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.
Our team recently had the opportunity to help preserve a slice of history in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Minor-Nelson house is a historic home dating back to the early 1800s and we were tasked with recreating a historic façade that appropriately honors the Georgian form it was originally built to reflect. The façade needed to include a front porch, steps, and other pediment and architectural detailing to make it appear “original” to its early 19th century roots. Before beginning the design process, we first investigated the home at UVA’s archives and Charlottesville’s Historical Society to uncover more information. Named after the original owner Martha Minor, the home was built between 1827-1840 and served multiple uses in its lifetime. It was originally built as a private residence but during the Civil War, the house functioned as a branch of Charlottesville General Hospital. It continued to serve as a medical practice after the war and changed hands to Dr. Hugh Nelson.
Although there was limited information specific to the front porch detailing, we uncovered the photograph below and took clues from the original construction. We based the design around the indications noted from this early photograph as well as the details found in the current door surround. The side veranda was also used as a guide to influence the design of the front porch as it displays many original architectural details.
The carpenter gothic porch and front gable detailing were added to the house in the early 1900’s. This photograph shows the house in the 1960’s.Around 1971, the front covered porch was removed and replaced with brick and stone double curved stairs. The door surround was used as a guide to rebuild to covered porch.
Referencing the early photos and Georgian style, we planned for the removal of the existing porch and double stairs. We designed a gothic gable and porch using both tapered half-square and “Temple of the Winds” columns. Additional architectural elements utilized in the design were the additions of cornice, entablature, dental mould, and frieze board. Although still under construction, the following photographs show the porch near completion.
Current (2022) photograph of the Minor-Nelson House porch.
After presenting our design to the Charlottesville Board of Architecture Review, the design was approved in record time! We enjoyed working on this historical project and serving as a resource in restoring a historical landmark in Charlottesville.
No project is too small, no dream is too big when it comes to the projects we design. One of our strengths as a firm is our diversified portfolio and eagerness to take on a range of projects. From custom residential to commercial, industrial, multi-family, church, school, and even a backyard playhouse, we enjoy the creative challenges these projects allow us. We value serving as a resource to our greater communities in designing a variety of projects and solutions.
We love sharing our work and will be highlighting the diversity of our designs under #WeDesignThatToo to help inspire your next project!
A backyard greenhouse in Albemarle County, Virginia.Modern home in Harrisonburg, Virginia.A 108,000 square foot award-winning warehouse in Harrisonburg, Virginia.Multifamily Community in Charlottesville, Virginia.Custom playhouse designed by Charles Hendricks.
As a small architecture firm, we love being a dynamic team that is ready for the next creative challenge. Our portfolio and upcoming posts under #WeDesignThatToo on our social media pages are a great source of inspiration and demonstrate our ability to take on many different types, sizes, and styles of projects. Think you might have a design idea and want to explore it further? Reach out and we will gladly talk through your vision!
Construction is wrapping up on another successful, multi-family community project designed for our incredible clients at Denstock Management. The Knoll at Stone View, a luxurious apartment community located in Ruckersville, Virginia, exemplifies the quality of design we want to deliver to all of our clients. Known as “The Knoll”, this community is designed for people who want to experience a well-designed, comfortable home with the convenience of resort-like amenities.
The Knoll boasts many modern and luxurious features that allowed our architects to get creative in the design process. The 200 apartment homes are centered around a large, community clubhouse that houses top-notch amenities. Both the clubhouse and apartments have an open feel with large windows that maximize incoming natural light and capture the surrounding mountain views. The openness of the grand clubhouse is matched with equally large barn doors that give way to a game room, a place you will want to hang out with family and friends. Also accessible from the clubhouse is a fitness center, a fully outfitted theater, a modern and inviting kitchen, and an expansive patio raised over a community pool. These spaces are an entertainer’s delight!
Natural light floods the clubhouse through grand windows.
No matter the scale of the project, our design goals are focused on how life will be lived in the spaces created. Each of the 200 apartments is carefully thought through and outfitted with quality building materials and layouts suited for the modern adult. Ample storage, elevator-accessibility, walk-out closets, 9-foot ceilings, and tough granite countertops are just a few design features we incorporated into the apartments. We love refining our designs with the smallest of considerations and especially love how the modern steel accentuates the balcony experience.
Our commitment to designing for the future was not compromised as the Knoll is on track to become EarthCraft Certified. This certification not only focuses on energy-efficiency, but also health and durability for buildings. The finishing touches are being crafted and we are delighted to hear the enormous community interest for those who want to call The Knoll home. To learn more about this project, visit their website https://www.theknollatstoneview.com/.
The Gaines Group is proud to once again partner with Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley on the construction of new townhomes in Floyd, Virginia. Our firm has a strong history supporting projects in partnership with Habitat for Humanity affiliates across the Commonwealth and has made significant contributions to projects in Blacksburg, Charlottesville, Green, and Rockingham Counties.
The Floyd County Project is Gaines Group’s third effort partnering with Habitat for Humanity of the New River Valley. This project will be a 7-unit block similar in scope and size to the Blacksburg Project we completed in 2020. Our special partnership grows out of the time the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford towns played host to firm founder Ray Gaines while studying at Virginia Tech School of Architecture. To date, our firm has helped provide shelter for nine families in the area who will own their dwellings. Additionally, our firm’s work in the New River Valley includes the Adams at Peppers Ferry, a multi-family project of 168 units located in Christiansburg.
Beyond designing for comfortable living spaces, these completed projects are EarthCraftCertified and the Floyd County townhomes are slated to be as well. We are passionate about using design to positively impact our communities while upholding our commitment to designing for the future. Our partnership with Habitat for Humanity is a testament to these values.
We highly recommend travelers who frequent Interstate 81 to check out the new Petro Truck stop in Raphine! The expansion and improvements being made here are impressive. This facility will be one of the largest truck stops on the East coast and houses a wide variety of food and shopping options. We teamed up with Nielsen Builders to design the latest renovation and addition which will provide 27,160 square feet of additional retail space.
The existing Iron Skillet restaurant at Petro is being converted into a convenience-type store that will have the largest drink cooler we have ever seen. This destination is the perfect stop for rest and relaxation for travelers, especially for big rig drivers as there will be many options available to customize your truck, take a break, and eat.
The Petro project is being done using a design-build model in partnership with the property owner and Nielsen Builders as the primary contract holder. This construction contract type has many advantages for a complex, industrial-type renovation project, where the facility needs to stay operational during construction. This project requires a high level of coordination between contributors to ensure the unified goals are met. We deliver high levels of coordination through numerous design meetings that bring together civil, electrical, plumbing, architecture, HVAC, and general contractors. The results are a testament to our focus on collaboration from initial concept to completion!
