Harwood Lofts

Built in 1938, this two-story masonry building functioned as a warehouse on the first floor and a roller-skating rink on the second floor.  The building served as a sewing factory through the latter part of the 20th century.  Located in the heart of Downtown Marion, Virginia, the building occupies the entirety of its site, bounded by streets on its north and south ends.

With a vibrant market for apartments, the owner decided to convert the building to loft apartments on the upper level and a parking garage on the lower level.  The volume afforded by the barrel vault ceiling and widely spaced bowstring trusses on the upper level allowed loft bedrooms to be situated above kitchens in most of the apartments.  The 18’ spacing on the steel trusses meant that most apartments could have an exposed truss which, along with the large steel sash windows, adds great visual appeal to the interiors.

With the enlargement of an existing garage door, much of the first floor has been adapted to indoor parking for the tenants.  Four storefronts on the north end of the building were re-created to add interest to that façade and provide access and daylight to first floor apartments.

Location: Marion, VA
Date: 2016
Size: 6,000 SF