Harrisonburg, Va
This prominent four-story, classical revival brick building in downtown Harrisonburg was built in 1907 by George Keezell for use as the Daily News Building. In addition to housing the local newspaper operation for decades, the building was home to a music school, a business school, a shoe store, the public library, and apartments. While the building’s upper floor exterior retained much of its classical detailing with a deep, molded decorative cornice and arched windows, the ground floor storefronts were heavily remodeled for various tenants over the years. The original central opening on Main Street with its staircase to the upper floors remained intact, as did the defining corridors and historic doorways throughout these spaces.
The current owners commissioned Frazier Associates to provide full architectural services and assistance with historic tax credits for rehabilitation of the building for new commercial use and upper story apartments. The successful rehabilitation retained historic elements including the staircase, corridors, windows and doors, trim, and wood floors. On the exterior, the buff colored brick and ornamental window hoods were cleaned and repointed. New contemporary-compatible storefronts that reestablished the scale of the original openings were installed on the Main Street and Newman Avenue elevations for new retail and restaurant use.
