Robert Herrera Email & Phone Number

I specialize in envisioning new and revived uses of buildings: workspaces, apartments, gathering spots and eating establishments. No need to knock down and start over when strong foundations often already exist. And here’s what I mean:Where once there were vacant spaces in aging buildings, today up to 400 entrepreneurs and other business people meet, work, develop ideas and generate revenue within distinctive environments known as The Mill. Starting with half of a floor in the Nemours Building in downtown Wilmington, I designed Wilmington’s first coworking spaces that today have expanded to four full floors in two buildings (the Nemours Building downtown and in Concord Plaza in suburban north Wilmington) covering 90,000 square feet. I draw on glass, wood and natural materials for our community/shared settings, private offices conducive to partnerships for some, brainstorming for others and even hard to find solitude as needed while always aspiring to functionality.My team with 9th Street Development Company (9SDC) is committed to expanding living space options in downtown Wilmington. Early in 2021, 20 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments were leased while construction on another 30 neared completion on 9th Street west of Market Street. My work with these projects has enabled and required me to develop an expertise in finance by leveraging local grants, new market tax credits, opportunity zone funding and in particular, historic tax credits. And here are my projects that I hope contribute to new life in our city: Makers Alley: indoor-outdoor beer garden and gathering space with a light menu in a design that merges historic with contemporary.Girard Craft & Cork – downtown destination for distinctive beer, wine and liquor.Faire Café, specializing primarily in gourmet and take-out foods.Blitzen – holiday-themed pop-up bar that immediately attracted crowds and raises money for local non-profit organizations. Theatre N – downtown Wilmington’s only art house cinema, an intimate setting often featuring hard-to-find films.

Listed skills include Architectural Design, Design Research, Revit, Sketchup, and 11 others.