THE SCOTT HOUSE is one of Richmond’s most significant examples of American Renaissance architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was completed in 1911 and acquired by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2001. The 18,000 sf mansion was built for Frederic William Scott and his wife Elizabeth Strother Scott. It was modeled after the Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island, which referenced the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Interior plasterwork is attributed to prominent sculptor and plaster contractor, Ferruccio Legnaioli.
VCU commissioned Glavé & Holmes Architecture (G&H) to provide a feasibility study to assess existing conditions, programming, and conceptual design. Subsequently, G&H was selected to provide a historically-sensitive rehabilitation to allow the building to serve as meeting and event space for visiting and University groups.
Goals for rehabilitation the Scott House included restoration of the exterior masonry and windows supplied by Gepetto Millworks Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems were upgraded to modern standards. New restrooms, and conversions to office space and meeting rooms became part of the plans to serve the University Campus. While the rehabilitation will serve a variety of modern programmatic functions, the building’s historic fabric was restored in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and the University’s preservation philosophy for historic buildings.
Historic preservation seeks to find effective and artful ways of maintaining and reusing significant buildings, landscapes, and communities. Central to the discipline is the attempt to preserve cultural identity in the face of the threats of urban sprawl and loss of social diversity.
Maintain, protect, and repair authentic character defining features, materials, and finishes. If features are deteriorated beyond repair, replace them in-kind. Retain authentic historic building fabric to the maximum extent possible.
Historic building restoration respects the evolution of historic changes, fashion, taste, and use – do not try to “improve” the design of authentic building features.
Avoid installation of conjectural “historic” features.
Do not use maintenance methods or materials that damage significant building and landscape fabric.
Authentic Window Restoration Richmond
Scott House was built in 1907, and is a three-story, 40,950 square foot, Beaux Arts style mansion. The house is seven bays wide and is faced with a pale Indiana limestone. It features a central portico of four, giant Corinthian order columns and two Corinthian pilasters that dominate the highly formal, symmetrical entrance façade. Elizabeth and Frederic Scott bought the property from Lewis Ginter in 1903, Elisabeth Scott Bocock, moved into the house in the mid 20th century. While there, she founded the Historic Richmond Foundation, the 2300 Club, and the Hand Workshop (now known as the Visual Arts Center of Richmond). In the 1960s, the house was subdivided and used as dorms for VCU students, which continued into the 90s. A renovation in 2004 led to the Scott House opening its doors to the public, and the designation of the building as a Virginia Historic Landmark.
The historic Marble House in Newport, Rhode Island was chosen as inspiration for the Richmond structure, which was itself modeled after the Petit Trianon in Versailles. It stands proudly removed from West Franklin, an exception to the block’s density. The stately house, a handsome combination of limestone and terra cotta, is grounded by green-tiled wrapping terraces and a porte-cochére, shaded by trees in the house’s garden. Oxidized copper and careful cast iron work beautifully balance the gravity of the building’s exterior. Oversized fluted columns with Corinthian capitals give the mansion a sense of monumentality. The interior is a classic example of the American Renaissance style, originating in the 18th century. The occupant moves through the symmetrically divided rooms with no hallways on the first floor, structured around a main entrance stair which lies under a magnificent stained glass dome. Servants’ quarters are to the rear of the building, and a large English style carriage house is hidden behind the mansion. The Anderson Gallery, constructed in 1888 from the former Ginter House stables, also stands behind the Scott-Bocock House. The splendor of the structure is a reminder of Richmond’s insurance and banking glory days in the early 20th century, when it was an indulgent capital of the South.
The Babcock Building is the cornerstone of the Bull Street historic district renovation. Gepetto Provided historic replica windows, and the rebuilt cupola.
Located right in the middle of the largest development project in Columbia history, the building was built in 1885 and will be transformed into 208 luxury apartments with amenities.
Built in 1911 and acquired by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2001 the 18,000-square-foot mansion rehabilitation was orchestrated by long time specifiers of Gepetto Millworks – Glavé & Holmes Architecture. The modernization design was to provide a historically-sensitive rehabilitation to allow the building to serve as meeting and event space. The building’s historic fabric was restored in accordance with the Secretaty of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and the University’s preservation philosophy for historic buildings. Kjellstrom and Lee handled general contracting in concert with VCU maintenance and operations staff
Built in 1889 and 130 years later in 2019 another restoration began calling on Gepetto to custom fabricate new doors to match the historic profile. In addition to the time tested original joinery, we designed in our shop drawings a ‘stave core’ door that intelligently balanced the weather beating functions of three elements:
In 2018 + 2019 Sauers Spices made the development to move back into their historic offices at 2000 West Broad St capstoning the redevelopment of the Braod St Corridore. Not shown are the historically trimmed offices restored to their early 1900’s glory of mahogany framed glass privacy offices.
Virginia’s Central Business District, the Stumpf Flats on Main is currently undergoing a $5 million redevelopment, having previously served as the century old Stumpf Hotel. Renovation of the seven-story structure converted it into 24 one-bedroom apartments. Drucker + Falk the Washington, D.C.-based developer, is one of the most dominant and successful real estate developers in the Mid-Atlantic, controlling over 9 million square feet in the Washington Metro market with an additional downtown Richmond office and presence.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant. Pulvinar mattis nunc sed blandit libero volutpat sed. Tincidunt arcu non sodales neque sodales ut. In iaculis nunc sed augue lacus viverra vitae congue eu. Facilisis magna etiam tempor orci. Gravida arcu ac tortor dignissim convallis aenean et tortor. Nibh mauris cursus mattis molestie a. Euismod elementum nisi quis eleifend quam adipiscing vitae proin sagittis. Vitae elementum curabitur vitae nunc sed velit. Imperdiet massa tincidunt nunc pulvinar sapien et ligula ullamcorper.
Originally built to house the Virginia Paper Company, the building became the home of the Lady Byrd Hat Factory in 1965. The building is located near the Turning Basin of Richmond’s newly constructed Canal Walk and is the only historic building on the Canal. McPherson Design Group assisted with the design for the conversion of this building to a mixed-use facility, including residential units, offices, restaurants, retail spaces and entertainment venues. Many of the historic structural elements were recycled and featured in the new building.
Experienced restoration of historic clerestory & skylights by Virginia Carpenters. Gepetto has the experience and shop tooling to solve anything from water leaks to full rebuild and fabrication in our shop.
agsdi-bitbucket
Build
agsdi-aspengrovestudios
Restore
agsdi-hand-leaf
Repair
7
As an experienced carpenter specializing in the restoration of 18th-century clerestory buildings in Virginia, I’ve encountered numerous challenges that arise from a general misunderstanding of these historical structures by untrained builders. Clerestory buildings, characterized by their high windows above eye level, were designed to provide natural light and ventilation, a concept often overlooked in modern architecture. This fundamental aspect of their design is frequently misunderstood, leading to improper renovations that compromise both the aesthetic and functional integrity of these historic buildings.
Clerestory windows illuminate many of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed interior spaces, especially the Usonian home designs, including the Zimmerman House and the Toufic Kalil Home. In addition to adding clerestory windows to residential structures, Wright also used rows of glass in more traditional settings, such as his Unity Temple, Annunciation Greek Orthodox, and the original library, the Buckner Building, on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland. For Wright, the clerestory window was a design choice that satisfied his aesthetic and philosophic ideals.
Clerestory windows have become a mainstay of modern residential architecture. From the1922 Schindler Chace housedesigned by the Austrian-born R. M. Schindler to the student designs ofthe Solar Decathlon competition, this type of fenestration is a popular and practical choice.
Remember that this “new” way of design is centuries old. Look up at the great sacred places across the world. Heavenly light becomes part of the prayerful experience in synagogues, cathedrals, and mosques throughout the ages, from Byzantine to Gothic to Modern structures like architectAlvar Alto‘s 1978 Church of the Assumption of Mary in Riola di Vergato, Italy.
Clerestory Restoration
Another common issue is the mismanagement of the clerestory windows themselves. These windows are crucial for light and air circulation, yet I’ve seen many cases where they have been inappropriately sealed or replaced with glass that doesn’t match the period. Such alterations not only disrupt the building’s historical character but also its internal climate control, which was originally designed to rely on natural ventilation. It’s essential to use restoration techniques that maintain the original functionality of these windows while preserving their historical appearance.
In my work, I’ve seen many instances where untrained builders have attempted to “modernize” these structures without respecting their original design. For example, replacing original woodwork with modern materials not only detracts from the building’s historical authenticity but also affects its durability. The wood used in the 18th century was often old-growth timber, which is denser and more resistant to decay than most wood available today. Ignoring this, untrained builders often use less suitable materials, leading to a faster degradation of the structure.
Educating untrained builders about the historical and architectural significance of these structures is vital. Workshops and training programs on traditional carpentry methods and materials can bridge this knowledge gap. As someone deeply passionate about preserving our architectural heritage, I advocate for a collaborative approach where experienced craftsmen like myself work alongside newer builders. This not only ensures the structural and historical integrity of these clerestory buildings but also passes down valuable skills and knowledge to future generations of carpenters.
USING CLERESTORY in HOME OR OFFICE DESIGNS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Daylighting and Sunshading
Natural daylight from the northern window wall illuminates the entire building without glare, substantially reducing what is usually an room’s most significant energy cost, electric lighting. Ideally, overhead overhead lights won’t be needed during the day. Also, an open office layout allows daylight to be distributed throughout the building, providing more efficient heating and cooling. Eaves are designed to provide shade of interior walls in the summer reducing cooling costs dramatically.
The Homestead Resort and Hot Springs were purchased by the Omni hotel group in 2013 and from October 2021 to October 2023, the entire resort underwent a complete renovation, costing over $150 million. Gepetto supplied many of the historically accurate elements to the renovation contractors.
Historic Construction that time travels back to the City of Henricus, the second successful English settlement in the New World.
Explore a moment in time where 300 settlers, led by Sir Thomas Dale, departed the unhealthy environment of Jamestown with the hope of establishing a strong English Colony. Learn from your visit how these brave settlers lived under the constant threat of attack by Indians and Spaniards while building their colony. Henricus Historical Park re-creates this historical journey for the visitor transporting you back four hundred years. Historic setting in a time where property ownership by the common man was a unique concept. The innovative idea of property ownership by a common man combined with the development of the first English hospital at this location. The chartering of the first college in the New World, the English home of Pocahontas, the establishment of tobacco as the first cash crop in the New World, all happened here the City of Henricus.
Gepetto Craftsmen were instrumental in construction of the crown jewel of the Henricus historic site’s replica church. From the groud up the chapel is built with historically authentic technique by our craftsmen. The opportunity to hand hew, and fit each joint allowed us to share in the same joy of craftsmanship and strong independent spirit shared by these pioneers ages ago. From the handmade glass windows to the the gothic style arches we were able to slip back in time and work with hand tools again.
Give us a call if your modern home needs an antique replica, solid wood centerpiece, or if you are a park service representative looking for qualified restoration craftsmen.
Historic Construction : Building Methods and Materials
For National Park Service and other projects that require authentic historic woodworking techniques and tools that are period specific:
Beam Joinery
Waddle and Daub
Historic Joinery Techniques
Materials guided irregularities
The advantages to using traditional joinery in preservation & restoration projects are shown in the full character of a historic building. Matching the traditional joinery techniques in construction, repairs, restorations, and other preservation activities ensures the structural integrity of a historic building by matching the existing joinery with a joinery technique that’s compatible with it’s original construction methods. Traditional joinery honors the wooden materials and makes a stronger, more durable end product. The older design methods account for expanding and contracting materials because they had such a thorough understanding of their craft. Modern joinery – on the other hand – generally prioritizes minimal time, and multiple materials like screws and glues. Pairing modern adhesives with historic joinery can compromise the structure of a historic building. Historic construction that values each trade and period specific methods add’s to that period’s methods being maintained in the trade community as well.
Historically Accurate Hand Built Techniques
Traditional joinery is a time-tested method that is much stronger than modern joinery and lasts for generations, even thousands of years. The mortise and tenon joint is the most ancient traditional joint and has been found in the wooden planks of a vessel 43.6 meters long that dates to 2,500 BCE. Traditional Chinese architecture as old as 5000 years used these methods for a perfect fit without using fasteners and glues. The gepetto craftsmen keep these skills and traditions alive in the modern and historic project they complete.
Historically Accurate Replica Construction Contractor
Custom Woodworking for summer vacation home : Country Chic Style by Virginia Craftsmen Gepetto Millworks. Have Gepetto design and build your kitchen, dining and wood paneling to meet your budget and your design aesthetic! Here we used reclaimed barn wood for the kitchen/dining area walls to bring together the front hall and original wood floors that were refinished in renovation.
Renovate your historic property with the organic look and feel of #reclaimed lumber on the walls, floors or as purpose built furniture! In this property tour you can see how the #CountryChic elements blend together with the weathered and faded walls built by Gepetto from an old barn. The country farm house kitchen was built by the space conscious farmer of the 19th century. To bring it to modern standards, our #Kitchen#Designer brought the small space between the stove, sink and fridge out into the dining room by adding the cart style island allowing the chef to determine the cooking space, or entertaining space with the roll of the casters. Gepetto built the family length dining table to fit the space using solid wood joinery. We fashioned a clock from the same reclaimed panels and tied together the staircase, sitting room, and dining area using the reclaimed paneling. If you are looking to source a medium or large project, give us a call @ (804) 938-2094 and chat about your specific needs, and we’ll scour the rich #virginiacountryside for the right #reclaimedlumber for the job.
