THIS HISTORIC MERCHANT MILL in the National Historic Landmark village of Waterford was built in about 1830. It has been used since the 1940s as the site of a popular annual craft fair and as a symbol of the village’s history and integrity. Constant inundation of the foundation by water from Catoctin Creek, has taken a toll on the building over many years. The first phase of the project consisted of a full historic structure report, analyzing the building’s form and condition in the light of its historic significance, and outlining a series of recommendations for returning it to the best condition for long-term preservation. The second phase, recently completed, made the structural and architectural adaptations needed to bring the recommendations to completion as a fully interpreted, safe, and engaging part of Waterford’s heritage. Actions included lowering the wheel pit to a level that would permit water to readily exit to the creek, reconstructing the massive timber hurst frame that supports the milling equipment, bringing the building up to code, and making nearly invisible improvements to the structural system.
Tag: Architecture
Reid Parlor
Glavé & Holmes collaborated with Sweet Briar College to create a lively and comfortable space for students, faculty, and alumni to gather for both social and academic purposes. The design team created a classic and serene space with high performing finishes. Indoor/outdoor area rugs protect a seamless patchwork of old-and-reproduced historic wood flooring. Approximately one-third of the seating was salvaged and reupholstered from across campus to align with the college’s environmental values. The new furnishings are residential-feeling and were selected to feel cozy and residential. The design evokes a sense of an elevated “living room” where students can meet with classmates to study, enjoy an afternoon of visiting with friends or parents, or discuss an upcoming exam with a professor.
Saint Gertrude High School
Saint Gertrude High School (SGHS) is an all-girls school division of the Benedictine Schools of Richmond. SGHS desired to relocate to the 50-acre Benedictine Abbey campus, shared with Benedictine College Preparatory. Glavé & Holmes Architecture designed a new academic building to support an enrollment of 280 students. The building sits on a bluff, seventy feet above the James River Valley. It is prominently visible by cars driving northound across the Veterans Bridge above the James River. The new building includes a Chapel, a Grand Hall for school gatherings, a Dining Hall with prep-kitchen, classrooms, labs, and administrative offices. A modernized Spanish Mission style architecture was used, incorporating architectural elements of SGHS’s existing building. The new building completed construction in spring 2023.