Glavé & Holmes Architecture Launches Second Higher Education Studio

Richmond, VA – January 23, 2024 – Glavé & Holmes Architecture, a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, historic preservation, and planning firm, announces that it has launched a new Higher Education Studio helmed by Kevin Svensen, AIA. This studio is the firm’s second to focus on the education sector and will support both higher education and private, K-12 school clients. The firm’s existing Higher Education Studio continues to be led by Robert Parise, AIA.  

The launch of the second Higher Education Studio highlights the firm’s extensive experience in the education space and its recent growth. The new studio will provide additional capacity and support for existing and new clients.  

“As our firm grows, we’re excited to establish a second Higher Education Studio to support our clients,” said Lori Garrett, FAIA, LEED Green Associate, President of Glavé & Holmes. “Our firm has a sterling reputation for delivering enduring designs for colleges and universities. Increasingly we are asked to provide services for independent schools, many of whom have multiple buildings spread across a campus and are more similar to universities than public K-12 schools. I’m confident that the new studio, led by Kevin, will allow us to serve even more educational institutions as we continue to offer high quality and contextual design.”

Svensen was selected to manage the new Higher Education Studio because he has established himself as a leader at the firm. He is an award-winning architect who joined Glavé & Holmes shortly after earning his Master of Architecture in Traditional Architecture and Urbanism at Judson University. A 14-year veteran of the firm, Svensen has worked on many of the firm’s noteworthy education projects for clients throughout the southeast.

“I’m honored to lead Glavé & Holmes’ new Higher Education Studio,” Svensen said. “Our firm is known nationally for exceptional design work for our higher education and independent school clients and I look forward to building on this proud legacy. The new studio will continue to fulfill the firm’s vision that great design can elevate the human spirit.”

Among Kevin’s most notable projects for education clients include Christopher Newport Hall at Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA), Thomas School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Pembroke, NC), and Pannill-Smith Hall at Virginia Episcopal School (Lynchburg, VA). Current education projects include McIntire School of Commerce New Academic Facility at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), Brown Hall Expansion at William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA), Science and Engineering Research Center at Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA), and Heritage Classical Academy Master Plan (Pepper Pike, OH).

Since its founding in 1965, Glavé & Holmes has served educational institutions in Virginia and throughout the country.  The addition of a new studio highlights Glavé & Holmes’s recent growth and continuing success. The firm’s net revenue was up 13 percent year-over-year in 2023 and further growth is expected in 2024.

Glavé & Holmes Architecture Receives National Recognition

Richmond, VA – October 11, 2023 – Glavé & Holmes Architecture has received an Honor Award in LEARNING BY DESIGN Magazine’s Fall 2023 Architectural and Interior Design Awards of Excellence edition. The Saint Gertrude High School (Richmond, VA) has been recognized as an award-winning benchmark facility for its incorporation of next generation learning space design and planning methodologies. The built environment characteristics found in this project are worthy of replication by other educators and design professionals when creating improved learning spaces.

All award entries were judged by a jury of seven design and education professionals recommended by the Association of Learning Environment (A4LE) and or the authors and publisher of LEARNING BY DESIGN. Projects were scored on six specific criteria: Innovation, Community Needs, Interior Architecture and Design, Sustainability, Functional Design, and Next Generation Learning.

The jury further considered each project’s unique architectural qualities, space utilization, interior design finishes, choice of furnishings, and contemporary planning concepts that were successfully put-in-place. LEARNING BY DESIGN’s Fall 2023 jury applauded Glavé & Holmes Architecture for its accomplishment in meeting or exceeding the six submission criteria. The jury commented: “The building fits in the setting very well, the facility provides a lovely outdoor relationship and outdoor learning for students, the natural light and vistas will improve the student experience.”

Glavé & Holmes Architecture Announces Promotions

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Richmond, VA – April 18, 2023 – Glavé & Holmes Architecture, a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm, announces recent promotions. Based in the firm’s Richmond office, five professionals were recently elevated to new positions within Glavé & Holmes.

The promotions included:

  • Susan Reed, AIA, NCARB, was elevated to Principal. She serves as the firm’s Director of Historic Preservation and earned Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Art degrees from the University of Virginia.
  • Matthew Anderson was elevated to Senior Associate. He serves as the firm’s Director of Finance and earned a Bachelor of Art degree from Hampden-Sydney College.
  • Veronica Ledford, LEEP AP, was elevated to Senior Associate. She is an Interior Designer at the firm and earned Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.
  • Michael Hammon, AIA, was elevated to Associate. He serves as an Architect at the firm and earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
  • Aaron Chupp, AIA, was elevated to Associate. He serves as an Architect at the firm and earned Master of Architecture and Bachelor of Architecture degrees from Judson University.
Liberty Trust Hotel: King Suite. Photography: Jumping Rocks Photography

About Glavé & Holmes Architecture

Glavé & Holmes Architecture is a nationally recognized architecture, interior design, and planning firm located in Richmond, Virginia. Our regionally focused design practice has cultivated expertise in specialty areas – Cultural, Higher Education, Historic Preservation, Hospitality, Interior Design, and Urban Architecture – each supported by a studio structure, thus allowing us to provide the expertise necessary for a diverse portfolio. For over 55 years, we have striven to create a context-specific design that fits seamlessly into the cultural and historical environment of a given community, while addressing the functional needs of the people who will interact with each space. We believe that great design is contextual, timeless, has the capacity to engage the intellect, and elevate the human spirit. For more information, visit: https://www.glaveandholmes.com.

Boar’s Head Spa Renovation – Completed Winter 2022 – Photography by Virginia Hammerick

Glavé & Holmes Architecture Receives 2023 Palladio Award for The Liberty Trust Hotel

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Liberty Trust Hotel: Bar Lounge. Photography: Jumping Rocks Photography

The award celebrates outstanding achievement in traditional design and Glavé & Holmes was one of just 15 Palladio Award winners nationwide.

“We’re thrilled to be honored with a 2023 Palladio Award for the interior design of The Liberty Trust Hotel,” said Jessica Ritter, CID, IIDA, LEED AP, Principal and Director of Interior Design at Glavé & Holmes. “This award is so meaningful because it recognizes both the thoughtful preservation of historic features and the incredible transformation of this remarkable building.”

The Liberty Trust Hotel opened in May 2022 and was lauded by Forbes as one of the most highly anticipated hotel openings in 2022. Located in downtown Roanoke, The Liberty Trust Hotel’s historic building is among the most iconic structures in the Star City of the South. It first opened in 1910 as a bank and is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark.

Reimagined as a boutique hotel, the building boasts a number of unique details and architectural features that allow The Liberty Trust Hotel to offer guests the best of contemporary hospitality. For example, a high-end wine tasting room is housed in the bank’s former vault, and the soaring lobby is now a gathering place for travelers and visitors to enjoy food and beverages in a unique environment. Each guest room boasts stunning historic copper clad doors paired with modern amenities. The entire historic building – seven stories – was beautifully and meticulously renovated into 54 rooms and common spaces.

The lobby of the Liberty Trust Hotel

The Liberty Trust Hotel has already become a destination itself and highlights the broader hospitality renaissance happening in Roanoke. Character-defining features and finishes preserved include marble floors and trim, decorative plaster ceilings, teller counters, bank vault, and the copper-faced doors and trim on upper floors. Minor modifications were made to accommodate current building code requirements and the operations of a modern hotel.

Ritter and her team at Glavé & Holmes worked closely with the hotel’s ownership team at Savara Hospitality. One of the primary project considerations was to renovate the building to be a functional boutique hotel but maintain as much of the historic fabric as possible. These efforts included restoring existing copper clad doors and trim and original marble flooring. Where minor modifications to the floor plan were required, the design team left the exposed concrete to show the evolution of the building rather than replacing or covering with new flooring materials. 

“Collaborating with the team at Savara Hospitality was a highlight of this project,” added Ritter. “We shared a deep respect and passion for this historic structure and its immense potential. The result is truly one of the most unique and inspiring boutique hotel experiences in the country.”

Classic King Room at the Liberty Trust Hotel

The Glavé & Holmes team also was recognized for creative design solutions that addressed unique challenges posed by a historic structure. Specific preservation challenges included sensitively reconfiguring original and modified corridors and offices to accommodate hotel rooms, and creating built-in furnishings in guest rooms which enabled Savara to make the most of available historic tax credits. In addition, the design team was able to integrate historic teller counters into a stunning new lobby bar. For over 20 years, the Palladio Awards have recognized both individual designers and design teams whose work enhances the beauty and humane qualities of the built environment. The award program was founded and managed by Traditional Building magazine and has become one of the preeminent design and architecture awards in the country. An esteemed jury of design practitioners and architecture critics reviewed over 175 entries to select the top projects in 15 categories.   

Congratulations to all of the award winners! Learn more about the 2023 Palladio Award from Traditional Building Magazine here.

Read more about our insights on this unique project here.

New school building combines history with the future

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 “The more you peel back the layers of the building (and our faith), the more beauty you will find.”

Jesse Grapes, President, Benedictine Schools of Richmond
Interior rendering of the new Saint Gertrude High School.
Interior rendering of the new Saint Gertrude High School.

Saint Gertrude celebrates 101 years of faith and education

For nearly a century, Saint Gertrude High School, Virginia’s only all-girls Catholic preparatory day school, was a staple of Richmond’s Museum District, the students in their signature green uniforms a common sight on the city’s sidewalks.

The school’s internal design team started planning for a new school building in the spring of 2020. They met with several architectural firms before selecting Richmond-based Glavé & Holmes to build the 51,000-square-foot structure overlooking the James River.

“We chose Glavé & Holmes because they demonstrated the best understanding of what our internal design team wanted to accomplish: honor the Catholic and periodic architectural traditions of the original Saint Gertrude build- ing, develop a modern school building to meet a high standard of pedagogical and technological support, and expand the building’s functionality to further reinforce the Rule of Saint Benedict, particularly the Rule’s emphasis on building ‘community,’” explained Jesse Grapes, president of the Benedictine Schools of Richmond.

Read more about our insights on this unique project here.

To learn more about Saint Gertrude High School, visit saintgertrude.org

View of the James River from the new Saint Gertrude High School Terrace at sunrise
View of the James River from the new Saint Gertrude High School Terrace at sunrise.

Interior Design Article Published in Hotel Business

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Our Principal & Director of the Interior Design Studio, Jessica Ritter, recently wrote a column for Hotel Business magazine that has been published! Here is the link to the article. Jessica discusses the transformation of spaces into revenue generators, including our recent work at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort.

The editor enjoyed the column so much that he also posted the article on Inspire Design, a sister Hotel Business publication focusing on design news and trends in the hospitality sector. Congrats Jessica!

Lori is in Virginia Business-

-And she is in some very good company! Our President Lori Garrett was selected out of over 300 applications for the Virginia Business Women’s Leadership Awards 2022. As one of the eight small business executives listed (of 42 honored) execs who set the standard for leadership across Virginia.

This is the second year Virginia Business has held the Women’s Leadership Awards. This year’s 42 winners include executives in traditionally male-dominated industries — including engineering, construction and maritime — as well as fields encountering staffing or financial challenges, such as health care and higher education. Read more here

Preservation Spotlight – Ornamental Plaster Restoration at the Scott House

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One of the most noticeable and impressive aspects of the Scott House at Virginia Commonwealth University is the ornamental plasterwork throughout the house.  Noted Italian-born plasterer and sculptor Ferruccio Legnaoili was known to have worked on the house, but several decorative elements were also commonly available through ready-made ornament firms like The Decorators Supply Company in Chicago.  The Scott House appears to be a combination of custom and stock ornamentation, with a water-damaged band of frolicking putti requiring custom replication in the Master Bedroom.

Completed in 1911, the 18,000 sf residence was designed by Noland & Baskervill Architects for Frederic W. Scott and his family.  A previous Preservation Spotlight highlighted the stained glass restoration in the Breakfast Room, but ornamental plaster detailing is present in nearly every room. 

Main Hall of the Scott House (Virginia Hamrick Photography)
View into the Dining Room of the Scott House (Virginia Hamrick Photography)
Dining Room of the Scott House (Virginia Hamrick Photography)
Living Room of the Scott House (Virginia Hamrick Photography)

Florentine artist Ferruccio Legnaoili came to the US to work for Sandford White in 1902 when he was working at the University of Virginia.  Legnaoili ended up settling in Richmond in 1907 where he established his own studio and worked on numerous projects, including theatres, banks, churches, office buildings, private residences and statues.  

The Noland & Baskervill drawings did not call out catalog numbers for the ornamental plaster, as they had for the exterior decorative copper panels on the Breakfast Room, but they did include detailed drawings for the location and character of the plasterwork.  This work could have been ordered from a catalog, designed and executed by Legnaoili, or a combination of both.

Noland & Baskervill Drawing for the Finish in Main Hall, 1908

As part of Glavé & Holmes Architecture’s scope for the rehabilitation of the Scott House for Virginia Commonwealth University, the Second Floor former Master Bedroom required extensive restoration of the ornamental plaster frieze, cornice and decorative ceiling elements from water damage.  In fact, water infiltration below the Third Floor set back damaged many of the Second Floor ceiling joist ends and five rooms required structural and plaster repairs.  The former Master Bedroom was one such example of the plaster restoration that was carried out.  After repairing the source of the water infiltration and sistering the ceiling joist ends, general contractor Kjellstrom & Lee brought in plaster specialists F. Richard Wilton Co. to repair and replicate the damaged and missing plaster.

Water damage to the Second Floor former Master Bedroom ornamental plaster prior to restoration.

Detail of the ornamental plaster frieze, cornice and ceiling decoration in the Master Bedroom.

The Decorators Supply Company, which has been in business in Chicago since 1883 and still produces many of the historic elements from the same molds, had a very similar frieze of putti, but it did not match exactly what was installed at the Scott House.

The Decorators Supply Company catalog No. 121.
A similar frieze to that in the former Master Bedroom of the Scott House.

Not finding the exact moldings still in production, F. Richard Wilton proceeded to make molds of the elements in need of replication.  From these molds, replacement pieces were cast for reinstallation.  Small replacements were affixed to the restored flat plaster base with wet plaster.  Heavier cornice and frieze elements were tied back into the wall structure and utilized hemp strands to support the plaster mixture.

Preparing to make a mold of intact ornamental plaster elements to replace damaged and missing ones.
Plaster molds on site.
Reproduced plaster details ready for reinstallation.
Before Restoration
During Restoration
During Restoration
The restored ornamental plasterwork in the former Master Bedroom of the Scott House.

Using traditional materials and methods ensured a compatible bond between old and new work.  The final result seamlessly replicated the damaged or missing original plaster elements to restore the unified design throughout the space. 

Preservation Spotlight – Restoring Curved Stained Glass Windows

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When Virginia Commonwealth University decided to embark on a rehabilitation of the Scott House, it was evident that the stained glass windows of the ornate Breakfast Room would require specialized repairs.  The deflection of the glass was to the point of physically separating from the metal matrix that joins the pieces of glass, known as cames, posing a threat to the physical integrity of the windows.  Adding a layer of complexity to the challenge was the fact that each window was curved and the cames were zinc, not the typical lead.

The Scott House, completed in 1911, was designed by Noland & Baskervill Architects for Frederic W. Scott and his family.  The impressive residence of over 18,000 sf includes a particularly ornamental copper-clad Breakfast Room (the Conservatory on original plans).  The one-story structure includes domed apses to the south and east with casement windows incorporating clear and textured glass with stained glass garlands of ivy on opalescent glass.

1907 drawing by Noland & Baskervill showing the Breakfast Room to the right.

1910 revised plans for the Breakfast Room.

A detailed condition assessment with recommendations and specifications was carried out by Richmond stained and leaded glass conservator, Scott Taylor, to establish the scope of repairs early on.  Significant deflection was evident on all the windows, stressing solder joints and enabling the glass panes to separate from the cames.  This not only enabled water infiltration, but threatened the structural integrity of the windows.  It was determined that a 100% restoration of the zinc matrix was required in the areas of the clear and textured glass.  A limited amount of broken glass was also identified for replacement, but the painted ivy sections were to be minimally treated and left intact.

The windows prior to restoration. 
The windows prior to restoration. 
The windows were sagging, solder joints failing and the glass separating from the zinc cames.

A detail of the painted and fired ivy detail, as well as cracked clear glass, prior to restoration.

 

Wayne Cain of Cain Architectural Art Glass completed the restoration work, starting with the careful removal of each window and transportation of them to his studio in Bremo Bluff, Virginia.  Prior to disassembly, a vellum rubbing was made of each window and then each piece of glass was removed one by one and placed on the templates to ensure reinstallation into their exact positions.  Reproduction glass was sourced for broken or incompatible replacement glass elements and the ivy garland features were removed whole. 

A rag vellum rubbing of one of the windows prior to disassembly.  

Platforms with each piece of glass in order.
Opal glass ivy garlands were kept intact.

All glass to be reinstalled was carefully cleaned and then reassembled in its original locations with any reproduction pieces into a new zinc matrix.  A custom substrate matching the original curve was constructed as a working bed.  Reinforcement bars were added at continuous horizontal locations on the exterior in order to provide additional support, while remaining visually unobtrusive.  The wood sashes were restored and the windows were reinstalled in their original locations.   In order to provide increased thermal performance as well as protect the historic windows, custom curved glass exterior panels were added as a final improvement.   

Example of cracked crinkle glass.
Original crinkle glass to match on left; reproduction crinkle glass on right.  
Custom curved working platforms.
Custom curved working platforms.
Reassembled window with new zinc cames.
Final result: Reinstalled in the Breakfast Room.
Custom curved glass storm windows were installed on the exterior of each window in order to provide improved thermal performance and physical protection.     
The restored Breakfast Room windows.

The final result retained the original character of the windows and allows them to fully complement the architectural beauty of the restored Breakfast Room.  The added structural support and custom exterior curved glass provide additional protection to ensure the windows survive for future generations to enjoy.

Lori Garrett Succeeds Randy Holmes as President of Glavé & Holmes Architecture

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Glavé & Holmes Architecture announced today that Lori Garrett, FAIA, LEED Green Associate has been named President of the firm. Garrett succeeds Randy Holmes, FAIA, who was President of the firm for 21 years. Holmes will continue to serve as a Senior Principal and focus on business development.

Lori, who has been at Glavé & Holmes for 17 years, will continue to lead projects she is managing for the firm’s Higher Education Studio. As President, she will provide strategic guidance and empower the firm to meet its goals. 

“Lori is a phenomenal leader who will continue to inspire and empower our entire team,” Randy recently noted. “This leadership transition continues our firm’s evolution and positions Glavé & Holmes for an exciting future as a woman-led and majority women-owned architecture firm.”  

With this transition, Glavé & Holmes becomes the largest woman-led architecture firm in the Commonwealth of Virginia and Lori joins a select few women in the country to lead architecture firms with over 60 employees. 

“Our firm has earned an unparalleled reputation for excellence and crafting solutions of enduring quality,” Lori said. “I see a bright future ahead because we are well positioned to meet the evolving needs of our clients and communities.”  

This change will have a minimal impact on our day-to-day operations. All project teams will remain the same and both Lori and Randy will continue to manage projects they are leading.