outdoor space where we maintained portions of the rusted industrial framework and even retained graffiti that had accumulated during the building’s years of abandonment. This courtyard serves as both a dining area and a time capsule — a space where memory, decay, and renewal coexist.