| Historic Preservation
High Bridge Lofts
Hill Studio provided historic preservation consulting services for the renovation of the 1901 J.M. Venable & Company Tobacco Factory in Farmville, Virginia. The project converted the building to residential and commercial use with 16 new apartments and a microbrewery, while complying with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The project was completed in August 2017.
historic tax credits
Hill Studio facilitated the application and review process for the historic rehabilitation tax credits with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the National Park Service to provide critical funding for the project.
Retaining Historic Character
The project retained significant interior elements, such as structural columns, wood floors, exposed ceiling structure and exposed brick walls.
blending old and new
The team used creative solutions to sensitively install new systems, introduce partition walls, and insulate the historic roof.
North Broad Street
North Broad Street developed as a premier residential neighborhood in Salem, Virginia, between 1867 and 1950. The district boasts an intact collection of distinguished houses, many built by leading businessmen and local leaders. In 2018, Hill Studio worked with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the City of Salem to complete an architectural survey and nominate the North Broad Street Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
Conveying Historic Significance
The district, with its 39 contributing residential properties, exemplifies the economic prosperity that began in Salem starting in the 1880s and continuing through about 1950.
a range of architectural styles
Houses in the district represent the full spectrum of popular architectural styles, including Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival.
architectural documentation
We documented the properties in accordance with Virginia Department of Historic Resources and National Park Service guidelines.
The Patrick Henry
Built in 1925, the Patrick Henry Hotel is a landmark in downtown Roanoke. The grand hotel, rich with architectural detail, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After a period of vacancy, the hotel was transformed into a mixed-use development with over 100 apartment units, a restaurant, and other commercial uses. Hill Studio completed the federal and state tax historic tax credit applications, which played an important role in financing the project.
A Cosmopolitan Hotel
The National Register nomination describes the hotel as “an extravagant Colonial Revival structure constructed as part of a 1920s campaign to bring status and a cosmopolitan atmosphere to the city of Roanoke, Virginia.”
A Second Chance
Prior to renovation, the vacant hotel was on the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation’s Endangered Sites list.
Preserving history
The project preserved the rich architectural detailing of the lobby and ballroom. The design of the lobby bar was based on a historic photo of the original reception desk.