At the time CPG was engaged in the project, the historic school had been abandoned for a number of years and was severely deteriorated after years of neglect.
Commonwealth
Colonial Flats | Stuart School, 446 Virginia Avenue
Building Documentation & Scanning
Flood Retrofit Negotiation & Design
Floodplain Requirement Exemption Request Preparation
Historic Building Renovation
Historic Research
Historic Tax Credit Consulting
Local Design Review Consulting
Resilience Planning
Colonial Flats | Stuart School, 446 Virginia Avenue
Partners
Monument Construction
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
National Park Service
City of Norfolk
Project Goals
The Stuart School is a three-story historic school building constructed in 1920, with a modern cafeteria and gym addition, that was the subject of a historic rehabilitation tax credit project.
Project Design
In addition to managing the State and Federal historic tax credit applications, CPG also secured an exemption for floodplain requirements through the City of Norfolk in order to protect the historic character of the school.
Utilizing guidance provided in the National Park Service’s Guidelines for Flood Adaptation for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, the project was sensitively designed to allow for the retention of historic materials (both interior and exterior), while reducing the risk of loss during flood events.
Challenges & Accomplishments
In order to comply with local regulations, the applicant abandoned the basement and utilized this space to run systems for upper floors; inherently flood resistant historic materials, such as ceramic tile wall coverings, plaster walls, and VAT floors were retained in this space.
Additional residential units were added to the modern addition, where the applicant was able meet floodproofing requirements by installing a new poured concrete floor at three feet above the base flood elevation.