Glavé & Holmes Architecture (G&HA) adaptively reused a former ironworks that provided weapons and ammunition during the Civil War, for use as a National Park Service visitor center. In response to the site’s past and its National Historic Register designation, G&HA developed the exterior elevator and stair to carefully weave their way through the ruins while reflecting the machine aesthetic of the setting. Both were crafted of simple steel members painted black to respond to other metalwork on the site. The elevator was designed to reflect the industrial spirit of the surroundings and clad in glass and steel to permit unobstructed views of the machinery and moving parts inside. Both objects permit visitors to filter through the ruins and access the upper and lower levels of the site without compromising any of the historic structures.
This project is the recipient of Merit Awards from the Virginia Chapters of the American Institute of Architects and American Society of Landscape Architects, as well as an Inform magazine Award.
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