by Darcie Duranceau | photos by Nolan Calisch
THE EVOLUTION OF THE ELM
For years, the corner of 2nd and Elm in Bloomington, Indiana, was the heartbeat of the neighborhood. Whether it was the old K&S Mart or the Bloomingfoods that followed, it was the kind of place where a “quick trip” for a carton of eggs usually turned into a twenty-minute catch-up with a neighbor by the deli counter. When those doors finally closed, the neighborhood lost its anchor.
But the building wasn’t destined to stay a shell. David and Martha Moore, who locals know through Pictura Gallery and the FAR Center, saw an opportunity to bring back that community energy. As artists and longtime members of the neighborhood, they wanted to create a space that felt like a gift to Bloomington. To do it, they reunited with a designer and family friend they trusted from their other projects: Lauren Bordes.
The Moores wanted their restaurant to echo the feel of their gallery spaces—clean, intentional, and capable of displaying fine art along its walls. Bordes’ vision, heavily influenced by the Moores’ aesthetic, broke the giant, hollow box of the former grocery store into zones of intimacy without using heavy walls. The result is intimate booths for diners, a sleek bartop, and an open, inviting feel from the original floor plan.
Loren Wood and his team, led by Project Manager Rhett Elliott, were tasked with the delicate job of translating those elegant lines into a physical reality. It was a partnership of total trust, made even more vital by the fact that Bordes lives out of state. Today, the space functions like a shapeshifter, moving through the hours of each day with a quiet intentionality. In the morning, the front is bright and airy, anchored by a custom barista station that serves as an energetic place for coffee and conversation—a place to start the day. As the sun sets, the lighting performs a visual edit; the cafe areas essentially “turn off,” while the bar and dining nooks come alive with a warm and intimate feel. This careful calibration keeps the large space feeling intentional through all hours of operation.
The timing of the build brought a set of truly unusual circumstances. They broke ground in March of 2020, just as the country was shutting down. Because Bordes couldn’t be there in person, and pandemic restrictions made gathering even more difficult, Rhett and the LWB crew became her eyes and hands on the ground. Usually, commercial construction is a sprint against a deadline, but because the world slowed down, the team had what Wood calls “breathing room.” They leaned into the isolation, using the time to obsess over the custom details that usually get rushed. With Bordes’ guidance coming from a distance, the team took extra care to ensure every joint and finish was a perfect realization of the Moores’ vision.
Rhett points to the patience in the technical triumphs throughout the space. The cantilevered wood canopies, for example, are massive, beautiful structures that seem to float over the bar and cafe. Even the lighting was a feat of collaboration. The Moores lit every piece on the walls in the style of a gallery, from above and below. This lighting can be adjusted by the owners, and each space independent of the others, allowing for a level of curation that shifts with the art on display. The building team worked to hide the tech so perfectly that all you’re left with is the texture of the ornate wood elements, the strength of the wrought iron details, and a sense of belonging.
When Bordes finally was able to visit the finished product a year later, she was moved to tears. It’s rare for a finished building to look exactly like the first dream on paper— especially when the designer has to watch the progress from afar, but because the team had the time, the talent, and the respect for the design, the vision was realized in its truest form. The Elm isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a neighborhood corner brought back to life, exactly as it was meant to be.
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825 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite C
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
900 S Walnut Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47401
