Glavé & Holmes Architecture Announces Promotions

Richmond, VA – April 18, 2023 – Glavé & Holmes Architecture, a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm, announces recent promotions. Based in the firm’s Richmond office, five professionals were recently elevated to new positions within Glavé & Holmes.

The promotions included:

Susan Reed, AIA, NCARB, was elevated to Principal. She serves as the firm’s Director of Historic Preservation and earned Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Art degrees from the University of Virginia.
Matthew Anderson was elevated to Senior Associate. He serves as the firm’s Director of Finance and earned a Bachelor of Art degree from Hampden-Sydney College.
Veronica Ledford, LEEP AP, was elevated to Senior Associate. She is an Interior Designer at the firm and earned Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Michael Hammon, AIA, was elevated to Associate. He serves as an Architect at the firm and earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Aaron Chupp, AIA, was elevated to Associate. He serves as an Architect at the firm and earned Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Judson University.

Liberty Trust Hotel: King Suite. Photography: Jumping Rocks Photography

About Glavé & Holmes Architecture

Glavé & Holmes Architecture is a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm located in Richmond, Virginia. Our regionally focused design practice has cultivated expertise in specialty areas – Cultural, Higher Education, Historic Preservation, Hospitality, Interior Design, and Urban Architecture – each supported by a studio structure, thus allowing us to provide the expertise necessary for a diverse portfolio. For over 55 years, we have striven to create a context-specific design that fits seamlessly into the cultural and historical environment of a given community, while addressing the functional needs of the people who will interact with each space. We believe that great design is contextual, timeless, has the capacity to engage the intellect, and elevate the human spirit. For more information, visit: https://www.glaveandholmes.com.

Boar’s Head Spa Renovation – Completed Winter 2022 – Photography by Virginia Hammerick

Glavé & Holmes Architecture Receives 2023 Palladio Award for The Liberty Trust Hotel

The award celebrates outstanding achievement in traditional design and Glavé & Holmes was one of just 15 Palladio Award winners nationwide.

“We’re thrilled to be honored with a 2023 Palladio Award for the interior design of The Liberty Trust Hotel,” said Jessica Ritter, CID, IIDA, LEED AP, Principal and Director of Interior Design at Glavé & Holmes. “This award is so meaningful because it recognizes both the thoughtful preservation of historic features and the incredible transformation of this remarkable building.”

The Liberty Trust Hotel opened in May 2022 and was lauded by Forbes as one of the most highly anticipated hotel openings in 2022. Located in downtown Roanoke, The Liberty Trust Hotel’s historic building is among the most iconic structures in the Star City of the South. It first opened in 1910 as a bank and is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark.

Reimagined as a boutique hotel, the building boasts a number of unique details and architectural features that allow The Liberty Trust Hotel to offer guests the best of contemporary hospitality. For example, a high-end wine tasting room is housed in the bank’s former vault, and the soaring lobby is now a gathering place for travelers and visitors to enjoy food and beverages in a unique environment. Each guest room boasts stunning historic copper clad doors paired with modern amenities. The entire historic building – seven stories – was beautifully and meticulously renovated into 54 rooms and common spaces.

The Liberty Trust Hotel has already become a destination itself and highlights the broader hospitality renaissance happening in Roanoke. Character-defining features and finishes preserved include marble floors and trim, decorative plaster ceilings, teller counters, bank vault, and the copper-faced doors and trim on upper floors. Minor modifications were made to accommodate current building code requirements and the operations of a modern hotel.

Ritter and her team at Glavé & Holmes worked closely with the hotel’s ownership team at Savara Hospitality. One of the primary project considerations was to renovate the building to be a functional boutique hotel but maintain as much of the historic fabric as possible. These efforts included restoring existing copper clad doors and trim and original marble flooring. Where minor modifications to the floor plan were required, the design team left the exposed concrete to show the evolution of the building rather than replacing or covering with new flooring materials.

“Collaborating with the team at Savara Hospitality was a highlight of this project,” added Ritter. “We shared a deep respect and passion for this historic structure and its immense potential. The result is truly one of the most unique and inspiring boutique hotel experiences in the country.”

A modern lounge at Sandy Hall Rehabilitation Center features a wide arched window, orange carpet, gray bench, and striped sofa. A person sits on the sofa using a laptop. Four steps with metal railings lead up to the area, while a circular light fixture hangs from the ceiling. — Classic King Room at the Liberty Trust Hotel

The Glavé & Holmes team also was recognized for creative design solutions that addressed unique challenges posed by a historic structure. Specific preservation challenges included sensitively reconfiguring original and modified corridors and offices to accommodate hotel rooms, and creating built-in furnishings in guest rooms which enabled Savara to make the most of available historic tax credits. In addition, the design team was able to integrate historic teller counters into a stunning new lobby bar. For over 20 years, the Palladio Awards have recognized both individual designers and design teams whose work enhances the beauty and humane qualities of the built environment. The award program was founded and managed by Traditional Building magazine and has become one of the preeminent design and architecture awards in the country. An esteemed jury of design practitioners and architecture critics reviewed over 175 entries to select the top projects in 15 categories.

Congratulations to all of the award winners! Learn more about the 2023 Palladio Award from Traditional Building Magazine here.

Read more about our insights on this unique project here.

New School Building Combines History with the Future

“The more you peel back the layers of the
building (and our faith), the more beauty you will find.”
Jesse Grapes, President, Benedictine Schools of Richmond

Saint Gertrude Celebrates 101 Years of Faith And Education

For nearly a century, Saint Gertrude High School, Virginia’s only all-girls Catholic preparatory day school, was a staple of Richmond’s Museum District, the students in their signature green uniforms a common sight on the city’s sidewalks.

The school’s internal design team started planning for a new school building in the spring of 2020. They met with several architectural firms before selecting Richmond-based Glavé & Holmes to build the 51,000-square-foot structure overlooking the James River.

“We chose Glavé & Holmes because they demonstrated the best understanding of what our internal design team wanted to accomplish: honor the Catholic and periodic architectural traditions of the original Saint Gertrude build- ing, develop a modern school building to meet a high standard of pedagogical and technological support, and expand the building’s functionality to further reinforce the Rule of Saint Benedict, particularly the Rule’s emphasis on building ‘community,’” explained Jesse Grapes, president of the Benedictine Schools of Richmond.

Read more about our insights on this unique project here.

To learn more about Saint Gertrude High School, visit saintgertrude.org

View of the James River from the new Saint Gertrude High School Terrace at sunrise.

Interior Design Article Published in Hotel Business

Our Principal & Director of the Interior Design Studio, Jessica Ritter, recently wrote a column for Hotel Business magazine that has been published! Here is the link to the article. Jessica discusses the transformation of spaces into revenue generators, including our recent work at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort.

The editor enjoyed the column so much that he also posted the article on Inspire Design, a sister Hotel Business publication focusing on design news and trends in the hospitality sector. Congrats Jessica!

Bring Renewed Purpose and Civic Pride to Traditional Municipal Centers

Vibrant civic centers are a defining characteristic of a great many cities, towns and counties across the United States, and often linked to the historic roots of the community. There’s been a refreshing push in recent years to transform historic and aging buildings into modern facilities that continue to serve as civic gathering spaces rather than construct new municipal buildings on a greenfield site far from the traditional town center. With technology-dominated lives and an all too familiar sense of disconnection from others, ensuring physical gathering places and a sense of in-person connection, such as a courthouse green or town square, is more important than ever.

Read the full article by our Director of the Urban Architecture Studio, Andrew B. Moore AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CDT, by clicking the link below!

https://www.americancityandcounty.com/2021/08/11/bring-renewed-purpose-and-civic-pride-to-traditional-municipal-centers

Hotel & Home Spotlight: A Room By Any Other Name…

You may know it as the bathroom, restroom, water closet, WC, lu, or privy… but no matter what you call it, we all need one from time to time! While the bathroom/restroom may be one of the most functional and potentially utilitarian rooms in your residential or commercial space, that doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful too.

Since moving indoors, there have been many advances in plumbing, and there are a variety of design opportunities to create character defining details and spaces of repose.

Privy. Tyler Plantation, Charles City, VA

Let’s take a look at flooring. Use of large tiles can be problematic when it comes to sloping-to-drain. Consider installing a trench drain at one end with a decorative grate. This is especially useful for commercial projects that are subject to frequent and heavy cleaning.

9 June 2011 061 — Trench drain. Virginia Tech Visitors and Undergraduate Admissions Center, Blacksburg, VA

Walls present a variety of options including painted gypsum board, stained or painted wood wainscot, or decorative tile and accents. When niches are provided in shower walls, additional storage can be added.

DSC_0014_ADJ_SM_669CRE — Tile accent. Presidential Suite, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC

DSC_0058_ADJ_SM_ASTI — Tile storage niche. Presidential Suite, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC

Toilet partitions are another opportunity to provide character. If the budget allows, consider wood or stone partitions rather than phenolic. A row of toilet stalls can be enhanced with a bit of decorative trim work as well.

_AOD8954_FP160C — Wood partitions, trim work, and mirror. Meeting Pavillion, Boar’s Head Inn, Charlottesville, VA

Consider a statement piece such as a large mirror with decorative trim or a beautiful stand-alone mirror.

_DSC1413_ADJ_SM_669CRE — Statement piece: Luck Stone Design Center, Richmond, VA

The vanity area is yet another focal point where there is an opportunity to create beauty with function. Consider a metal sink rather than the traditional porcelain and add a matching faucet…

_AOD3951_2_5 — Metal sink. Private residence.

…Or a large scale stained wood console with stone countertop.

_AOD3767_69_71 — Stained console. Private Residence

The same idea can be applied in a commercial setting as well, where a built-in vanity can appear to be a piece of furniture.

_AOD8952_PRTR160VC — Vanity as furniture. Meeting Pavillion, Boar’s Head Inn, Charlottesville, VA

Attention to detail can turn a utilitarian space into a memorable one, and maybe even one in which you choose to linger, spend some quiet time, or simply take in the view. There is opportunity for design in every living space.

DSC_0036_ADJ_SM_SELCO_PRO100 — Tub alcove. Presidential Suite, Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst, NC

_AOD4074 — Freestanding tub with view. Private Residence

Jennifer Wimmer

Hotel & Home Studio Director
AIA, LEED AP BD+C

Hotel & Home Spotlight: Outdoor Living Spaces: “Bringing the Indoors Out”

As the winter season passes and the thought of warm spring breezes begin to tease the senses, our desire to come out of hibernation urges us to transition our indoor living habits to a more active and renewed outdoor lifestyle. No matter the region, architectural style of the house, or size of the yard, outdoor living spaces are becoming the center of the home and family for many of the same activities that take place inside of the home. More than ever, people retreat to outdoor living spaces for relaxation, entertainment, work, and exercise. This modern revolution of living space integrated within the breast of Mother Nature has become as much the heart of the home as their conventional indoor counterparts, traditionally known as kitchens and great/gathering rooms.

The growing popularity is in part due to the “green” movement where people have become more aware of and in touch with their natural environment. Our affection for outdoor spaces is also due to the ever evolving modern ingenuity that allows us to enjoy all of the same comforts of the indoors such as television, music, efficient cooking and appliances, cooling and heating devices, as well as comfortable and durable, worry free finishes, furnishings and textiles. These modern advancements have allowed home owners to create outdoor living environments that nearly equal the posh comforts of indoor living. Convenient amenities, integrated with the natural landscape, and in many spaces, properly designed exterior architecture that forms the outdoor living space, create an experience that even the most reclusive, indoor loving couch potato could enjoy.

This new lifestyle trend has inspired a tremendous growth in the interior design as well as the architectural and landscape design industries. A beautiful and functional outdoor living space cannot exist without those three elements. In many well designed outdoor living spaces, the landscape design, which creates the natural canvas and forms the architecture, the architecture which provides form and shelter, and the interior or exterior design which provides the luxuries of furniture and fixtures, all become one cohesive element. A well planned design can transcend the seasons allowing accommodations for comfort and entertainment throughout the year and changing seasons and weather conditions.

Our lifestyles are ever evolving. It is an innate need of most to relax and to enjoy their home or living environment. For many, outdoor living spaces are the epitome of the perfect environment to satisfy those needs or desires. Thanks to ingenuity and good design, so many outdoor living spaces can now allow people the enjoyment of their their normal indoor lifestyles in the beauty of a natural outdoor retreat simply by “bringing the indoors out”.

Catherine Stanley
Interior Designer

Hotel & Home Spotlight: Creating a space that tells your “story”…

Interior design and decorating should not be about creating a space that reflects the designer/decorator’s personal style/tastes. Nor is it just about incorporating all of the latest design trends. It should be about creating a space that reflects the client, and the story that they would like others to perceive when they walk in their door.

Often, the client is unsure as to what kind of story they would like to tell…and that’s where we come in. We can help them develop their personal style and show them how to add in the details that make the space on trend, but not trendy. We, as designers and decorators, will help develop their story, through their home or business, just as one’s fashion style can portray one’s story through their clothes, shoes and accessories.

In partnership with a hospitality client, we created a hotel lobby that would subtly honor the longstanding history that this grand hotel holds, while embracing its ever steady climb towards the future. The beauty of this hotel is its ever visible celebration of nature and love for the people who have graced it over the years, whether by visiting as a guest, or entering into the service of those guests.

This same story continues into guest rooms with the use of colors, artwork and custom crafted items inspired by nature.

From start to finish, this residential project allowed us to help the client tell a story that included a realization of the desire for details and craftsmanship not often seen in new construction in this day and age. Thought and care were put into every design aspect of this private home, from the detail of adding linen fold panels and iron straps into the front doors, to creating a wine cellar that allows them to wind down a spiral staircase, away from the troubles of the day, and into a sanctuary of cool temperatures and beautiful bottles of wine waiting to be enjoyed with friends.

What kind of story can we help you tell?

Shawna Schmidt

LEED, AP
Project Manager

Hotel & Home Spotlight: Hardware, the Jewelry of Interior Design

Hardware allows us to perform everyday actions without thought… such as opening doors and drawers, traveling on stairs and turning on faucets. We tend to take it for granted, as function is its primary purpose. When carefully considered as part of an overall design, however, it can offer the opportunity to elevate the ordinary into something spectacular. Shape, material, and finish decisions contribute to the beauty and longevity of the overall result.

Nickel Plated Grille and Mesh with Crystal Knobs with light painted millwork add to the feminine character of this closet.

Conversely, leather and brass suit button knobs with antique brass grill coordinate with antique brass ring pulls on draw fronts to give a masculine presence to this space.

A finely crafted handrail bracket adds character to the stairs contributing to the overall feel of the home.

Handcrafted wrought iron hardware contributes to the overall design of this front door, the first impression a guest would receive when visiting.

Thank you for allowing us to share just a glimpse of our “jewelry” collection. Please subscribe to our blog and watch for more new releases from the Glavé & Holmes Architecture Hotel & Home Studio.

Veronica Ledford, LEED AP
Veronica has spent fifteen years in the graphic and interior design fields, working in Richmond and New York City. She is a fan of DIY projects, Mid- Century Modern and bonsai trees.

Hotel & Home Spotlight: Hospitality Custom Axminster in Process – Part I

Axminister wool carpet was first developed in Axminster, England in 1755 as a way to emulate richly hued Turkish carpets. Two hundred and fifty-eight years later, it is still the preferred carpet weave for hotels, conference centers, and historic buildings.

This Axminster carpet is for Grand Prefunction and Ballroom spaces in a four star resort in North Carolina.

The carpet was a custom design and is the result of a collaboration between Hotel & Home designers at Glavé & Holmes Architecture, and Stark Carpet.

The scale of the patterns, the space in which it will be installed, and the client’s desire to minimize seams all led to production on a unique 5 meter wide loom.

The various elements incorporated into the design include references from architectural elements on the nearby Duke Campus as well as medallions, some of which are over 25 feet in diameter for the largest of the ballrooms.

Stay tuned for more updates as we follow the progress of the design, creation, and installation of this custom broadloom.