Law firm to occupy downtownbuilding
New office building being built across the street from Fredericksburg Post Office
Date published: 3/20/2008
BY BILL FREEHLING
A 5,500-square-foot office building that will be occupied by a local law firm is under construction near Fredericksburg's post office.
The building is at 308 Wolfe St., near the intersection of Princess Anne Street. It will be the home of Livesay & Myers P.C., which is currently at 1315 Jefferson Davis Highway in the city. The law firm also has a small office in Woodbridge.
Fredericksburg commercial developer Mike Degen owns the land and building. W&G Construction Co. is the general contractor.
Degen bought the land a few years ago. When he purchased, there was a duplex and a single-family home on the three lots, which were numbered 306-310 Wolfe St.
Degen said he purchased the properties thinking they were stable enough for renovation. Upon closer examination, he realized they lacked a foundation and were beyond repair.
He then received Architectural Review Board permission to replace the homes with the office building. He said there was one person still living in one of the homes who had to leave.
Fredericksburg architect George Somers designed the new building. It's intended to blend in with the mostly residential neighborhood along Wolfe Street and look somewhat like the buildings that were there.
From the post office, the left part of the building is designed to look like a duplex. It's three stories, 39 feet at the highest point. The right part is two stories, 26 feet high at the tallest part. Both parts are the same distance from the street as the structures next door.
The first floor will be brick, the second and third floors hardy plank. There's a rooftop deck off the third floor; that space could ultimately be converted into a residential condominium.
Degen said plans for the building were redrawn about a dozen times before being finalized. He said he went in front of the ARB three times before both sides agreed on the project. He said the final product is one that looks somewhat residential but works for commercial use.
"We took something that was very run-down and created the same idea of what was here," Degen said. "We really tried to work with the neighborhood."
John Morgan and Chris White of W&G said they hope to be done with construction in late May.
Date published: 3/20/2008
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