Commonwealth Preservation Group

430 Boush Street Norfolk, VA

430 Boush Street – After

The building located at 430 Boush Street was constructed in 1912 for the Montauk Ice Cream company and was used as an ice cream shop/creamery until at least the 1930s.  Considered to be one of the oldest of several buildings associated with the dairy industry in Norfolk, this resource is a contributing resource to the Downtown Norfolk Historic District.  Today, this two-story, rectangular, brick, commercial building is nestled between other high-rise buildings at the edge of the district.  The façade has a typical early-twentieth-century stuccoed storefront with large plate glass display windows and a central recessed entrance on the first floor, and multi-light arched windows, with bracketed keystones and a decorative rope motif, on the upper façade.

430 Boush Street – Before

Following its use as a creamery, the building was used as a drafting supply company.  In c.2009, the School of Rock opened up in this location, which resulted in subdividing the space into multiple smaller classrooms and practice rooms and included a stage.  Despite the alterations, the building still retained many of its historic character-defining features.

As a result of the tax credit project, the façade was restored and the interior was converted to office space utilizing the various practice room spaces, as well as the open stage area for use as an open office area.  The remaining historic features and finishes from the building’s industrial period, such as the skinny load-bearing concrete columns, the historic concrete floor, historic terrazzo, and historic plaster were retained and restored as a result of this project.      

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