At the start of the project, the building was not eligible for the tax credit program as it was not located within a historic district or individually listed. As a result, the developer engaged CPG to develop a National Register nomination for the surrounding institutional buildings and complete a subsequent tax credit application for the building.
Commonwealth
7130 Granby Street
Historic Building Renovation
Historic Research
Historic Tax Credit Consulting
7130 Granby Street
Partners
Ringenberg Construction
Tymoff and Moss Architects
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
National Park Service
Project Goals
In 2022, 7130 Granby Street, an International Style building constructed in c1954 as the Norfolk Christian Grammar School, was acquired by a local developer to transform into an apartment building.
Project Design
CPG provided building treatment recommendations to sensitively insert apartment units within former classrooms and transform the main gathering space into a community room, all the while retaining remaining historic finishes.
The design team was able to successfully place 13 apartment units into the building. Remaining historic finishes that were retained and highlighted in the completed project included a Tectum ceiling with exposed structure, aluminum windows, and wall finishes, such as painted CMU and tile wainscoting.
Challenges & Accomplishments
The primary gathering space had been modified over time and had a modern overbuilt floor to provide access into classrooms, which were at a slightly different floor height than this central space. In order to re-establish the historic floor finish, the applicant removed the overbuilt floor, resulting in an issue accessing the residential units.
In order to reestablish access into the units while maintaining the historic floor, the team proposed to insert a reversible overbuilt floor at the perimeter of this space, accessible via ramps. This solution allowed the team to meet regulatory requirements, while reinstating the historic floor level.