Chocoholics Fine Desserts/IOOF Hall Adaptive Re-Use
Schenone Specialty Foods
Clements, California

Sited in the rural Central Valley town of Clements, the Chocoholics complex combines a new 25,000 square-foot manufacturing facility, hospitality areas, and small amphitheatre with a visitor center sited in an historic brick building.

The brick structure was originally constructed in 1917 and in use until the 1960s as an International Order of Odd Fellows lodge. The 3,000 square-foot hall was completely restored, seismic retrofitted, and placed into service as the Chocoholics visitor center and retail sales facility. The restoration followed the U.S. Secretary of Interior Standards for Historic Preservation, and the building has been submitted for designation as both a National and a State Historic Landmark.

In sharp contrast to the historic hall, Chocoholic’s new manufacturing facility is a pre-engineered steel building structure. Its exterior makes extensive use of steel canopies and the use of “chocolate-colored” ribbed siding patterns.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the Chocoholics adaptive re-use project earned an Award for Excellence in Design from the American Institute of Architects.