The Boathouse is a Golden Winner

Friday, November 20, 2009

Last Thursday, the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (A.C.O.R.N.) announced that The Boathouse at Rocketts Landing won their 2009 Golden Hammer award for “best commercial renovation.”
 
The annual award recognizes the top renovation projects throughout the city, and honors rehabilitated properties in Richmond’s blighted and/or oldest neighborhoods that bring new life to the buildings and their communities.

The Boathouse is located in the Rocketts’ Power Plant Building. Originally built in 1910, the building’s former heyday centered on its use as a steam-driven electric power generating plant that provided electricity for a portion of Richmond’s trolley car system.

In a complete transformation, the old Power Plant Building now houses Richmond’s only riverfront restaurant and blends its industrial history with contemporary architecture. Criteria for the contest were strict and placed emphasis on the quality of materials used and architectural design of the restoration, as well as the building’s community impact.

Developer Richard Souter, Vice President of WVS Companies, expressed satisfaction with their recognition. “It’s a great honor winning the award. For us, it’s always been a building we’ve wanted to do. By enhancing the natural structure, we’ve essentially recreated an iconic building that will stand for many years to come.”

Souter pointed out that they did not receive tax credits for restoring the building. Consequently, they were able to have creative flexibility. A few of the standout restoration features include an exterior staircase and elevator supported by steel structures, glass walls on the 4th floor, the preserved smokestack and a butterfly roof.

According to Souter, having the right tenant for the building was also an integral component.

“One of the big tricks with a building like this is finding a tenant who shares your vision, someone who can stand the test of time and deliver on the shared vision,” said Souter.

To Souter and his team, The Boathouse fulfilled that mission and beyond.

Day-Tripping Down the Street

Friday, November 13, 2009

Occasionally we’ve left the property at Rocketts to explore some nearby neighborhoods. For those days when you are ready to do a little historic exploring, here’s a breakdown of some of the museums nearby.

 
SHOCKOE BOTTOM
 
Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Though not a Richmonder by birth, Edgar Allan Poe grew up here as a young boy, lived here as a student and later served as an editor for the Richmond-based magazine Southern Literary Messenger. The Edgar Allen Poe Museum opened in 1922 in The Old Stone House on Main Street — Richmond’s oldest still-standing dwelling (erected in 1737, the house is its own glimpse into the past) — which is only a couple blocks away from Poe’s first Richmond home. The museum boasts the world’s largest collections of Poe letters, manuscripts, first editions, memorabilia, etc., and also has a model of Richmond from Poe’s time completed in 1927 that offers an interesting peak into our historic city.
 
Virginia Holocaust Museum
Located within an old tobacco warehouse along Tobacco Row since 2003, the Virginia Holocaust Museum originally opened in 1997 in Richmond’s Temple Beth El. Today, the museum features 28 permanent exhibits, such as the only existing Nuremberg Trials Courtroom Exhibit, as well as a book and gift shop. A stunning two-story auditorium is also attached and frequently features nationally recognized guest speakers, lectures and films on a wide range of topics. For example, last week the museum hosted a professor from UNC, Christopher Browning, who is one of the world’s experts on why Nazis carried out the Holocaust.
 
CHURCH HILL
 
Patrick Henry’s Speech at St. John’s Church
In March of 1775, 100 colonial leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson, Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry, gathered in Richmond’s first church, St. John’s. Home of Henry’s infamous “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech, St. John’s Church is designated as a national historic landmark, and offers guided tours, private and public reenactments of the Second Virginia Convention, an interpretative Visitor Center and Gift Shop. The church is also an active place of worship and welcomes visitors.
 
Chimborazo Medical Museum
Located on East Broad Street just a few blocks east from St. John’s Church — and an easy walk from Rocketts — is Chimborazo Park and the national park, Chimborazo Medical Museum. During the Civil War, Richmond was a central destination for recuperating wounded Confederate soldiers. Chimborazo housed the largest Confederate general hospital in Richmond. The museum features a collection of medical equipment, as well as a film and diorama of the hospital. One neat side-note: The name comes from a mountain in Ecuador, which during the Civil War was thought to be the tallest mountain in the world at 21,000 feet tall. That’s not even close to Everest, at 29,000 feet.
 
Robinson Theater Community Arts Center
Recently awarded the A.C.O.R.N. 2009 Golden Hammer Award for “best renovation by a nonprofit,” the art-deco Robinson Theater was built in 1937 and originally named after early 20th century Broadway star and Richmond-native Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. The theater was an important gathering hub for the historic Church Hill neighborhood until its spiraling neglect and subsequent closing in the 1980s. In 2008, however, the Robinson Theater underwent an historic renovation and now offers a multi-purpose performance hall for arts-based programs, such as the recent Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra fall concert.  

A Grand Illumination

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Last week, Rocketts Landing residents celebrated the grand illumination of the community’s newest structural addition: a stunning, industrial-inspired fountain.



Located in the courtyard of Cedar Works, the copper-plated fountain made of solid steel boasts a striking display of light and flowing water. Light permeates through the chinks and gaps, and reflects water streaming through the middle.
 


The design was initially tricky, since a traditional fountain wouldn’t work in a courtyard surrounded by renovated 100-year-old industrial buildings.
 


Christopher Hildebrand, who co-owns the local design firm Tektonics, conceived and built the fountain with an abstract design that is related to the community’s historical environment. He chose to focus on Rocketts Landing’s masonry and brick towers as the structural theme, what he describes as “a monolithic smokestack.”
 


The illumination brought out many of the community’s residents, who gathered by the glowing fixture. “Our residents love to have places to gather, and this water fountain provides another place for them to get together and mingle,” said Rocketts Marketing Director Marti Cooke. 
 


A “Make A Wish” box filled with pennies was even passed around so they could be the first to toss wishes into the fountain.
 


Bob Jennings, a Cedar Works resident who moved to Rocketts in May 2008 made a wish that — in keeping with tradition — he wouldn’t share. He did, however, discuss what the fountain means to him and his wife. 


“[For us] the fountain represents a commitment to details, putting a personal touch into the community — and it looks nice. We have a lot of fun [living here], and the fountain represents the coming together of this great community.”
 


Sky Line resident Penny Maggio also sees the fountain as an emblem of the community formed at Rocketts Landing.
 
“The fountain represents how the developer is invested in this community, and to me that’s really important. When he’s involved, it keeps us involved, which is very much appreciated.”
 


The residents’ sentiments reflect Cooke’s vision for the fountain as a meeting place, which will soon be joined with accompanying benches.