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City gas plant given new life ENERGY FOR AN EARLIER ERA WORK CONTRIBUTES TO REVITALIZED NEIGHBORHOOD
Former gas plant reclaimed as office space
Date published: 12/21/2007
BY RICHARD AMRHINE
It could have been demolished and replaced with a gleaming new structure, but instead the former city gas plant is finding new life as the handsome home for two local businesses.
Located at Charles and Frederick streets in an area of town that has experienced something of a rebirth itself in recent years, the 1906 building will house Wack Construction Co., which headed the rehabilitation project, and Impressions of Fredericksburg, an interior design firm currently located at 214 William St.
"This [city] is our home, so we were willing to do some special things," said Steve King, a partner in Wack Construction. "It was a gamble, and it was a long process."
He said the company knew that saving and reconfiguring the building would be more difficult than building new, but that the effort was worth it.
Collaborating with Richmond architect Robert Steele and project superintendent Tobias Jenni made a difficult project run as smoothly as it could, King said.
Lynn Hamm co-owns Impressions with his daughter, Kelly Banez, and the 9-year old business has outgrown its present location. They expect to open at their new quarters on Feb. 1.
"This is going to be the perfect place for us, the lighting, the ambience. It's actually design-friendly the way it's set up, and it will be attractive to clients," said Hamm, adding gleefully: "We'll have 10 parking spaces."
Receiving multiple large-truck deliveries each day will be much easier than it is on William Street, he said.
The gas plant project was delayed until last March, when a Virginia Railway Express parking lot lease expired. King said once the two companies determine how much space for parking they need, the rest could be leased back for commuter parking.
Tax credit project
It is what's old, of course, that makes the building unique. Working under the constraints of the federal Historic Tax Credit program, which King said made the restoration possible, and with the city's Architectural Review Board, the commitment to retain the true character of the building was never in doubt.
"The tax credits are a wonderful program, and really made this possible. Without them the building would have been torn down," he said.
Date published: 12/21/2007
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