Month: November 2015

When Katherine Donovan returned home to Charleston, South Carolina, in her early 20s after a stint living on a ranch in Wyoming, she was searching for her next move. A friend suggested she contact Charleston-based designer Amelia Handegan to see about an assistant position, which led to working on the original River Course Clubhouse at Kiawah and the renovation of the Vanderhorst Plantation House.

“I remember as a teen riding bikes with friends who lived on the island to see the old dilapidated house,” she says. “It was certainly full circle to have childhood memories playing around a falling-over old plantation home…then getting an opportunity to work alongside a professional restoring it back to the period-updated design it is today.”

It was Handegan who told Donovan to go to design school if she wanted to get ahead in the industry. So Donovan attended VCU, then got a job at Charlottesville-based Stedman House. In 2003, she started her own small design studio and has since worked on projects for clients in Charlottesville, Richmond, Charlotte, Baltimore and Atlanta (to name a few). We asked her to tell us what she’s been into lately.

What are you currently reading?

A gift from a very good friend for my birthday, Mark Bittman’s cookbook, How to Cook Everything Fast—all 1,056 pages of it! I am always searching for that delicious new recipe.

What are you listening to?

“Jazz Manouche with Stéphane Grappelli.” It puts me in the best mood. I learned about it from my neighborhood grocer at Main Street Market, who plays it in the store on Friday afternoons. One afternoon, I finally asked him what was this music, he told me and I have loved it ever since. I’ve been learning more about the jazz manouche period in Paris. (I had only known about Stéphane Grappelli playing with David Grisman, but this pre-dates that and gives me more insight to the start of Grappelli’s career in Paris.)

What are you watching on TV?

TV…who has time for it? College football is what we watch on the weekends with good snacks and our kids! Go Hoos and go Gamecocks!

What are you eating/drinking lately?

Eating: Getting ready to make lots of soups this winter season. My favorite is anything with carrots, squash, parsnips or ginger…yummy! Drinking: Homemade chai lattes with soy milk. My husband gave me a pound of the Rock Creek Red Chai Tea from Capital Teas—all the spices and taste of a good quality chai tea without any sugar content. It is delicious! I make one every morning.

What are you working on?

Right now, I have a new client who has just moved into a small, thoughtfully renovated 1920s bungalow in downtown Charlottesville. She has asked me to help her to make it her own, using many of the existing finishes that were chosen by the previous owner, who also renovated the house. It is an amazing small space overall, that lives like a much larger space—coffered ceilings, custom paint colors, galley kitchen with original farm sink, butler’s pantry, orginal windows, shady front porch, two small baths with ball and claw foot tubs, the list goes on… I am excited to work on this project. There is a budget (reality!) but the bones are good to start with, and we both love what the previous owner did to renovate the space.

Rolling drive? Check. Board fencing? Check. You’ve got your mature oaks and boxwoods, your brick façade, your white columns. And, naturally, there is a historical connection to a towering figure of early American history (Patrick “Give Me Liberty” Henry).

It doesn’t get much more classic than Oak Grove, a 131-acre estate outside Scottsville. Visiting it would be an excellent primer for an out-of-stater who wanted to quickly soak up the Virginia vibe. Unlike Monticello, it isn’t eccentric; unlike Montpelier, it lacks major historical significance. But it shares with those two presidential homes a sense of dignity and specialness.

The front door delivers you to a spacious, sunlit central hall, where the details will invite you to pause. There are wooden wall panels, elaborate crown molding and wide thresholds between rooms. It’s funky in the universal old-house way, but it’s also high-quality in a way that many are not.

The house is very symmetrical: The spacious parlor on one side mirrors the dining room on the other, and each has a fireplace on its far wall. Above these, a pair of bedrooms share the same chunky proportions and the same window placement. From the rear extends a seamless addition, making the house a T shape, with an office on the first floor and a bedroom on the second.

Nope, we haven’t mentioned the kitchen yet—because it’s in the basement. And yes, that’s kind of odd. Travel down to a terracotta tile floor, and the kitchen lies to your right.

Here again, it’s abundantly clear that you’re not in a new house, because no contemporary builder would put the kitchen down here, a floor away from the dining room; nor would they likely put it on the northwest side of the house. The danger is that the room might feel cavelike, especially on a dark winter morning when you’re standing at the sink, looking out a ground-level window.

But, if this is a cave, it’s a mighty pleasant one. A low ceiling has exposed joists. A brick fireplace brightens the mood even without an actual fire. In the current arrangement, a big kitchen table occupies the middle of the room, but one could slide that toward the rear to add more workspace in the form of an island.

There’s nothing trendy about this kitchen (the backsplash tiles feature barnyard animals in a folk art style) but it’s a good place to cook something simple and then cozy up around the table. And if you really couldn’t take being in the basement, you could perhaps swap the locations of the kitchen and the first-floor office. Or, um, hire a cook.

The kitchen opens onto a brick patio, where big boxwoods and a mature herb/perennial garden provide a welcome touch. From here, you’ll wander around back to survey a broad, rolling expanse of lawn, fenced fields and a curtain of woods downhill from the house. It’s not visible from this spot, but we’re told there’s also a creek on the property, which is about half forested.

All this land is inspiring. It makes you want to roam, plant things, host weddings, set up badminton nets. In that spirit, someone has put in some young oaks behind the house and installed a pool down the hill, and there’s still tons of space to play with.

So, at nearly a million and a half, what are we paying for here? One, that sense of raw possibility. Two, the prestige and patina of a real antebellum estate. Three, a very nice but not incredibly convenient house.

We are not paying for giant bathrooms, induction cooktops or other millennial must-haves. This is rural, ultra-traditional and totally real.

Address: 91 Hardware Rd., Scottsville

MLS#: 531838

Year built: Approximately 1854

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2.5

Square footage (finished): 3,984

Acreage: 131

Extras: Pool, outbuildings

List price: $1.45 million

When you’re young, one of the hardest —and most important—decisions you face is what to pursue as your life’s work. For Anne Gibson Mark, that choice didn’t come easy. She had always been interested in architecture—her father was a founding principal of local firm Johnson, Craven & Gibson, so she’d grown up with an appreciation for the craft her whole life—but two years into architecture school at UVA, she decided to take a year off and pursue another love: tennis.

“[At UVA], I was simultaneously playing on the tennis team under Lindsay Burns and Mary Hotchkiss and earned the MVP award in 1976,” she says. “I taught at a tennis camp with [tennis pro] Ian Crookenden and helped [tennis coach] Mike Dolan with clinics. I was ranked second in the mid-Atlantic.”

But ultimately, after a year as a tennis pro, she went back to architecture.

“I missed the thoughtful challenges of the field,” she says. In 1985, she returned to Charlottesville to take over JCG when the firm’s partners retired. She’s been there ever since.

“The mountains, the seasons and the remaining small town feel have shaped my personality and my sensibilities,” she says. Seems like some things just come easy.

Why architecture?

From an outsider’s point of view, I took a straight-line path to the practice of architecture, whereas the route was challenging and circuitous in reality. My primary interests throughout school were math, art and tennis. I had an early exposure to architecture as my father was one of the founding principals in the firm of Johnson, Craven & Gibson in 1947. Early in life, I had to learn to spell “architecture” as they used to ask you on forms what your father’s work was. He had a parallel edge and drafting tools at our house so I was allowed to play with triangles, scales and compasses. I also loved to paint watercolors with him on the weekends. He also often took us to his job sites. I remember visiting the site of the Boar’s Head Inn and watching the timber frame of the old mill after it had been carefully numbered and dismantled being reassembled at its new location. I remember taking the trip down to Peaks of Otter Lodge as it was being built and after its completion. I watched the City Courthouse be built and heard about the riots at UVA when Wilson Hall was added to the Lawn. However, I did not grow up thinking I would be an architect.

I spent a great deal of my time playing and teaching tennis well into my 20s. However, I realized by the time that I was applying to colleges that I wanted a “real” career, and due to my mother’s own regret for not having a career, she encouraged me to think of one that I could do. Since math and art were the subjects that I enjoyed the most, I decided architecture would be a good fit for me. When I started to apply to colleges, my father’s firm was working hard on the Virginia Psychiatric Institute. His passion for the project was evident as he discussed the early programming of the project and how exciting it was that they were going to create living pods where patients could come for varying lengths of time. It was considered a great innovation in that it was not a place to live forever, but basically thought of as an outpatient service. I became fascinated with the idea that buildings were responding to the specific needs of a lifestyle or medical condition. It was at that point that I decided I wanted to become an architect. I went directly into architecture school from high school, but after two years I took a year off to rethink my decision.

Why did you choose to practice in Virginia?

I am a native of Charlottesville which again would make it seem like an obvious pathway to practicing here. However, I never thought that Charlottesville would be where I ended up! After attending the architecture school at UVA, I worked in Richmond for Glave, Newman and Anderson. After a year, I went on to graduate school at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduation I set out to discover my own path and accepted a position in Baltimore at Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet. My father’s firm asked me to return to Charlottesville in 1985 as he and his partners were hoping to retire at some point and wanted the firm to continue. I have remained here since. The local environment has at this point become an integral part of who I am. As a native of Charlottesville and the daughter of a Charlottesville architect I have been presented with a unique opportunity to practice here. I have come to truly understand and value the importance of the architectural vernacular and what makes Charlottesville so special.

What was your childhood like, and how did it lead you to design?

I grew up in an old farmhouse that was recently torn down to make the new lower school at St. Anne’s-Belfield. Our property was surrounded by woods and fields. There were old farm buildings and our house itself was old and had been added on to several times. We usually spent our weekends doing some household fixes or playing outside. I was always fascinated by the plan of our house and the interaction of the house with the natural environment. However, if I reflect on what was most influential in my love and understanding of architecture, I would say that it was travel. When I travelled in the mid-Atlantic for tennis tournaments, I was always intrigued with the other towns and cities and how people lived. At that time, you were typically “housed” by someone who lived locally. You could see such a difference between the small towns and the large cities. Throughout my childhood, I visited a friend whose family had a home on the coast of Maine. Again, the landscape of the rocky coastline and the water surrounded by mountains introduced me to another style of architecture. When I was in high school, I spent a summer studying with a group called Corolla in England run by the Blue Ridge School in Dyke. I spent the summer in Reading, England, and one of my courses was on the history of British architecture. We took lots of local trips as well as spending three days in Paris. I was so amazed by the age of the cathedrals and even some of the homes and shops. It was fascinating to see how the architecture reflected the lifestyle. Upon returning home, the contrast made me aware of how much the landscape or natural environment had influenced the architecture.

Tell us about your college experience. Was there a stand-out teacher who had a lasting impact on you?

I went to the University of Virginia architecture school right out of high school. It was a big surprise to me to be in an academic arena where the student presented his or her work and was publically criticized in front of a jury as part of the education process. It was also a surprise to me that I was one of 10 women in a class of a hundred! There were no longer absolutes of right and wrong, but what felt like very subjective determinations of what was good or bad. Perhaps Mario Valmarana had the most influence on me as I took some independent studies with him and then spent a summer in Vicenza studying Paladian architecture. I think the impact of the history and rules of design that became so apparent have had a lasting impact on me. Since then, I have had the opportunity to travel with my husband, Earl Mark, a professor at the UVA School of Architecture. We have travelled to Canada, Scotland, England, Germany, France and Austria. We lived in Cambridge, England, at Downing College while he was on a sabbatical there. Living there for so long allowed us to explore much of the English countryside as well as Scotland and France. In 2001, we travelled to Russia and adopted our two daughters. Once again, it was an inspiring and educational experience.

On process: How does it begin?

I approach the design process in a theoretical way. To me it is not a magical inspiration but a series of problems and opportunities to be analyzed and creatively synthesized with vision and purpose. The client’s desires, site and context all have to be examined and then integrated. It is a methodical process and definitely one that evolves into a solution or piece of architecture. It is also a fun process of discovery and possibilities. I like to approach a design solution from as many different perspectives as possible and try to always make it a team approach. Over the years, JCG has assembled a large group of consulting experts whose opinions we value and trust.

What inspires you?

Living in Charlottesville, we are surrounded by inspiration. The natural beauty of the area combined with the incredibly rich history all provides constant inspiration. Understanding and studying our predecessors and how and where they built, their successes and failures all fuel our vision. JCG is a firm that has a long history in Charlottesville. I have been fortunate to have worked with my father, David Gibson, Floyd Johnson and Tommy Craven at UVA, Monticello and many of the beautiful private residences in the area. I’ve also had the opportunity to continue their stewardship of the Boar’s Head Inn and many of their other projects as needs arise today.

It provides us with a sense of continuity, an appreciation for detail and a realization of the power of architecture to positively change one’s life.

Certainly having a great site is very inspirational. Being able to use materials aptly and creating spaces that are enjoyable provided an enduring sense of satisfaction. The greatest accomplishment is when you can satisfy both your client and your own senses.

What are you working on now?

We have just finished a renovation of a 1920s catalog house in the city and we’re currently finishing a new residence in the county. Our next undertaking is the restoration of an early 19th century property that is listed on the National Register.