By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Rooftop spaces have become quite popular in this area of Indiana, according to a recent story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, a fact confirmed by a Decatur native who’s one of the leading architects in the Summit City.
“Cory Miller has been an architect for 27 years, and when he started there was little demand for rooftop spaces,” the JG story by Kyle Smedley begins. “Times have changed in the Fort Wayne market and elsewhere.”
Miller says that in almost every project, somebody asks, “Hey, can we do something on the roof?”
Miller, a Bellmont High graduate, is president of Elevatus Architecture in Fort Wayne.
Elevatus helped design one of Fort Wayne’s rooftop bars, Birdie’s, which opened atop the Bradley Hotel downtown in 2021, according to Smedley’s story.
Brett Pope, general manager at Birdie’s in Fort Wayne, told Smedley that people are looking for good food, drink, service, etc., but also “an environment where you can show up as you are and relax a little bit more.”
According to the JG story, Birdie’s is one of at least five downtown businesses with rooftop spaces for patrons, especially spring through fall. Electric and the Embassy Theatre are two of them.
Pope told Smedley the rooftop space is the best-selling feature of the boutique hotel. Many guests have indicated they booked stays at the Bradley specifically to enjoy the experience of an outdoor bar without leaving the premises.
Miller said the cost of designing/building a rooftop space is almost equal to adding an entire extra floor onto a pre-existing building, mostly because of the requirements architecture firms must follow when it comes to installing exits.
Miller emphasized in the JG story that an architect’s primary focus must be ensuring health and safety of those using the spaces.
“Roofs are designed for a snow load of 40 pounds per square foot, but when you (design) an assembly space like Birdie’s, you have to design it to take 125 pounds per square foot,” he said.
