Virginia Tech expands Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center with new building in Old Town
Virginia Tech has added 601 Prince Street to its Old Town Alexandria campus in the National Capital Region, bringing the total number of university buildings to five within a five-block radius.
Purchased by the Virginia Tech Foundation, 601 Prince Street houses offices for six to seven faculty members and design studio space for 75 students. These students are enrolled in masters and Ph.D. programs in architecture and landscape architecture which are offered by the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. The new building also includes three classrooms of various sizes, collaboration and presentation spaces, and open areas that can accommodate visiting exhibits.
The historic, 1,200-square-foot Greek Revival-style building was constructed in 1840 for the Second Presbyterian Church. The structure was extensively remodeled in 1889 by Virginia-born architect and historian Glenn Brown in a Romanesque Revival style and in 1907 the building was featured in a brochure designed for the Alexandria Tercentennial.
The building's highlights are its corner tower and semicircular masonry arch on short, fat columns. Today the building combines old world architecture with modern appointments. Most recently, EDAW, a well-known environmental landscape design firm, occupied the building for 30 years.
“We couldn’t be more pleased about expanding Virginia Tech’s presence in Old Town with this beautiful historic building,” said Jaan Holt, professor and director of the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center. “The additional space fosters a creative environment for our students and allows us the capability to host speakers and exhibits that will further enhance their knowledge and skills in the field. It also serves well to house our consortium students from a global membership of 12 other universities.”
