On Architecture


Mall moves: Second Street to get $800k 'scaping Published on Sep 1st, 2009 43 comments Trashed since construction on the Landmark Hotel began, Second Street SE will now be getting a $800K make-over. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR While our colleague Allan Smithee is certainly a talented writer,...
All rise: New J&DR courthouse simpler, techier Published on Aug 25th, 2009 7 comments The former Elks Lodge turned courthouse gets a facial and a beefy new security system. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR It took five years and cost $20 million, but the newly renovated Juvenile & Domestic...
'No-brainer': Harvesting story prompts rain to Kaine Published on Aug 8th, 2009 4 comments Hydraulic Wash's struggle to install a rainwater collection system has made its way to Gov. Tim Kaine's desk. FILE PHOTO BY WILL WALKER As the Hook recently reported, a county laundromat owner...
Odd balloons at the Jefferson Published on Aug 5th, 2009 2 comments Actually, these sausage-shaped balloons bursting forth from the Jefferson Theater August 4 are for air circulation.
Shadwell farewell: Old store demo provokes memories Published on Jul 25th, 2009 6 comments After 80 years, the old Shadwell Store falls Wednesday, July 8. PHOTO BY JEANNE BRUCE-PHILLIPS Sometimes the loss of an old building, even an unremarkable one, can feel like loosing an old friend. So...
Out to pasture: Bundoran redefines house and farm Published on Jul 21st, 2009 7 comments Bundoran Farm in North Garden hopes to be the State's premiere "preservation development." PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR On Virginia Governor Tim Kaine's recent visit to dedicate the Albemarle CiderWorks,...
Rainwater harvesting: Catchment comes with a catch Published on Jul 14th, 2009 27 comments Rain barrels are all the rage these days, but harvesting rainwater for commercial use, as the owner of Hydraulic Wash wants to do, has been stalled by outdated codes and guidelines. PHOTO BY WILL...
Rosenwald revival: Restored elementary school preps reunion Published on Jul 7th, 2009 5 comments Rebecca Kinney was among the last to attend St. John. PHOTO BY GORDON BLOCK The architectural restoration isn't quite complete, but an upcoming alumni reunion for a long-closed school is already...
The Rotunda: What the devil to do with it? Published on Jun 30th, 2009 11 comments The Rotunda stands as the centerpiece of a Jefferson masterpiece, one of only four structures in the United States to be named a World Heritage Site, but there's one problem: 95 percent of it is not...
Jailhouse talk: County developing re-use plan Published on Jun 20th, 2009 14 comments The old stone Albemarle County Jail stands behind an 18-foot brick wall that surrounds the structure. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Now that the $20 million renovation of the old Juvenile & Domestic...
Costly collapse: Courthouse project nearly finished Published on Jun 16th, 2009 13 comments New columns adorn the Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court on High Street. The brick columns shown here have since been covered with white stucco. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR In 2004, the City and...
Wash portal: University Car Wash comes down Published on Jun 9th, 2009 1 comments The University Car Wash on Ivy Road the morning it was leveled.... PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER Travelers down Ivy Road may have noticed that the old University Car Wash was demolished this week. Owned by...
Demo dodger: Moon-Henderson house to see many moons Published on Jun 9th, 2009 1 comments After years of neglect, the circa-1883 Moon-Henderson House at 10 1/2 Street NW is finally being restored. PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER Last November, local publisher Bill Chapman appealed a decision by...
Recycle this! Van der Linde steps up tone Published on May 29th, 2009 13 comments Capturing the market: Peter Van der Linde's recycling facility, which opened last December, is already handling over 250 tons of trash a day. FILE PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO Recycling entrepreneur Peter...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Termites on the Mall & other treats Published on May 22nd, 2009 0 comments PHOTOS BY DAVE MCNAIR On Friday, May 8, the Hook spotted a swarm of winged insects at the base of the wood facade at 111 East Main Street. "Those are termite swarmers," said pest control expert...
Miracle Mall? Re-bricking project almost done Published on May 12th, 2009 16 comments While most of the Mall was open to pedestrians on Friday, May 8, this section in front of Escaf©–- needing replacement of its uneven slab–- is still under construction. PHOTO BY DAVE...
Snap o' the Day: Termites on the Mall Published on May 11th, 2009 1 comments On Friday, May 8, the Hook spotted this swarm of winged insects at the base of the wood facade at 111 East Main Street. "Those are termite swarmers," says pest control expert John Ashcraft. "I'm one-...
Locustville? MJH selects developer for 'community' Published on Apr 24th, 2009 15 comments A Charlotte, NC-based real estate company will be developing the old Martha Jefferson Hospital into a master planned community. FILE PHOTO BY WILL WALKER Old Trail Village isn't the only master...
Take a village: Old Trail on the block? Published on Apr 23rd, 2009 29 comments In 2006, Old Trail Village in Crozet played host to director Tom Shadyac and his movie Evan Almighty, which called for building an ark on the development. PHOTO BY DON ANDERSON Wanna buy a master...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Going Down: Sutherland Farm demos wake preservationists Published on Apr 9th, 2009 0 comments "It looked basically the same until five years ago," says preservationist Steven Meeks of this fallen English ground barn, circa 1810.PHOTOS COURTESY ACHS Unlike Charlottesville, which regulates...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Tom already: Construction to begin on Shadyac's shelter Published on Mar 19th, 2009 0 comments Around Thanksgiving, this old church will become a cultural center and sanctuary for the down-and-out.PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIRThe man who catapulted Jim Carrey to fame, Tom Shadyac.FILE PHOTO After three...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Condoland part 2: Downtown living still in high demand Published on Mar 12th, 2009 0 comments "We've had great sales traffic," says developer J.P. Williamson, who's building the five-story Gleason condo tower beside ACAC downtown, "because there's not a lot of product like...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Condo Land: Making headlines, little headway Published on Mar 5th, 2009 0 comments A year ago, city planners were working out the details for a proposed 9-story mixed use tower at the old RSC Rental site. Now the space is for rent.PHOTOS BY DAVE MCNAIR When it comes to high-rise...
ON ARCHITECTURE- P.O. demo: University Station finally going down Published on Feb 26th, 2009 0 comments Three years after closing, the University Station Post office has a date with the wrecking ball.FILE PHOTO BY BILLY HUNT Three years after taking its last letter, it looks like the old University...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Curtain call: Opera company, Capshaw part ways Published on Feb 19th, 2009 0 comments "The scope and scale of the project just shifted dramatically with the opera pulling out," project manager Kirby Hutto explains. FILE PHOTO BY MICK TAVISH When the renovation of the Jefferson...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Ghost Mall? Will rents adjust as vacancies grow? Published on Feb 12th, 2009 0 comments Lease me: Office and storefront vacancies downtown, like this one at 111 East Main Street, have doubled since since July, according to a recent City survey.PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR At City Council's...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Brick-a-brac: City to sell old Mall bricks to the public Published on Feb 5th, 2009 6 comments Old Mall bricks being stacked on pallets to be sold at the City's monthly surplus property sale. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Update 2/5/09: The City has made a decision on what to charge...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Born and razed: Preservationists won't forget Beta House Published on Jan 29th, 2009 0 comments On December 27, this "memorial" was erected at an undisclosed location to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Compton, a.k.a Beta House demolition.SUBMITTED PHOTO William Faulkner was...
Landmark lurch: Construction on hotel grinding to a halt? Published on Jan 22nd, 2009 0 comments On the morning of Tuesday, January 13, a skid steer loader fills in a hole with gravel, prepping the site for an abandonment that will allegedly last 60 days.PHOTO BY LINDSAY BARNES If...
ON ARCHITECTURE- Vanishing vendors? Mall vendors unsure about their future Published on Jan 15th, 2009 0 comments The City has relocated outside vendors like Pema Sherpa Turner to the East end of the Mall for the duration of the re-bricking project, but has yet to tell them where they will be allowed to set up...