Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Facade Enhancement Grant

Dec 9, 2015

Harrisonburg Office

Our first office in Harrisonburg opened in 2009 and the only place we looked for space was downtown. We knew it was the place for us with a vibrant and growing community. We opened an office above Oasis Art Gallery in a very unique, although mostly hidden by ugly metal panels, architectural treasure. Our office was on the second floor in the rounded corner of the building. There was very nice northern lights and plenty of windows. It was a very cool space. We stayed there for 2 years until we outgrew our space.

Our next home, the Bank of America building, moved us to the heart of downtown, court square. This building has amazing architectural details and a landlord that takes care to keep it clean, neat, and in great shape. The space has served us well for almost 5 years. However, we have been looking for our permanent home since moving into this court square destination. With no exterior signage, a lack of accessible access to our office space, and comfort control limitations, we knew it would not be our final home in the ‘burg.

So when rumors started that the Chesapeake Railroad Depot was going to be renovated, we made the call to the building owners. Our goal was to design the renovation and make this our long-term downtown Harrisonburg office location. With an incredible architectural history and most of the original details still in place under many layers of dirt, this is the perfect place to create a sustainable office for our valley branch. We have been working hard to maintain the integrity of the original design while implementing as much cool “green” factor as possible. We are thrilled to be one of the 5 projects selected for a Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Facade Enhancement Grant. This will benefit the exterior renovation of our project helping to fund the signage, fencing, and landscape.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance Awards Façade Enhancement Grants

HARRISONBURG, VA – December 4, 2015 – Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Façade Enhancement Grants, a program designed to assist businesses, property owners, and organizations with significant improvements to their building exteriors. In its 12^th year, the program has awarded $175,000 to more than 95 projects.

This year, five projects were awarded grant funds with a total of $10,000 distributed among the selected projects. The total value of the five projects exceeds $ 116,000.

Recipients of the 2015 Façade Enhancement Grants include:

Blue Hub Co-Working: Funds, in the amount of $750, will be applied toward new signage for their office space located on Bruce Street.
Explore More Discovery Museum: The Children’s Museum was awarded $4,000 to help offset the cost of new exterior windows and lighting.
Historic C&W Railway Depot: Four thousand dollars ($4,000) was awarded to J-M Apartments to assist with the costs of the exterior brick restoration, signage, fencing and landscaping to restore the historic C&W Railway Depot.
Pale Fire Brewing: The brewery received $750, which will go towards historic signage.
The Sole Source will use grant funds, in the amount of $500, to add landscaping and café-style tables and chairs to their exterior at Urban Exchange.

“We wish to thank all of the businesses who participated in the grant program for their continued economic investment in downtown,” says Andrew Forward, chairman of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance’s Economic Development committee. “These projects will make a positive visual impact to their property and downtown.”

For more information, please contact Eddie Bumbaugh at 540-432-8934. For more information about Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, visit www.downtownharrisonburg.org.

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Press Resources:
Eddie Bumbaugh
Executive Director
P: 540.432.8934
[email protected]

As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.

Series Name: An Interlude of Water

Medium: Hand-cut Montage

Artist Statement: “An Interlude of Water

The stillness of a hot, lazy summer evening broken by the laughter of good friends as fishies bite and the sun slowly slips towards the horizon.

The pond collection swirls and twirls like the eddies at the shoreline. Developing slowly to capture the quiet aspects of what creatures could quietly inhabit a pond within the Shenandoah landscape.

The past eight months have been a creative frenzy of exploration, joy, and personal contentment, from envisioning a cohesive grouping of collages that share a color palette to letting my imagination play. The resulting collection has stretched my artistic skills and broadened my perception of interpretation and idea development.

My Process:

Each collage starts as a line drawing, creating a detailed map of the imagery to be included within the work. Moving the drawing to the wooden panel entails many bits of hand-cut paper, acrylic mediums, and acid-free paste. A sticky mess, but it so satisfies the need for detail my brain requires. All papers used are colored with acrylic paint applied with painting tools or a Gelli plate. A lot of time is spent pressing (lever press, heavy books, etc) and drying the glued papers before and after mounting on the wooden surface. Acrylic varnish provides a protective sealant for the completed collage. From concept to finished work, the process takes, on average, four weeks.”

Artist Bio: I’ve always been one to dabble in new trends and techniques. Treading water, seeking the thing that would capture and devour my imagination. In 2018, when life was overwhelming and my soul needed an escape, I fell back in love with collage. Over the intervening eight years, my artistic practice has settled into an obsession, forcing a growth in style and technique with results that personally bring me joy. A relocation to Harrisonburg, Virginia, has allowed me to establish a permanent studio space, adding momentum to my artistic journey.

*Accessibility Note: This building was previously restored from a fire. The elevator shaft is currently not functioning and there is an absence of ramps in the space. Because the show is on the 2nd floor, this may pose an issue for those who have mobility challenges. We are aware of this need and we apologize greatly if this changes your ability to attend.

This event is free and open to everyone. Snacks and refreshments will be served and we look forward to seeing you there!

Each month we host a new artist in our building’s 2nd floor gallery at the Chesapeake Western Depot at 141 W. Bruce St. (second floor entrance is on Chesapeake). Artwork will remain on exhibit through the month. Come view the show anytime and get a tour the Depot!