Walker-Wilkins-Bloxom Warehouse Newport News, VA

The Walker-Wilkins-Bloxom Warehouse is a three-story, three-part masonry building that was constructed ca. 1906 and served as several wholesale storage facilities. The building is a rare example of an intact Industrial Commercial-style warehouse and is one of the last remnants of the pre-urban renewal efforts in downtown Newport News. The warehouse is generally comprised of attached, three-story, rectangular, masonry sections that are each individual contributing resources to a small historic district.

This small historic district was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. It is locally significant under Criterion C for Architecture for its well-preserved and rare surviving examples of Industrial Commercial-style warehouses in downtown Newport News. The district is also locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Commerce for its association with the storage and distribution of goods into and out of region. The buildings were home to several locally prominent wholesale produce companies including H. B. Walker & Sons, Wilkins Provisions & Company, and the Bloxom Bros & Company, and historically backed up to C & O Railroad. The warehouse is one of few that survived the widespread urban renewal demolition of a once thriving “warehouse row” along 23^rd Street. The Walker- Wilkins- Bloxom Warehouse maintained its function as wholesale storage and distribution district that evolved from produce to appliances throughout the twentieth century. It has a period of significance from 1906, when the buildings were complete, through 1967, when urban renewal demolition activities began in Newport News.

Sylvania Plant Historic District Fredericksburg, VA

The Sylvania Plant Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2020, is a 40-acre industrial campus located in the northeast corner of Spotsylvania County just south of the Fredericksburg city line with an intact collection of industrial and commercial buildings, warehouses, and other industrial resources. The district is generally composed of one-to three-story masonry buildings representative of commercial vernacular, industrial commercial, and stripped classical style architecture with Art Deco influences, primarily constructed between 1930 and 1962. Several buildings in the district feature intact examples of the patented sawtooth roof technology designed by prominent architecture and engineering firm, The Ballinger Company. The district includes approximately 29 contributing resources.

The Sylvania Plant Historic District is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Industry as one of America’s most prolific manufacturers of cellophane products during the twentieth century. The popularity of packaged foods and commercial demand for the product allowed the company to not only survive, but grow and profit during the Great Depression. The long-term success of the Sylvania Plant is also representative of the evolution of consumer culture and the food packaging industry through the 1970s. The historic district is also significant under Criterion C for Architecture for its association with The Ballinger Company, and the use of super-span sawtooth construction. The Sylvania Plant Historic District has a period of significance ranging from 1929 to 1970, but remained a significant contributor to Fredericksburg’s industrial capacity and the region’s economy until its closure in 1978.

1650 West Little Creek Road Norfolk, VA

The Norfolk Fire Department Station No. 12 is a two-story, two-bay, rectangular building of masonry seven-course common-bond construction with stretcher-bond brick veneer.  It has a brick foundation, a parged concrete water table, a hipped slate roof, and a single exterior-end brick chimney located at the center of the north elevation.  It features Craftsman-style elements, such as the low-pitched hipped roof and the originally-exposed wide overhanging eaves.  The façade is flanked by recessed single-story pedestrian entry wings on the east and west sides.  The façade is characterized by the prominent double-bay, bifold garage openings with brick arches and a keystone. 

The building, which was designed by locally prominent architects Philip B. Moser and Erwin C. Gutzwiller, was constructed in 1923 and served as the City of Norfolk’s Fire Station No. 12 until 2018 when a new fire station was dedicated just across the street.  The façade was altered in 1957 and in c.1998 to accommodate the introduction of larger fire engines.  A brick arch motif over the garage bays was fixed to the façade in the early 2000s in an effort to restore the original look of the 1923 building.  

As a result of the historic tax credit project, the building was rehabilitated for commercial and residential use, and the façade was restored back to its original 1924 appearance.  Based on photographic documentation, the size of the garage door openings were reduced to match the original size, and the arches and keystones were reinstated.  Additionally, the center column between the garage doors was enlarged to reflect its original appearance, and the historic bifold garage doors were replicated and installed.  On the interior, the first floor was converted to restaurant space, and the second floor became two owner apartments.  Remaining historic features and finishes, including what remained of the fire poles and fire pole access doors, were retained and restored were possible.  Additionally, a new rear kitchen addition was constructed to replace the c.1949 utilitarian rear kitchen. 

401 Mason Ave Norfolk, VA

401 Mason Avenue in Cape Charles, Virginia was constructed in 1935 as a Pure Oil gas station. Mason Avenue emerged at an early date as the primary historic commercial corridor in Cape Charles and runs parallel to the railroad line. The building was designed in the Tudor Revival style, mimicking an English cottage at a time when gas stations were designed to blend in with their surroundings for more appropriate placement in residential communities and non-industrial commercial corridors.  The building retains a number of features characteristic of the branded design by company architect Carl A. Peterson, including the original steeply pitched blue tile roof, paired chimneys, wooden shutters, and decorative copper and iron elements.

In the 1950s, a concrete block garage was appended to the west wall of the garage. The garage differs in style from the original building and features three large loading door openings, steel awning windows, and a steel sliding pedestrian door. 

As a result of the historic tax credit application, this vacant service station was transformed into a book store and coffee shop. The Pure Oil branded features were restored, including the painstaking removal of paint from the blue glazed roof tiles.

2330 Bowdens Ferry Road Norfolk, VA

The complex at 2330 Bowdens Ferry Road was built in c.1939 as the home of the Union Carbide Industrial Gases company.  It is situated on the corner of Bowdens Ferry Road and West 25^th Street directly adjacent to the Norfolk & Western Railroad and includes a total of four resources; the main building (c.1939), the gas filling station and loading dock (c.1939), a c.1959 metal garage, and a c.1973 metal garage.  The complex is an example of several buildings associated with the early railroad industry in Norfolk, Virginia and is a contributing resource to the Norfolk and Western Railroad Historic District.  Three of the four resources on the complex are contributing to the district. 

In addition to the typical concrete and asphalt driveways that take up a large portion of the site, the property also features large grass lawns surrounding the parking areas and along the perimeter of the property, along with several bushes and a large tree.  Atypical of industrial complexes, this property historically featured numerous bushes and several trees.  Many of these were replanted as a result of the tax credit project. 

The main building (c.1939) is primarily a one-story brick building with a small one-room two-story section located at the southeast corner.  The building featured two historic concrete loading docks, and several modern concrete block and metal additions followed throughout the mid-to-late-twentieth century.  At the start of the project, the building incorporated multiple exterior wall surfaces, including painted brick veneer, concrete block, and metal panels.  EIFS siding and decorative elements had also been added to the main c.1939 section.  A mix of historic steel windows, modern windows, and a mix of historic and modern garage and pedestrian openings lined the majority of the historic elevations.  In contrast, the modern concrete block and metal sections of the building, were fairly plain with limited openings.

As a result of the tax credit project, the complex was rehabilitated for commercial use.  The main building, along with a portion of the modern additions, were rehabilitated to support different office functions, while the remainder of the additions and secondary resources were rehabilitated for use as tenant space.  The modern EIFS wall covering and parapets were removed to re-expose the historic brick walls, and a glass curtain wall was added to the main loading dock in order to accommodate an experience center.  The historic barn doors were replicated and the historic steel windows were retained and restored.  Likewise, the historic concrete floors, exposed walls, exposed ceilings, and open spaces were retained, thus maintaining the historic industrial character and feel.  Additionally, a new entrance was added at the junction of the original c.1939 section and additions, sensitively blending the historic and modern sections of the building.  The project at 2330 Bowdens Ferry Road is an excellent example of a historic industrial complex rehabilitated for commercial use.

430 Boush Street Norfolk, VA

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.

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.      

140 LaVallette Norfolk, VA

The house at 140 LaValette Avenue was built in c.1895 in an area that was to become one of Norfolk’s first streetcar suburbs.  This house was one of the first in the Riverview neighborhood, which was platted in 1900 and developed into the 1920s.  The house fits in with the style and district character of modest, single-family dwellings on suburban lots, thus it is a contributing resource to the Riverview historic District. 

This Queen Anne style house is a two-and-a-half story, two-bay, fame dwelling with a continuous brick foundation, wood siding, and a modern asphalt shingle roof.  The house is characterized by an asymmetrical facade, a tower, and multiple bay windows.  It also has a one-story front porch with a low-pitched asphalt shingle roof, seven fluted Ionic columns, and a denticulated cornice.  Granite steps on the east end lead to the double-leaf entrance with its wood-paneled doors.  A tower is located at the west side of the facade.

At the start of the project, the interior had been gutted and was devoid of historic finishes.  Existing walls were a combination of modern and historic framing.  However, the balustrade, newel posts, limited trim, and wood floors were retained along with the historic tile in the front vestibule.  Additionally, the existing floor plan still retained key elements of the original floor plan, including the entry sequence, historic stair, and side-loaded rooms on the first floor.  As a result of this project, the interior of the house was finished to restore the house as a single-family dwelling while preserving the extant historic features and finishes.    

127 W Main Street, Norfolk, VA

127 West Main Street is a 1-story brick commercial building located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The building features a full basement and mezzanines situated at each end. The building spans the entire block from West Main Street at the facade, and West Broad Street to the south. The interior is largely open, with historic mezzanines at the northern and southern ends, and modern bathrooms and office partitions at the rear.

As a result of the historic tax credit project, the historic department store’s open plan was divided to accommodate two separate public uses on the first floor – a bar and restaurant and an event space – and a bowling alley was installed in the basement. Remaining historic features were retained and restored, including historic steel casement windows and terrazzo floors.