Through the Years: Preservation Projects
2020 marks thirty-five years for our firm. Since our founding, we have worked on hundreds of projects of all kinds throughout the Southern Appalachian region. In honor of the anniversary, we are reviewing the evolution of our projects since opening our doors in 1985. Today we take a glimpse at a handful of our historic preservation projects in downtown Asheville. You can see the previous 35th Anniversary posts here: Hospitality & Education Commercial Residences 1 Residences 2
27 Biltmore Patio Life
Part of our commitment to adaptive reuse is to re-imagine old buildings and to breathe new life into neglected spaces. The owner of 27 Biltmore Avenue contacted Samsel Architects to help convert their building, which used to house Hannah Flanagan’s Irish Pub, into a restaurant, several retail and office spaces, and private apartments. The street-level tenant, Manicomio Pizza, asked us to develop the outdoor patio into a space for their patrons to enjoy al fresco dining. The owner wanted to “make it a place where people can bring their kids and pets or just come and chat with friends over
Chapel Hill Renovation Revisited
We are getting near the end of May, which means National Preservation Month is almost over. To continue our celebration, today we revisit our historic Chapel Hill Renovation. This Dutch Colonial was originally built in the 1933 and is located in one of Chapel Hill’s historic districts. From the street view, the home maintained much of its original character. Away from the street, a former rear service porch had been altered and enclosed. That area become the primary focus of the exterior changes. The altered porch zone was removed and a new two-story addition was added in the style of the
Downtown Apartment Renovation Revisited
May is National Preservation Month, and to celebrate we are revisiting one of our historic renovation projects in Downtown Asheville. This apartment is on the top level of a 1905 building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. For our renovation, we redesigned the cramped interior to be open and modern while still preserving the historic charm of the granite building. To learn more about Preservation Month, you can visit The National Trust for Historic Preservation. This month, they have virtual tours of important landmarks across the US. You can also visit and learn from our local society, The
Sunsets and Sazeracs at Black Mountain Renovation
Breathing new life into existing homes is a source of inspiration for us and our clients. We were happy to hear from our client about the joy their re-imagined spaces have given them through the Coronavirus pandemic. The value of a beautiful home is keenly evident right now. Our clients wanted to update their 1920s stone home in Black Mountain by bringing more light into the home and capturing the view of the nearby Craggy Gardens. The clients envision spending several more decades in the house and challenged us to make the home easier to navigate with open gathering spaces and
Celebrating Center for Craft Grand Reopening
On November 16th, the Center for Craft celebrated its grand reopening of the National Craft Innovation Hub in downtown Asheville. We have been working with the Center for Craft on this project for the past three years, and were happy to celebrate the finished project with them. The National Craft Innovation Hub was created with the intention of providing office, event, and gallery space for creative collaboration among artists, researchers, curators and other members of the community. Its purpose is dedicated to promoting and supporting craft in an increasingly digital age by serving as a creative destination and a resource to
Modern Office Renovation for ENO
Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO), an Asheville-based outdoor company, challenged our studio to take a dingy office building from the 80s and transform the space into a day-lit, modern office. The space needed to enhance creativity, collaboration and productivity while also conveying a strong connection to the outdoors. Stripping the building down to its bones allowed us to give ENO the office they were envisioning - a functional and beautiful space that embodies professionalism, fun and a sense of calm. The exterior before renovations ENO had outgrown their downtown Asheville location and approached our studio to design a modern office renovation for their
Wilkesboro Downtown Rejuvenation Project Update
We have been assisting the Town of Wilkesboro with their downtown rejuvenation for the past couple years. The latest phase involves a creative renovation solution to save a historic rock building in the heart of downtown.
Modern Office Renovation for ENO
ENO, an Asheville-based company that sells hammocks and outdoor gear, had outgrown their South Slope location and approached our studio to design a modern office renovation to their newly purchased building. The building, although adequate space-wise, was severely underwhelming when it came to character and charm. The dark and unhealthy space had water damage from roof leaks, low ceilings and a maze of office partitions and outdated finishes from the 1980s. Looking past all this, we saw the bones had the potential to be transformed into a modern space filled with plenty of light and views. Above: Exterior of the
COHAB coming to life in High Point
Samsel Architects has been hard at work creating a concept for a new creativity hub in High Point, NC called COHAB. COHAB will be a new co-working and co-living space inside a renovated hosiery mill complex. It’s purpose is to bring together individuals from our region and around the globe to create new ideas and a reinvigorated product manufacturing industry for High Point. There are also plans for a community space, garden, and a cafe. From COHAB’s website: COHAB is High Point’s first co-working space and the only design center of its kind in the world: a bridge between our local community