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SCHOOL, TRANSFORMED INTO CONDOS, TEACHES LESSON ABOUT 'ADAPTIVE REUSE'
Maury project required a lot of expertise in recycling historic buildings
Date published: 5/11/2007
BY RICHARD AMRHINE Take a school that dates to 1919, an era when such buildings were generally dark, dank and austere, and turn it into luxury condominiums that would attract discerning buyers. Did we mention that it has been vacant since 1980? And that efforts to maintain it have been countered by time, nature and vandalism? This was indeed going to be a challenge, so it helps that there are companies out there with people who have taken on such projects before. There is Echelon Resources Inc., which bought the building from the city of Fredericksburg, and sees virtue, value and profit in recycling old buildings. There is Commonwealth Architects of Richmond, which has produced the designs that are the first step toward the rebirth of buildings such as Belle Grove, the 18th-century plantation house in King George County. And then there is TRENT Corp. of Richmond, the general contractor for the project, which actually has to do the work. The company does all sorts of construction, including a lot of "adaptive reuse," as company owner and president Snead Luck puts it. It recently finished converting the five-story Berry Burke building, the Richmond clothing store, to condominiums, and is now doing the same with the eight-story Richmond Memorial Hospital. David Clark is TRENT's on-site construction manager at Maury, the guy who has orchestrated the building's eight-month transformation. "I've worked in new construction, but it's this kind of work gets me out of bed in the morning," said Clark, who has been making the daily commute from his home in Goochland County. He likes the uncertainty of working within the physical architecture of an old building. "We had to do a lot of field design. You have to be creative. You don't know what you're going to run into, so when a problem comes up, we discuss it, figure it out, and then move forward," said Clark. To meet the tight deadline, Clark has needed plenty of labor. On any given day, he has had between 160 and 180 workers on-site. If you drive through the Barton Street/George Street area, you're aware of the activity.
Date published: 5/11/2007
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