Designing History: An Interview with Bishop Pass on the Historic Davenport Project
Pineapple Procurement has had the pleasure of working alongside some of the most creative design minds in hospitality. One recent collaboration has been with Bishop Pass, the visionary firm behind the revitalization of the iconic Historic Davenport. We sat down with Stephen C. Knight, Owner and Creative Director at Bishop Pass, to discuss their design journey for this project and how they delicately balanced the hotel's storied past with a fresh, modern experience.
Can you tell us about your role in the hospitality industry and what drew you to the Historic Davenport?
Our Studio, Bishop Pass, started out designing restaurants in the LA area, and over the last 14 years have expanded into all facets of the hospitality world; from food and beverage, public areas, meeting spaces, guestrooms, and wellness. What drew us to the Historic was the challenge of adding to an established space its lobby without competing with it.
What inspired your design vision for this project, and how did you bring it to life?
The hotel itself, and it’s history was our biggest inspiration. As with any historic property, we ask ourselves, “if the designers of the original hotel knew what we know now, how might they have addressed the need for a bar? Or how would they have included the café and emporium?” Our strategy has always been to, in a sensitive way, insert these programs into the iconic spaces.
What were some of the unique challenges you faced in balancing the history of the space with modern design elements?
I think the biggest challenge were matching the existing materials. Building trades have evolved over the 100+ years since the hotel was originally built. Though technology has improved fabrication, the era of the Historic Davenport was about hand methods- faux finishing and gilding. At the end of the day the team really pulled through -
How did your collaboration with Pineapple Procurement influence the final outcome of the project?
Pineapple Procurement was really instrumental on sourcing some of our custom items, specifically lighting. Their knowledge base of manufactures helped us identify a custom lighting house to build- in budget and schedule- the focal lantern that tops the new bar.
What aspect of the finished project are you most proud of, and why?
At the end of the day, we’re proudest of the fact that guests to the Historic Davenport have a way to spend more time in the iconic lobby. New guests don’t know that the bar is new (they feel it’s always been there), and that was always our goal.
At Pineapple Procurement, working alongside talented teams like Bishop Pass is what makes our role in the hospitality industry so rewarding. The Historic Davenport project is a testament to the power of thoughtful design and expert collaboration, and we’re proud to have been a part of it.