At the surface, Ian’s Pizza on State offers what you would expect from a pizza place on State Street in Madison, WI. They offer dine-in and delivery pies and slices for lunch, dinner, and late night. But, meet majority owner Nick Martin or stop in for a slice and you will quickly find they have taken the Madison pizza experience to the next level.
Ian’s opened the doors to the newly renovated 100 State Street location in May of 2012. Ian’s Pizza on State serves around 5000 customers per week and employs approximately 40 team members.
What impact has the project had on the surrounding community?
Local Foods
Ian’s on State proudly incorporates local ingredients in many of their recipes. Check out their Facebook page or the colorful chalkboard menus around the restaurant on a Saturday during the Dane County Farmers Market. Here you will find the freshest of the fresh toppings and components (to the sometimes eccentric pies) purchased right out their front door.
“The Wall at Ian’s Pizza on State”
As a tribute to local artists, Ian’s Pizza on State dedicated a 16-foot-by-10-foot wall space appropriately titled, “The Wall at Ian’s Pizza on State.” This space is awarded to a local arts student on a semi-annual basis. The first student to receive the honor, coupled with a $500 scholarship, was Helen Hawley. Supreme Structures is artistically incorporated along the left side of the mural, with the quote “Solid Voices in Supreme Structures.”
Engaging Community
Since the opening in May, Ian’s has kept business flowing by engaging the community in fun efforts to share their love of pizza. A handful of events around the 100 State Street location include: a welcome back to students in the form of a Pizza Eating Contest, Halloween costume party, a marriage proposal, and nationally recognized political involvement.
UNIQUE PROJECT FEATURES
Working in a historic building
The notoriety and historic value of a building on State Street Madison created major challenges for the project.
The flooring in particular presented such conflicts. Due to 100+ years of settling, workers were required to self-level before laying the new floor. Salvaged wood flooring was used in a stage area that adds to the artistic feel of the restaurant; while stage lighting features “The Wall at Ian’s Pizza on State.”
Mechanical systems and duct work for the restaurant were engineered around original hand-plastered moldings. Upon completion, the historic architecture and details within the space were preserved and emphasized.
Owner Nick Martin commented, “We had to move a contemporary quick service restaurant into a highly visible, historic, ornate bank building, and blend the best of both styles. A big part of the Ian’s Pizza values also has to do with being environmentally-conscious, so we also needed to be as ‘green’ as possible during the build-out. Thanks to Supreme Structures, we met both our goals.”
Change of use
Prior to housing Ian’s Pizza on State, 100 State Street was home to the Madison Children’s Museum. Because of the dramatic change of use, architects and engineers were required to get creative to make a commercial kitchen feasible in the space.
HVAC presented a major conflict. In order to maintain upper level floors for the future (a potential expansion), all condensers and boiler venting went to roof. HVAC hoods were vented outside, so State Street passersby smell the pizza cooking inside.
Unique Materials
ECOrx commercial grade rubber flooring was installed behind the servers counter. According to the manufacturer, “ECOrx delivers cushioned relief to weary feet without adding time or labor to the installation process. The manufacturing technologies allow for a standard ECOsurfaces wear layer and an ECOsurfaces underlayment to be supplied as a single composite product.” The product was chosen based on feasibility and the product’s appealing features for restaurant: easy to clean and easy on worker’s feet.
Commercial grade vinyl flooring simulated to look like tile was used in the dining area. The product chosen was both cost effective and durable.
Time and Material Management
Working in the space-constrained and high traffic area of State Street also presented significant hurdles in the renovation. Supreme Structures project manager, Andy Rice, was required to make time accommodations to the project to pursue permits for parking, material delivery, and storage logistics.
Accuracy of time and material planning was challenged daily throughout the project. Materials were delivered and installed same day due to the limited amount of storage space and similarly, demolition debris had to be removed on a daily basis.