On Architecture


ONARCHITECTURE- This old wood: Recipe for destruction or sustainability? Published on May 22nd, 2008 0 comments Willie Drake, founder of the Mountain Lumber Company in Ruckersville, has been scouring the planet for old pieces of wood and the stories they tell since the 1970s.PHOTO COURTESY MOUNTAIN LUMBER...
ONARCHITECTURE- Family feud: Skaters rejoice, supes kvetch Published on May 15th, 2008 0 comments Financial grind: County officials say they were "surprised" to receive a bill for their half of the $200,000 renovation of the McIntire Skatepark. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR When the skateboard park on...
ONARCHITECTURE- Designated dozen: City to enforce historic preservation? Published on May 8th, 2008 0 comments Demo-mission: The Fry's Spring Service Station on JPA is one of 12 properties the city wants to protect, like it or not, from the wrecking ball.FILE PHOTO BY WILL WALKER Following the demolition of...
ONARCHITECTURE- Condo hustle: The market's last gasp? Published on May 1st, 2008 0 comments Old Salem Apartments, converted to Barracks West Condominiums in 2006, was part of the 2006 condo conversion craze. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Last year, the Hook wondered if the so-called condo...
ONARCHITECTURE- Street cred: Third Street blues II? Published on Apr 24th, 2008 0 comments After finally being bricked over, Third Street may need to be reworked; this time to reenforce a concrete slab that failed a stress test.PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR When we wrote about the City's approach...
ONARCHITECTURE- Demo dilemma: When is a house worth saving? Published on Apr 17th, 2008 0 comments Preservation protest: This homemade sign was spotted hanging on the fence around the demolished Beta House on January 3, 2008. Like a patient on life support with a mysterious disease, the...
ONARCHITECTURE- Demo dilemma: When is a house worth saving? Published on Apr 17th, 2008 0 comments Preservation protest: This homemade sign was spotted hanging on the fence around the demolished Beta House on January 3, 2008. Like a patient on life support with a mysterious disease, the...
ONARCHITECTURE- No tall mall: PC okays the DZ Published on Apr 17th, 2008 0 comments Almost two years after we asked the question: Are you ready for nine stories? ["#9 dreams: Invasion of the super towers," June 1, 2006], last week the Charlottesville Planning Commission answered...
ONARCHITECTURE- Downtown Mall: City works sideways on side streets Published on Apr 10th, 2008 0 comments Third Street high: "I think it will be much better to have a business here," says salon owner T.T. Jackson. "We see a lot more people strolling through."PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Now that the $800,000...
220 South Street: Bad building or missed opportunity? Published on Apr 3rd, 2008 0 comments Down and out: Developer Oliver Kuttner is trying to save this South Street apartment building, but the Blue Moon Fund plans to demolish it to make room for a new conference center.PHOTO BY...
ONARCHITECTURE- BAR moments: Pav screen nixed, Blue Moon Fund razing Published on Mar 27th, 2008 0 comments No glow: Capshaw wants an LDC screen in front of the Pavilion to promote upcoming shows to concert goers, but the BAR isn't keen on it. (The Flaming Lips at the Pavilion in 2006)FILE PHOTO BY BILLY...
ONARCHITECTURE- Scrap heap: Iconic Mall kiosk set for demise Published on Mar 20th, 2008 0 comments Anyone want a kiosk? The city has decided to scrap the long-standing Downtown Mall kiosk parked in front of CVS. While developer Lee Danielson's latest project is about to go up– a 9-story...
ONARCHITECTURE- Cornered: CVS to replace Plan 9, Satellite? Published on Mar 13th, 2008 0 comments The Anderson Building, home to Plan 9, the Satellite Ballroom, Higher Grounds, and Just Curry, may be welcoming a new tenant. Six months ago, when the Hook learned that, about a year after he...
ONARCHITECTURE- Whose values? New assessment less than half purchase price Published on Feb 28th, 2008 0 comments The Jefferson Scholars Foundation paid $3 million for the Compton House property last year. This year, the property, sans house, is assessed at $1.3 million. The demolition of the former Compton...
ONARCHITECTURE- Better with Betty! Website aims to simplify recycling Published on Feb 21st, 2008 0 comments Teri Kent launched her website Better World Betty in January, hoping the personal touch will get more folks thinking greener. As we mentioned last week, recycling can be a pain in the... neck ["...
ONARCHITECTURE- Coming soon! van der Linde's amazing recycling machine Published on Feb 14th, 2008 0 comments On a ten-acre tract of land near Zion Crossroads, Peter van der Linde plans to finally open a $10-million, 100,000-square-foot recycling center, featuring a 270-foot state-of-the-art sorting machine...
ONARCHITECTURE- Fountain<i>plus</i>? Mall design includes lots more water Published on Feb 7th, 2008 0 comments One proposed plan for the $7.5 million Downtown Mall renovation includes two new fountains, like this one in front of the Omni Hotel. Wanna see water cascading down three steps into a reflecting...
ONARCHITECTURE- American dumpster: Builders deep-six too much material Published on Jan 31st, 2008 0 comments Waste not, want not: Builder Darren Young and his helper rescue a load of wood discarded by a big local developer. Recently, local builder Darren Young and his helper were busy doing something...
ONARCHITECTURE- Mall renovations: Downtown businesses not reassured Published on Jan 24th, 2008 1 comments Manolo Blahniks, beware: After 30 years, much of the mortar between the bricks on the Mall is gone, creating an unsightly walking surface and striking fear in the hearts of well-dressed women.PHOTO...
ONARCHITECTURE- Demolition fall-out: Lost chance or new beginning? Published on Jan 10th, 2008 0 comments Preservation protest: This homemade sign was spotted hanging on the fence around the demolished Beta House on January 3. The unapologetic demolition of the former Compton House, a.k.a. Beta House, on...
ONARCHITECTURE- Downzone Mall: Developers not 'taken' with new plan Published on Jan 3rd, 2008 0 comments More than a year ago, we asked what our downtown skyline might look like in 2o years [#9 dreams: Invasion of the super towers," June 1, 2006]. A year an half later, city officials are still wrestling...
ONARCHITECTURE- Busy building: The year in review Published on Dec 20th, 2007 0 comments Going down: To make room for a new $21 million headquarters, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation recently applied for a demo permit to take down Beta House, one of many local landmarks earmarked for...
ONARCHITECTURE- SIPS and dips: New Arch's coming to Emmet Published on Dec 13th, 2007 0 comments The new Arch's Frozen Yogurt on Emmet Street, coming in 2008, won't be a typical frozen yogurt shop.PHOTO COURTESY BRW ARCHITECTS As mentioned in last week's Dish ["New openings: Do good things come...
ONARCHITECTURE- Demo dilemma: When is an old house worth saving? Published on Dec 6th, 2007 0 comments The Jefferson Scholars Foundation recently applied for a demo permit to take down Beta House to make room for its new $21 million headquarters. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Like a patient on life...
ONARCHITECTURE- Historical hysteria: Society brass yank 'tasteless' blog Published on Nov 29th, 2007 20 comments "We realized the value of a blog to discuss... local history in a non-academic, non-stuffy venue," wrote ACHS director Douglas Day on his blog, The Hysterical Society, which was removed from the...
ONARCHITECTURE- No-tell motel: Clerk remembers the randy heyday Published on Nov 22nd, 2007 0 comments Ehrhardt suspects the Mercers simply ignored the property after she left in 1986, something the family's wealth allowed them to do.PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR "Shady things, probably," laughs Shirley...
Nanny park: Toddler-friendly, wallet-whomping McGuffey reopens Published on Nov 15th, 2007 1 comments Critics of the McGuffey Park project wondered what was wrong with the old park, seen here in 2006, and questioned the $700,000 expenditure.FILE PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER On Saturday, November 10...
ONARCHITECTURE- Terminal vacancy: The Airport Motel finally checks out Published on Nov 8th, 2007 1 comments The long abandoned Airport Motel will finally be demolished to make way for a Walgreen's.PHOTO BY WILL WALKER In the mid-1990s, local film maker Alexandria Searls shot her short film American Motel...
ONARCHITECTURE- Third street blues: What's up with big dig, Croxton's green giant? Published on Nov 1st, 2007 0 comments The Third Street Dig: when it will ever end?PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER Before the Third street streetscaping project on the Downtown Mall commenced four months ago, Shirley Barrett, who owns a nail...
ONARCHITECTURE- Breath of Boston: UVA's Bavaro Hall built on student loans Published on Oct 18th, 2007 3 comments The Curry School's new $37 million Bavaro Hall will be built with help from a $22 million donation from Daniel Meyers, who made his fortune offering private student loans.PHOTO BY WILL WALKER...