AIA West Virginia Honors Four Projects

Summary: Every year AIA West Virginia recognizes the most outstanding architecture design projects within the Mountain State, as well as projects outside the state that were designed by members of the chapter. This year’s honored projects numbered four: a federal courthouse and a railroad station restoration (honor awards recipients), and a student union and a juvenile center (merit award recipients). To celebrate the 150th national AIA anniversary and AIA West Virginia’s 85th, the chapter is creating a traveling exhibit of all its past design award recipients.

Honor Awards

Project: Federal Building & U.S. District Courthouse
Location: Wheeling, W.Va.
Architect: Joan Goody, FAIA, Goody-Clancy, Boston
Visually transparent, aesthetically bold, and historically sensitive, this new courthouse stands as a fresh point of civic pride and purpose for the citizens of Wheeling. Challenged with designing a building that would revitalize the downtown and honor an adjacent Beaux Arts court building—even as it looks to the future—the architects drew on the city’s history; its glassmaking traditions; and the proportions, massing, and materials of the surrounding context to craft a strikingly Modern architectural presence. The dramatic glass entry portico sets the stage for a sunlight-filled central lobby and elegant grand stair where the public can gather, and around which all public spaces and courtrooms organize.
Photo © Anton Grassl.

Project: B&O Railroad Station Restoration
Location: Oakland, Md.
Architect: Schamu Machowski Greco Architects, Wheeling, W.Va.
The restoration of the historic 1884 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station in Oakland, Md., supplied a key ingredient to the Town of Oakland’s revitalization project, which also includes a hiking/biking trail, town park, farmer’s market, community pavilion, and boat/fishing ramp complex. Designed in 1884 by Baldwin and Pennington, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station is one of the country’s most distinguished depots, having played host to Presidents Grant, Harrison, Cleveland, and McKinley—as well as Buffalo Bill Cody. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building now serves as the Oakland Visitors’ Center and houses a theater and model train display.
Photo © Alain Jaramillo, Baltimore.

Merit Awards

Project: James C. Wilson Student Union additions and alterations, West Virginia State University
Location: Institute, W.Va.
Architect: Silling Associates Charleston, W. Va.
The architect created additions and alternations to this student union to present an appropriate front porch to the dominant commuter segment of the student body, enhance the connection to the formal campus center from its parking zones, and create many opportunities for student activities and services within the facility. The result is a truly diverse yet cooperative organization of functional spaces that enhances the university’s ability to serve the modern student. By providing a broader spectrum of spaces and services, the student union aspires to again become the center for social activity and anchor for a rich college experience.
Photo © Ferrel Photographics.

Project: Gene Spadaro Juvenile Center
Location: Mt. Hope, W.Va.
Architect: Michael Henley, ZMM Inc., Charleston, W.Va.
The architect adapted their prototype design to make this center the latest in a series of regional juvenile facilities they have designed for the state. By eliminating the lockdown environment of a full-fledged correctional center, the 28,500-square-foot facility is designed to qualify for federal funding that assists with housing for children at risk. The shift to staff-secured operation requires even greater levels of observation, communication, and control, which ZMM achieved through design of an open layout. The $4.7 million center can accommodate up to 23 youths at a time, with spaces dedicated to education, dining, physical fitness, administration, and control/observation. The facility features innovative color schemes and abundant natural lighting to support its treatment-focused programming.
Photo © Rick Lee.