CINCINNATI — Deeper Roots Coffee is putting a little Cincinnati architecture into customers' hands.
The local coffee company has partnered with Chicago architect Amanda Roelle to create hand-drawn sketches of its cafés for a series of mugs.
Roelle specializes in restoration architecture, including work on the exterior walls and facades of high-rise buildings in Chicago.
When Deeper Roots approached her about drawing its locations, she saw an opportunity to combine her architectural background with her hobby of sketching.
“When Deeper Roots asked me if I could draw the exterior walls of their buildings and kind of place them in context of the communities, I was really excited to do it.”
Roelle said the goal was to show each coffee shop as part of the Cincinnati community around it, rather than simply focusing on the building itself.
“They didn't want their building to be kind of singled out, but they wanted to show that it was in the context of your city,” Roelle said.
The project also highlights the differences between Deeper Roots' locations. Roelle said each café has its own architectural character, both inside and outside.
So far, she has completed drawings for four locations, with another still to come.
Her connection to Cincinnati began last year when she visited the city for an Ohio summit hosted by Urban Sketchers, an organization centered around sketching scenes and places in the community.
During that visit, Roelle sketched the Deeper Roots location at Findlay Market.
The finished drawings now give customers another way to celebrate some of Cincinnati's recognizable coffee shops — one mug at a time.
