Last month, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell appeared alongside Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Phase II of the Lorton Workhouse Arts Center. OTJ Architects’ Partner and Studio Director Tony Martin has been managing this 85,000 SF project since 2009, where the Lorton Arts Foundation is creatively readapting a historic prison complex that was first commissioned at the beginning of the 20th Century under President Theodore Roosevelt. This facility was originally intended to provide prisoners with fresh air, natural light and structured, purposeful work as the basis for their rehabilitation. Agricultural operations began at the Workhouse in 1912 and the prisoners created a brick plant where they produced bricks to construct the permanent buildings that now make up the Workhouse Arts Center. Instead of taking shovels to dirt at the December event, Governor McDonnell and Chairman Bulova took sledgehammers to bricks as a ceremonial homage to this unique aspect of the Workhouse’s history.
The story of this adaptive reuse began in the 1980’s, when overcrowding had become an issue and the buildings were in a state of severe disrepair. The conditions continued to worsen until DC prison officials were finally ordered to begin transferring prisoners out of the Lorton facility in preparation for its closing in 1997. Fairfax County received the property title five years later, a transfer made possible through the Lorton Technical Corrections Act that required the county to develop an adaptive re-use plan for the land and former prison facilities. The Lorton Arts Foundation came up with an idea to transform this series of indoor/outdoor spaces into a cultural arts center. In July 2004, a century after Roosevelt put forth his original vision for this plot of land, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the rezoning of a 55-acre portion of the former correctional facility to become the Workhouse Arts Center. September 2008 marked the official grand opening of Phase I (designed by BBGM), when visitors could tour the grounds, learn about the history of the complex, visit the artists’ studios, participate in art classes and workshops, attend musical and theatre performances and visit the two-story gallery building.
OTJ Architects was then hired to complete Phase II, which included the renovation and design of three more spaces – The Kid’s Zone, The Events Center, and the Performance Theater. The Kid’s Zone, a 7,500 SF former dormitory building, is set to open in the summer of 2011 with several classrooms and a 100-person state of the art studio theater. By Fall 2011, the space that once served as the prisoner’s dining hall will become a 600-seat event/conference center – equipped with a full-service kitchen, bridal suite, a multi-use conference center and a movable dividing wall.
Last but not least, next winter will see the conversion of a 12,000 SF former multi-use gym and meeting building into a 300-seat performance theater with a new mezzanine level, and newly excavated lower level for dressing areas. This will effectively complete Phase I and Phase II – the adaptive reuse segments of the project. The new construction portions, Phase III, are likely to break ground in 2012 and will include an amphitheater, artist residences, and restaurants. There have also been discussions of converting the existing campus power plant into a microbrewery, as well as potentially adding a culinary arts center and/or a performing arts branch of a regional university into the mix.
Since the entire site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the concept of “Adaptive Reuse” has truly been a driving force in the redevelopment process. Wherever possible, historic and recovered on-site materials are incorporated, and all these projects use the latest energy efficiency, waste reduction and conservation techniques. In fact, based on an ongoing feasibility study the entire complex will be designed to reuse methane gas from the adjacent landfill for as many of the new and renovated facilities as possible.
Lorton is now the fastest growing part of the county, and the Workhouse Arts Center is quickly establishing itself as the region’s most distinctive cultural arts complex. When all phases of the renovation are complete it will consist of 150,000 square feet of adaptively reused buildings, as well as 60,000 square feet of new construction and 40 acres of open green space. OTJ Architects is proud of the partnership it has nurtured with the Lorton Arts Foundation, and is looking forward to turning their innovative vision into a reality in the years to come.
For more information on the Lorton Arts Foundation, visit: http://www.lortonarts.org/
For more information on the Worhouse Arts Center, visit: http://www.workhousearts.org/
Check out their Blog Here: http://www.otj.com/Blog/EntryId/21/The-Lorton-Workhouse-Arts-Center-How-OTJ-Architects-Designs-for-Adaptive-Reuse-Projects.aspx
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