The Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project (SVBH) is a non-profit organization in Harrisonburg that exists to recover and share resources on African American history in the Shenandoah Valley. The impactful work put forth by these community members is coordinated and housed in the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center located on Hill St. in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Gaines Group partnered with SVBH in their efforts to improve the environmental stability of their building by completing an energy audit. This complimentary service helped identify areas that can be modified to reduce energy usage and increase the overall efficiency of the building.
Charles with members of the Carpenters Guild talking through improvements to Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Center.
After identifying areas of improvement, the Carpenter’s Guild of Harrisonburg donated their time and efforts to making energy-efficiency improvements and preparing the roof to install solar panels. Give Solar is promoting fundraising efforts to support the entirety of this project which includes the installation of solar panels. If you are interested in supporting this project, please visit their website to learn more about these efforts.
Members of the Carpenters Guild of Harrisonburg worked to make energy-related improvements.
Energy audits are a free service and a great opportunity to support organizations such as SVBH who are doing important work in our community. We have experience providing these audits in numerous homes, non-profit organizations, and various churches in our surrounding areas. We want everyone to feel comfortable in their living or working spaces and cut down on the overpayment of energy bills. Reach out if you or your organization are interested in this free service!
Our last collaboration with Give Solar and the Carpenter’s Guild resulted in a more energy-efficient building at Our Community Place in Harrisonburg. This pro-bono work benefits the community by lowering the monthly utility bills of area non-profits making them more sustainable and our community more resilient.
Finding just the right site to build your dream house is a chore for sure. This building site for a cabin on the mountain would check a lot of boxes for a lot of people. We are truly lucky to have the opportunity to help with a project like this one.
As we started working through the design goals we learned a lot about what our client wanted to have included in their custom cabin design. The open floorplan will allow for the family to gather and the views are framed by the windows looking out over the decks.
The wrap-around porch and decks create multiple spaces for outdoor gathering and the views are incredible. However, this home had a challenge of high winds that impacted the structural design. The location on top of the mountain has very similar challenges to coastal winds and the decks capture that wind uplift.
We also had a goal of adding solar panels to the roof, so the orientation to capture the views and the roof form to allow for solar was integral and took careful planning.
We worked hard to tie all the pieces and parts together from inside to outside to deliver just the right feel for this project.
However, the main goal of this cabin on the mountain and all the critical details came back to being able to create a place to just relax and enjoy creation from a comfortable and accessible home.
Over our 35 years of experience at the Gaines Group, our team has emerged as a leader in multi-family residential design. We have proudly completed projects throughout Virginia ranging from smaller, single-building urban solutions to large 14 building residential communities.
Our depth of experience allows us to quickly identify economic and feasible solutions to a specific site while considering both zoning and parking requirements, fire safety, and accessible design requirements. We work to ensure the site layout and grading allows us to maximize the number of dwelling units without sacrificing valuable amenity space.
Each project solution involves working closely with our developer’s goals and market information specific to the project location. Whether we are working with limited square footage or large luxury units, efficiency is key in multi-family design. Efficiency becomes paramount when designing units that need to meet accessible design requirements and clearances.
Most of our projects take advantage of green building programs to qualify for specific financing credits. We are well-versed in helping clients find the sustainable solutions that are most valuable to a project. Many of our completed projects have received the Earthcraft multifamily certification without a significant increase in budget.
Fostering a sense of community in every multi-family project we take on is central to our mission. We strive to make a difference in our communities through design, and know that creating spaces where residents love living, allows them to stay and invest in their communities. Our amenity spaces are designed to “wow” future residents while providing design that promotes community growth. We are proud that our projects have a track record of leasing up quickly!
Design can build a better future. We believe this holds true for both ground-up projects and the preservation of historical landmarks such as Deering Hall in Broadway, Virginia. Still standing from the 1890’s, Deering Hall is a local building housing over a century of history within its walls. It has adapted over the years and ushered in the changes of the decades by functioning as a town hall, school, opera house, and storefront for various local businesses. Our team jumped on the opportunity to partner with Anthony Slater in achieving his dream of seeing Deering Hall added to the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
New life and another century of history are ahead of this special building as Slater plans to use part of it to house his local business A-Able plumbing, while the other half will preserve and celebrate its history by functioning as a community meeting space. The restoration of this building will gain increased visibility as the Shenandoah Rail Trail is slated to run behind the property.
The front façade of Deering Hall on Main St, in Broadway.
Until recently, there were no houses or buildings in Broadway on the national registry of historical buildings. The town itself had not been deemed “historical” until Anthony sought to preserve and share the history housed within the walls of Deering Hall. History is truly written on the walls inside as there are signatures and sketches carefully preserved from the 1890’s in the upstairs walls. Thanks to a book found at the local municipal building, meeting notes from 1896-1914 were uncovered and Deering Hall was specifically named as Broadway’s first town hall. This critical piece of information cemented the history of this building and the town. This discovery led to the approval of Deering Hall to be added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Registrar.
Signatures circa 1898 displayed on the walls.An original painted medallion preserved from the 19th century.
The Gaines Group partnered with Anthony to successfully complete the National Registry applications as well as code research and renovation permit drawings. Similar to our partnership in the historic Minor-Nelson project, it has been a rewarding experience to see a time-worn building be restored for new life ahead.
When our firm takes on a project, there are numerous creative minds behind each detail of the design. We recognize the depth of talent and knowledge held in our team and want to celebrate the faces behind our designs. We are carving out space to share a bit more about our team members and how their paths led them to the Gaines Group. To kick off this effort, we are spotlighting Trevor Jones, a team member working in our Charlottesville office.
Since early childhood, Trevor aspired to pursue a career in architecture. This passion led him to complete a Master of Architecture degree from Hampton University in 2015 where he gained a strong foundation in building and architectural design. During his time at Hampton University, he participated in a traveling studio program to France where he learned to sketch the vernacular architecture. Trevor credits this experience with expanding his views and being a catalyst in his pursuit of the “glorious” field of architecture.
Trevor officially joined the Gaines Group in November 2016 and has been shocked by how fast his 5-year tenure has rapidly passed. He truly hit the ground running as he quickly took in stride the learning curves of growing and applying his knowledge of construction administration paperwork, submittals, and relearning the ins and outs of AutoCAD. Once he strengthened these skills, Trevor took the next leap into design work. He supported the team in completing large, multifamily design projects across the Commonwealth and developed a focus on accessible design. Within his growing skillset, he learned how to apply his knowledge in accessibility requirements, buildings codes, and health and safety requirements.
The pandemic provided opportunities for our team in both the Charlottesville and Harrisonburg offices to work more closely on projects as remote work became essential This opened the door for Trevor to learn and support custom home design projects. Although the last few years of the pandemic have felt like a “blur” to many of us, Trevor continues to meditate on his five-year tenure and is grateful for his work experiences, growing relationships with colleagues and clients, learning from great mentors, and his continued love for architecture that will grow for many years to come!
