Virginia Tech architecture captures four of the top 10 spots in prestigious statewide poll

Hokies and Virginia Tech fans from everywhere who voted in the Virginia’s Favorite Architecture public poll helped land four structures on the Blacksburg campus in the top 10 of 250 nominees.

Burruss Hall was chosen as third followed by the LumenHAUS as fourth, the Pylons and Memorial Chapel as sixth, and the Moss Arts Center as eighth. The survey, which garnered nearly 30,000 votes, whittled the nominees down to 100 deemed Virginia’s most beloved pieces of architecture.

The competition is part of the Virginia Center for Architecture and the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects celebration of the society’s 100th anniversary. Photos and information about the top 100 buildings, bridges, monuments, and memorials are part of an exhibition that runs through Oct. 19 at the center in Richmond.

“The results of the survey make it clear that we forge deep personal connections to architecture,” Said Helene Combs Dreiling, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects and executive director of the center. “Buildings that hold sentimental value for us are just as meaningful as those that are considered to hold great architectural or historical significance.”

Jack Davis, also a fellow of the national organization and dean of Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies, echoed those sentiments.

“This first of its kind exhibit in Virginia, reinforces the intrinsic bond between people of Virginia and the architecture that shapes their lives,” Davis said. “The connections often are emotional, frequently nostalgic, but always memorable. Virginia’s top 100 architectural icons are a unique and pertinent reflection of its people, its culture, its innovation, and its history.”

He also is the 2014 president of the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects.

Universities and Thomas Jefferson claimed most votes for structures that placed in the top 10. Virginia Tech’s four among that group were in excellent and revered company. When Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger, who earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in architecture, and a doctorate in environmental science and engineering at the university, was told about the survey’s results he said that the polling shows the beauty, art, and history of Virginia.

“The structures that are recognized at both Virginia Tech and around the state show a broad span of architecture and also very significant periods for Virginia and for the university,” Steger said. “We are very proud of the Blacksburg campus from some of the older buildings, including Burruss Hall, to one of the newest, Moss Arts Center, which opened just last October.”

The complete list of the top 10 most admired Virginia architectural structures, including the architect or firm, and the location, is:

1. Sweet Briar House, Sweet Briar College, c. 1790 — Joseph Crews, Sweet Briar, Va.
2. Monticello, c. 1770 — Thomas Jefferson, Charlottesville, Va.
3. Burruss Hall, Virginia Tech, 1936 — William Carneal and J. Ambler Johnston, AIA of Carneal, Johnston, and Wright, Architects and Engineers, Blacksburg, Va.
4. LumenHAUS, Virginia Tech, 2009 — Center for Design Research, Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Blacksburg, Va.
5. The Academical Village, University of Virginia, 1822 — Thomas Jefferson, Charlottesville, Va.
6. War Memorial Chapel and Pylons, Virginia Tech, 1960 — Roy F. Larson, FAIA of Harbeson, Hough, Livingston, & Larson, Blacksburg, Va.
7. Washington Dulles International Airport, 1962 — Eero Saarinen and Associates, Chantilly, Va.
8. Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech, 2013 — Snøhetta, Blacksburg, Va.
9. Christ Church, 1773 — Col. James Wren, Alexandria, Va.
10. Poplar Forest, 1809 — Thomas Jefferson, Forest, Va.

The Top 100 beloved examples of architecture in Virginia includes:

• Thomas Jefferson is the architect appearing most frequently on the list, with 6 structures
• There are 7 places of worship on the list
• Schools and universities own or operate 12 structures on the list
• One structure hasn’t even been built yet: The Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Contemporary Art
• Nearly all of the structures are cultural destinations: either museums, historic homes, memorials, or entertainment venues
• The Richmond region boasts the most structures on the list with 32; the Blue Ridge region claims 23 (with 6 in the top 10); Northern Virginia has 18; the Hampton region has 16; and Central Virginia holds 11.

The Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects is a professional association representing nearly 2,500 members. Founded by five architects in 1914, the organization has represented the professional interests of architects and allied professionals in the Commonwealth of Virginia for 100 years.