Cafe Patachou at Nickel Plate
DELV Design’s Cafe Patachou at Nickel Plate in Fishers revitalizes community space with innovative architecture that balances intimate dining and vibrant public engagement in a striking, inviting setting.
Patachou at Nickel Plate transforms a critical node in Indiana’s newest cultural district, demonstrating how thoughtful architecture can activate community space while honoring an established brand’s identity. Located at the nexus of Fishers’ Nickel Plate Trail and 116th Street thoroughfare, this 3,000 sf restaurant replaces a deteriorated structure with a four-sided invitation to the community.
The design strategically addresses multiple challenges: a trapezoidal site, budget reductions demanding creative solutions, and the need to balance maximum seating capacity with an intimate dining atmosphere. The architectural response creates dynamic façades using varied brick patterns and textures while an expansive glulam timber and steel canopy forms a welcoming “front porch” that extends seating and enables community event programming.
Interior spaces feature the café’s signature “Dried Thyme” palette and sophisticated material transitions that create spatial flow. The central four-sided banquette organizes circulation while serving as a communal focal point. Integrated building systems provide precise lighting and comprehensive audio throughout indoor, outdoor, and service spaces, managing both dining ambiance and adjacent street noise.
This project demonstrates design innovation through its ability to maximize spatial efficiency while creating a casual, but elevated community gathering place that amplifies the growing vibrancy of the Nickel Plate Cultural District.
Design: DELV Design
Developers: CRG + Browning
Contractor: Capitol Construction
Photography: Adam Reynolds
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