PROPOSED CIG TAX BRINGS PHILIP MORRIS LOBBY, P.9
CARTOONIST WARREN CRAGHEAD ON ART WITHOUT INHIBITION, P.43
BARRACKS ROAD FROYO SHOP SPARKS CONTROVERSY, P.46
The Design Issue Eight of Charlottesville’s top architects, designers, and historians pick the most beautiful places in Charlottesville
JACK LOONEY
APRIL 9 – 15, 2014 CHARLOTTESVILLE’S NEWS AND ARTS WEEKLY C-VILLE.COM FREE
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OUR PANEL Cathy Clary consults and teaches about the residential landscape in and around Albemarle County. Jeff Dreyfus is the co-founder of Bushman Dreyfus Architects, which focuses its practice on institutional work for public and private clients. BDA designed such places as the City Center for Contemporary Arts and Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards. Lynn Easton is the founder of Easton Events, and co-owner of Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, Zero George (in Charleston, South Carolina), and the upcoming Red Pump restaurant. Her work has been featured in national magazines including The Knot, Southern Living Weddings, and Martha Stewart Weddings. Allison Ewing co-owns Hays + Ewing Design Studio with her husband, Christopher Hays. A graduate of the Yale Graduate School of Architecture, Ewing has more than 33 years of architecture experience.
Yulan magnolia on Grounds
Peter Hatch is a professional gardener and historian with 38 years experience in the restoration, care, and interpretation of historic landscapes. He has written four books on the gardens of Monticello, where he served as director of gardens and grounds for 35 years. Andrea Hubbell is a Charlottesville-based photographer with a background in architectural design. Her work has been featured in C-VILLE, The Scout Guide, Edible Blue Ridge, and on beyondthe flavor.com, a food-focused project she co-founded with fellow photographer, Sarah Cramer-Shields. Phyllis Joseph is the owner of Joseph Joseph & Joseph, a three-generation fine antiques and architecturals retailer. Dan Zimmerman is the co-founder of Alloy Workshop, a Charlottesvillebased architecture firm that specializes in everything from design to construction. Started in 2006, it counts Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar and Rise Pizzaworks (now called Slice) among its notable projects.
ERIC KELLEY
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
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This remarkably grand Yulan magnolia sits on the northeast walkway leading toward UVA’s Rotunda—and has since around 1910. Sit on the bench underneath it in early spring, when you can look up and find yourself surrounded by hundreds of delicate, ivory-colored blooms.
“When its blooms sneak under spring frosts in March
19
THE DESIGN ISSUE
Setting pretty The 18 most beautiful places in Charlottesville
CATHY CLARY
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or April, this magnificent specimen makes a heavenly sitting spot.”
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
A few years ago, after a friend had recounted a particularly less-thandesirable day, he followed up the story with a bright spot: “But my favorite tree in town is finally blooming,” he said. I never let that “regal, purple, perfect” tree on 29S (right at the 250 overpass) go unnoticed after that. If this tree could get him looking through rosecolored glasses, it was something special. But he’s not the only one to recognize the somethings special in this town. For this year’s design issue, we asked eight of the area’s keenest eyes in the fields of residential, commercial, landscape, and interior design to pony up their definitive lists of the most aesthetically notable spots in Charlottesville and its surrounding counties, public and private, old and new—from Jeffersonian estates to the most beautiful magnolia on Grounds. Don’t see your favorite spot on the list? Comment on this story on c-ville.com and start the discussion.—Caite White, with reporting by Stephanie DeVaux
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MUSIC
PHOTOS BY TOM DALY PHOTOGRAPHY
JUST A FEW OF 60+ FREE CONCERTS OPENING GALA AT THE HAVEN
FELLINIS #9 JAZZFEST
THURSDAY, APRIL 10TH, 6PM - 12PM:
SATURDAY APRIL 12, 5PM - 1AM:
Keynotes and concerts kick off the festival. Bruce Flohr of Red Light Management and ATO Records (he signed DMB & Foo Fighters) on the global expansion of the business, then Miracles of Modern Science, Lord Nelson, and Bombadil.
Fellinis #9 Jazz Fest, which takes over 2nd Street Mardi Gras style. 17 Piece big band Sentimental Journey, blueswoman Daunielle, Travis Elliot & Co., Soul Transit Authority and Robert Jospe Experience.
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INDIE SHOWCASE AT THE HAVEN C-VILLE WEEKLY BLOCK PARTY
SATURDAY, APRIL 12TH: 8PM - 1AM
FRIDAY, APRIL 11TH 5PM - 11PM:
Virgina Film Festival screens “If We Shout Loud Enough” about Baltimore’s DIY punk scene, followed by ex-Double Daggers Pure Junk and Brooklyn’s electric Spirit Animal and D.C.’s psych-rock Drop Electric.
C-Ville Weekly’s 25th Birthday Party at the McGuffey Art Center with Afropop eight-piece Elikeh, hip hop marching band Elby Brass, step teams, and a New Belgium craft beer garden. The night ends with a funk and soul dance party on the lawn by DJs Grits N’ Gravy.
PICNIC DAY IN LEE PARK
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
SATURDAY, APRIL 12TH, 11AM - 6PM Picnic Day in Lee Park is a daytime party with food trucks and crafts. Go-go band Double Faces, jam rockers Major and the Monbacks, plus Winter Line, Hill & Wood, and Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion.
BELMONT BASH SUNDAY, APRIL 13TH: 12PM - 8PM Downtown Belmont and at the Bridge PAI. Indie Rock with WTJU, plus eclectic bluegrass, folk. soul, jazz & rock. Kings of Belmont, Noon Shiners, Eames Coleman Trio, You’re Jovian, and Suburban Living. WITH PARTNER VENUES: WHISKEY JAR + MONO LOCO + SOUTH STREET BREWERY + URBAN OUTFITTERS + BON + THE GARAGE + MAIN STREET ARENA & ANNEX
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21
THE DESIGN ISSUE
Japanese garden at Morven Farm
“The compact design of the restaurant makes for a relaxed environment that feels intimate and inviting. The mix of materials is handled nicely, and the lighting seems just right.” JEFF DREYFUS
A taste of Eastern tradition emerges in the Japanese garden and tea pavilion at UVA’s Morven Farm. Although Thomas Jefferson purchased Morven in 1795, the four-acre Japanese garden and house were not installed until the 1990s, after the 1988 sale of the property to John Kluge. Today, the UVA Foundationowned garden is ornamented with waterfalls, rock formations, evergreens, and a tea pavilion that requires visitors to undergo a ritual cleansing before entrance. “A hidden legacy of John Kluge and his wife Tussie is an isolated Japanese garden in a deep valley below the manor house and
Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar
“The cloistered Morven garden effectively integrates Zen transcendence into a shady, Albemarle ravine.”
UVA/MORVEN
Castle Hill As the 18th century home of Dr. Thomas Walker and his wife Mildred Thornton Meriwether, the historical Castle Hill plantation sits upon a sprawling 600 acres and consists of two distinct houses joined by a connecting hall. A gable roof, Flemish bond foundation, and refined interior woodwork sits up against the brick por-
tion of Castle Hill, complete with a tetrastyle Tuscan portico and Tuscan colonnades. Ultimately, this merging of eras (a farm dwelling from the colonial period with a 19th century-style Piedmont plantation) along with various interior updates work together to tell a fluid design narrative that reaches across history.
NEST REALTY
“A spectacular landscape with a beautiful storied house at the center of it. The history of Castle Hill is long and deep, the gardens are exquisite, and the house itself is a wonderful agglomeration of many eras.” JEFF DREYFUS
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and aided locally by Rieley & Associates, the garden was built by transplanted master craftsmen from the firm of Iwaki Zoen. The steeply-sloped and wooded site dictated the unique integration of East and West. Greenstone boulders were collected from Morven’s fields and individually placed by cranes for their dramatic effect. Shrubberies of native mountain laurel and Japanese Pieris and groundcovers of moss and evergreen Pachysandra frame the boulders, now faced with orange and silver lichen. Stone-lined pebble walkways circulate down from the pavilion along the pond to a teahouse and island, and from there cross the pond and the two streambeds on stepping stones, the sound of waterfalls and wind-blown bamboo drift in and out on this meditative walk. The pavilion, definitely the hang-out place, includes soft, straw tatami mats and paper-panelled, Shoji sliding screens that open on to an engawa or veranda. This delicate garden, with its steep slopes and fragile walkways, is a precarious stroll. It is open to only small groups by appointment.”—Peter Hatch
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
formal gardens of Morven, now managed by the UVA Foundation. A temple of tranquility, a Japanese pavilion overlooks from its promontory a pond fed by two boulderladen streams. ‘Shade is our Elysium,’ wrote Thomas Jefferson, and our gardens often seem stark under the relentless, sterile brightness of a Virginia summer sun. Most American versions of Japanese gardens fail, in part, because of this, but the cloistered Morven garden effectively integrates Zen transcendence into a shady, Albemarle ravine; upon entering the garden gate one feels he is along a wilder section of the Moorman’s River above Sugar Hollow. Designed by a Japanese landscape architect, Koji Tsunoda,
ALLOY WORKSHOP
PETER HATCH
This trendy restaurant on the Downtown Mall infuses color and life into its food and atmosphere. Curved booths cradle guests in a dim, intimate context while the Skybar upstairs allows for more open-air celebration. Designed by Alloy Workshop and Rowen Barton Studio, the nearly 3-year-old restaurant evokes a sense of nostalgia while still remaining modern and accessible to its savvy, young clientele.
22
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Please join THE VIRGINIA FILM FESTIVAL & the TOM TOM FOUNDERS FESTIVAL for special film screenings, moderated conversations, and a musical performance.
IF WE SHOUT LOUD ENOUGH
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
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DOCUMENTED AND DISCUSSION WITH JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS Saturday, April 12
Saturday, April 12 at The Haven, 112 West Market St.
1:00 p.m. at Newcomb Hall Theater
8:00 p.m. - Film Screening
5:30 p.m. at Regal Stonefield Stadium 14
9:40 p.m. - Musical Performance by Pure Junk
Documented tells the story of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who in 2011 outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in an essay published in the New York Times Magazine. Documented chronicles his journey to America from the Philippines as a child; his journey through America as an immigration reform activist; and his journey inward as he re-connects with his mother, whom he hasn’t seen in person in over 20 years. The screenings will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with Mr. Vargas moderated the University of Virginia Immigration Law Clinic.
A favorite at the 2013 Virginia Film Festival, this documentary follows Baltimore punk band Double Dagger through the making of their final album and tour. Started as a concept band singing catchy songs about graphic design, Double Dagger soon found themselves at the forefront of a national DIY movement to craft meaningful music around universal themes inspired by the spirited, rough city they passionately love. Meet stuttering lead singer Nolen, bassist Bruce, drummer Denny, and dozens of the fans, musicians, and artists who have catalyzed Baltimore’s music community. Through personal and often hilarious interviews, Double Dagger shows how and why they create art outside of the mainstream, and we discover how this charming trio has captivated audiences and critics alike.
Both screenings are FREE. Seating for the 1:00 p.m. screening at Newcomb Hall Theater will be first-come, first-served. Seating for the 5:30 p.m. screening at the Regal Stonefield Stadium 14 can be reserved online at artsandsciences.virginia.edu/boxoffice The screenings of Documented are made possible with support from the Shops at Stonefield, Parallel 38, Tom Tom Founders Festival, and the Office of the Provost and the Vice Provost for the Arts.
Join us for a very special performance by Nolen Strals’s new band Pure Junk following the screening of If We Shout Loud Enough at The Haven.
WWW.TOMTOMFEST.COM | WWW.VIRGINIAFILMFESTIVAL.ORG
23
THE DESIGN ISSUE
JACK LOONEY
“Not exactly off the beaten path, but hands down, this is the best room in America. It is open to the public, but rarely filled with more than a handful of tourists (who wander in for about a minute). Much better writers have written about this space at length. However, I am always inspired by the rustic wood floor as it contrasts the fine ornamentation which then gives way to the smooth dome that in turn fills the room with a soft sublime light. The grand central space is surrounded by small intimate ‘mini libraries’ and is a perfect place to read a book or contemplate the world as it spins by.” DAN ZIMMERMAN
The Dell
JACK LOONEY
The cherished gem of UVA, the Rotunda serves as the core of the University, a hub of academic activity. When you step into the Dome Room, which was restored to Jefferson’s original floorplans after it burned down in 1895, its overhead oculus and composite columns recall the University founder’s vision. Functioning as a library and study space for students as well as a venue for meetings and events, intimate, academic spaces balance the majesty and grandeur of this World Heritage Site.
Tell us your favorite places on c-ville.com.
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“Meadow Creek, the stream defining the Dell Valley, was diverted into underground culverts during the “landscape renewal” movement of the 1950s. While the valley echoed the
firm of Nelson Byrd Woltz in the late 1990s, created an 11-acre oasis by daylighting 1,200' of the stream, artfully crafting a stormwater retention pond, and planting a successful wetland garden of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. The asymmetric pond blends the structural geometry of the University’s traditional grid pattern with both Jefferson’s exuberant foray into winding lines and the intrinsic serpentine character of a riparian landscape. The sound of the pond’s cascades effectively tranquilize the urban setting, while the shapes and colors of shoreside plantings— bald cypress, tree and shrub willow, alder, cattail, maple—are boldly animated in the liquid mirror of the water. A crumbling brick arch, left over from the Italianate garden of Dr. William Lambeth, provides an entertaining, eyecatching folly. Ultimately, the New Dell is a progressive innovation in New Age water management.”—Peter Hatch
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
vibrant chatter of basketball rivalries on the nearby courts, the courtside landscape was neglected and somewhat forlorn. The New Dell project, a hallmark design by the Charlottesville landscape architectural
Originally designed as a solution to stormwater management, The Dell at UVA provides a placid escape for students and locals. Located on Emmet Street across from the Mem Gym parking garage, it was designed in collaboration with local landscape architecture firm Nelson Byrd Woltz and geometrically adheres to Jefferson’s original idea of a structured, grid-like plan for UVA without forgoing any of the beauty of the natural, disordered environment. The 1,200 linear foot section of The Dell stream was piped in the 1950s and now flows into a retention pond, surrounded by a native botanical garden in the 11-acre New Dell valley, which continues to attract members of the Charlottesville community with its meditative walking paths and peaceful resting spots.
The Dome Room of the Rotunda at UVA
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25
THE DESIGN ISSUE
SaundersMonticello Trail RIELEY & ASSOCIATES
The two-mile Saunders-Monticello Trail, leisurely winding up Carter’s Mountain as it leads to Monticello, provides a panoramic link between Jefferson’s plantation home and the larger Charlottesville community. Designed by Charlottesville-based landscape architecture firm Rieley & Associates and officially opened in 2000, it runs parallel to Route 53.
Estouteville
ALLISON EWING
Situated on a charming expanse of Virginia countryside, the more than 100year-old Villa Crawford still recalls its classic, historic beginnings. The Villa was originally constructed in the Italian fashion as an estate for the Crawford family in 1912. Converted to a country club in 1948, the Villa Crawford served as the clubhouse until the 1970s, when the death of owner Knox Turnbull spurred the locale’s slow decline. Then, in 1990, Sir Bernard Ashley, widower of famed fashion and home goods designer Laura Ashley, purchased the property for $5.5 million, hoping to turn it into a “country house hotel” with the Villa Crawford at its center. Today, the original house maintains its rich, architectural touches: a grand staircase, elegant ceiling molding, and the original fireplaces.
KESWICK HALL
Villa Crawford at Keswick Hall
“This private dining room is the perfect spot for an intimate meal for two to 12 people. The proportions of the room are pitch-perfect, the trim and woodworking details are a nice scale, and the service is personalized. It’s like dining in your own home, if your home happens to be on the scale of Keswick Hall!” JEFF DREYFUS
“Eloise is a boutique hot spot for all things fashion—ranging from Downtown chic to bohemian cool. The large open space holds a delicate balance of urban distress with streamlined design. The windows on two sides allow the curated collection to be highlighted….think art on hangers.” LYNN EASTON
Owned by a mother-daughter pair, this chic dress shop on West Main marries urban high-fashion with Southern warmth and hospitality. Its renovation, begun in the fall of 2013 following its relocation to the Main Street Market Annex, furthers this fusion of opposites, providing an equally inspiring backdrop for resolute, same-day party dress searches or unhurried perusals through books and fragrances. Modern, clean lines mingle with exposed brick and reclaimed hardwood floors and a skylight overhead provides natural light throughout the space.
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ELOISE/JASON LAPPA
Eloise
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
“A Virginia plantation with a beautiful prospect of the Virginia landscape. Beatrix, an artist and sculptor, has incorporated art, plantings, and a hedge maze into the classic Virginia landscape to create an interesting dialogue between the classic gardens and modern themes.” ALLISON EWING
“A lovely trail that allows the visitor to experience the field, forest, and, sometimes, fauna of Virginia.”
JACK LOONEY
Built in 1827, Estouteville’s story begins with James Dinsmore, a master carpenter and contractor who worked under Thomas Jefferson on the construction of Monticello and UVA. It ends (for now) with its current owners, artist Beatrix Ost and developer Ludwig Kuttner. Although the house itself, which is located in Albemarle and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, was constructed in the Neo-Romanesque style, the space exudes an aura that reflects the distinct personalities of its current owners. Beguiling sculptures, musical instruments, and sometimes even exotic animals greet you as you walk up to the grand entrance of the house, whose doors grant you passage into an even richer environment. With its charming interior filled with the owners’ global treasures, and the stately Jeffersonian exterior, Estouteville offers a space just outside of Charlottesville that is wholly other.
26
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27
THE DESIGN ISSUE
Whilton Farm Garden and Arboretum
“In fall, the leaves come down all at once like golden coins from this Civil War era tree.” CATHY CLARY
Set on a 350-acre estate, the 1914 Greenwood farmhouse belonging to Terrence and Courtnay Daniels plays only a small role in the beauty of the Greenwood property. A grove of white oaks surrounds Whilton, framing the view of more than 20 acres of private gardens. Garden rooms, maintained by Courtnay and her horticultural assistants, extend into the countryside, and the whole of it nods to a 20th century English country landscape—with a unique use of modern technology. According to a 2008 Wall Street Journal article, Courtnay “uses global positioning satellites to help her map her gardens and uses a custom-built computer program to help her catalog her 100,000 plants.” It’s an ever-changing and adaptable scene.
ROBERT LLEWELLYN
Smith Aquatic Center Committed to sustainability, the architecture and design of the 27,290-squarefoot Smith Aquatic & Fitness Center off Cherry Avenue is as economically responsible as it is striking. The efficient, modern exterior of concrete block and
glass windows converges with an interior alive with bright facilities, colorful waterslides, and squealing children. And its design by Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype keeps the center faithful to innovation, functionality, and efficiency.
BARGMANN HENDRIE + ARCHETYPE
sive.’ The gardens at Whilton include some 29 acres with at least 16 components or rooms, organized into themes based on plant varieties (Japanese maple garden, old shrub border), colors and textures (apricot, blue), or purpose (cutting garden, kitchen garden). Whilton is also a botanical museum of rare plants, a plantsman’s delight, scientifically curated by means of a custom-built computer program and featuring unique collections of conifers, magnolias, and Japanese maples. Virginia lags far behind adjacent states in the range and quality of landscape plants offered in the nursery trade. We lack activist botanical gardens and arboreta, and, unlike North Carolina, no charismatic horticulturist has risen to the challenge of popularizing new plant introductions that will thrive here. Whilton, which seeks to share its precious collection, is a transformative garden. Open only to garden-oriented groups by appointment.”—Peter Hatch
“I think this is a beautiful building both inside and outside. It is very challenging to create a large-scale public space with large amounts of natural light while at the same time burying half the building into a hillside. I like how you can look down into the pool area from the parking lot and then as you swim laps, windows are mounted at eye level. The simple but powerful two-story blue tile wall adds a fantastic backdrop to the entire space.” DAN ZIMMERMAN
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CATRIONA TUDOR ERLER
As the leaves begin to change in autumn, the Pratt ginkgo on the west side of the Rotunda turns a deep gold, lending the UVA Grounds a natural air of majesty while simultaneously adding to its rich history. The tree was planted in honor of William Pratt, superintendent of buildings and grounds on the eve of the Civil War. The ginkgo, imperial in its own right, was also the University’s first memorial tree, paving the way for a commemorative tradition that plants a tree in remembrance of deceased alumni and faculty.
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
“Early 20th century Greenwood was a haven for estate gardens —Mirador, Rose Hill, Casa Maria—expressing the opulence and taste of the Arts and Crafts movement. Whilton Farm stands out today as both a beautiful arrangement of garden rooms set against the Blue Ridge Mountains, and as scientific horticultural collection of unusual trees and shrubs. Gertrude Jekyll was a singular influence on British horticulture in popularizing the Arts and Crafts garden, collaborating with architect Edwin Lutyens in designing renowned gardens that expressed dramatic color and textural combinations. Courtnay Daniels, the owner (with her husband, Terry) and garden master of Whilton, is Gertrude Jekyll in the Virginia countryside. She combines hands-on, technical horticultural skills with a discerning eye for design and a curiosity and knowledge of garden plants sometimes described as ‘obses-
Pratt ginkgo on Grounds
28
GOTTA BE PRODUCTIVE TOMORROW? THERE ARE WAYS TO PREVENT A NASTY HANGOVER. PACE YOURSELF. Try to stick to 1 drink per hour. The trick to preventing all of the negative effects of a hangover is to keep your BAC low. ALTERNATE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC ONES. Drinking alcohol can lead to dehydration which causes headaches. EAT BEFORE AND WHILE DRINKING. Having food in your stomach prevents irritation and nausea. HAVE A PLAN TO GET HOME SAFELY. Either assign a designated driver before you go out or plan on taking a cab. Using your smartphone, scan the code below to schedule a taxi.
TO KNOW YOUR PLAN
SECOND HAND—IT’S THE GREENEST CHOICE, AND THE COOLEST, SAVIEST WAY TO FURNISH YOUR PLACE. BETTER MATERIALS, BETTER CRAFTSMANSHIP, SMALLER FOOTPRINT, LESS TOXIC, LESS WASTEFUL… RECYCLED, REPAIRED, THEN RIGHT BACK TO YOU WITH ALL ITS CHARM AND HISTORY INTACT, AND READY TO GIVE CLASS AND SPICE TO YOUR ALREADY COOL SPACE. CIRCA… IT’S THE SMARTEST CHOICE FOR THE SMARTEST PEOPLE. SECOND HAND—IT’S THE GREENEST CHOICE, AND THE COOLEST, SAVIEST WAY TO FURNISH YOUR PLACE. BETTER MATERIALS, BETTER CRAFTSMANSHIP, SMALLER FOOTPRINT, LESS TOXIC, LESS WASTEFUL… RECYCLED, REPAIRED, THEN RIGHT BACK TO YOU WITH ALL ITS CHARM AND HISTORY INTACT, AND READY TO GIVE CLASS AND SPICE TO YOUR ALREADY COOL SPACE. CIRCA… IT’S THE SMARTEST CHOICE FOR THE SMARTEST PEOPLE.SECOND HAND—IT’S THE GREENEST CHOICE, AND THE COOLEST, SAVIEST WAY TO FURNISH YOUR PLACE. BETTER MATERIALS, BETTER 434-295-5760 CRAFTSMANSHIP, SMALLER FOOTPRINT, LESS TOXIC, www.circainc.com LESS WASTEFUL…1700 RECYCLED, Allied Street REPAIRED, THEN Charlottesville, VA RIGHT BACK TO YOU WITH ALL ITS CHARM AND HISTORY INTACT, AND READY TO GIVE CLASS AND SPICE TO YOUR ALREADY COOL SPACE. CIRCA… IT’S THE SMARTEST CHOICE FOR THE SMARTEST PEOPLE.
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
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29
THE DESIGN ISSUE
“Classic WG—perfection in the details, every aspect fully considered.”
ALLISON EWING
WG Clark’s house Architect WG Clark’s single-occupant home, which sits on a steeply sloped lot at the fringes of Charlottesville’s Rugby area, is an exercise in restraint. It’s constructed of concrete block inside and out, and while it takes subtle inspiration from traditional Jeffersonian design, it’s classically Clark: situated in an imperfect landscape, utilizing interesting materials and visually tricking visitors. (The home has a relatively small footprint, but once inside, the space appears much larger.) The closer you look, the more perfect its clean, modern design appears. And while the two-story north wall opens up to the hubbub of Barrack’s Shopping Center below, translucent glass diffuses the chaos, supporting a tranquil privacy that characterizes this remarkable home.
Martha Jefferson Hospital sits on 80 acres that draw from Virginia’s rich pastoral landscape. One of the greatest expanses of that space includes the hospital’s meadow, swollen with waves of golden flowers that fade into distant views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In all its natural glory, the meadow fulfills its promise to celebrate both environmental and physical health.
WG CLARK
Meadow at Martha Jefferson Hospital
MARTHA JEFFERSON HOSPITAL
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“Tucked behind an imposing building on Pantops, this beautifully planted hillside with a strolling pathway soothes staff, patients, and families in the middle of parking lots, streets, and stress. At its peak in late summer and early fall it abounds in native plants, birds, and other pollenators.” CATHY CLARY
Stepping into Les Yeux du Monde, a contemporary art gallery owned by art dealer Lyn Bolen Warren and her husband, painter Russ Warren, one immediately understands the meaning of its name: the eyes of the world. The gallery and studio space northeast of Charlottesville inspires its visitors, and provides a spectacular view into the artistic landscape (and, originally, the views from Lyn’s home, where she’d host artist receptions prior to opening the gallery). The new structure, which opened in 2009 after the business spent many years in downtown Charlottesville, was designed by architect WG Clark and exhibits many of his trademark elements—the use of concrete, the diffusion of light, the structure’s position in an unusual setting.
SCOTT F. SMITH
Les Yeux du Monde
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
“Any WG Clark project: Les Yeux du Monde, UVA’s school of architecture, his own residence. These lovely, modern buildings composed of concrete, steel, and glass are a welcome contrast to the ever-present red brick and white columns of our area. An added bonus of Les Yeux du Monde is the beauty of the art that lies within.” ANDREA HUBBELL
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JABA Adult Care Centers It’s about peace of mind.
JABA Adult Care Centers are designed to be warm, friendly, family-oriented environments where any senior can be cared for during the day and enjoy themselves. Our centers offer programs that improve self-esteem and encourage socialization, including walking, moving to music, gardening, playing games, and more. A hot, fresh lunch is served every day. Our goal is to keep families together and prevent or delay institutionalization.
We’d love to meet you and tell you more about what we have to offer. Call 434-817-5222 to schedule lunch and a tour.
Charlottesville | Louisa
www.jabacares.org
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
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THE DESIGN ISSUE
How does your Virginia garden grow? JACK LOONEY
Plants for a classic Commonwealth landscape
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Birdwood A two-story brick plantation house, the Birdwood estate was built in the early 1800s by William Garth with the help of some of Thomas Jefferson’s workmen. It (and its four outbuildings) was constructed in a Neo-classic style reminiscent of Pavilion X in UVA’s Academical Village and, in 1850, was a flourishing plantation, producing tobacco, wool, butter, corn, and wheat. There are still hints of the early property’s lavish
ornamental gardens and a unique lighthouse-shaped water tower on the lawn. Now used for University functions, Birdwood estate is situated on the Birdwood Golf Course, which unfolds across 18 holes of The Boar’s Head Inn’s luxurious resort complex. Golfers can spy views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the tree-studded bowling lawn, and enjoy the verdant fairways in (hopefully) under 72 strokes.
“Beautiful! Especially the bowling lawn with the four seasons statuary and large boxwood backdrop. Brings you to a time of lawn parties and grand balls.” PHYLLIS JOSEPH
UVA’s pavilion gardens Originally designed in light of Plato’s “groves of academe,” the pavilion gardens in UVA’s Academical Village were meant to support a studious atmosphere that united academia and nature. Today, University
students still study there, but the gardens also attract admirers from far beyond the college’s community. Ten separate pavilion gardens bloom upon the fringes of UVA’s Lawn, each notable in its own way.
icture delicate dogwood and azalea blossoms against a dark glossy backdrop of boxwood, holly, and magnolia. Candytuft and tulips, carpeted with periwinkle, snowdrops, and crocus line the walkway. After peaking in spring, everything fades into quiet green except for demure bedding out of pansies, begonias, impatiens, geraniums, and the like, surrounded by a well-tended lawn. That cliché is your grandmother’s garden. It’s gone with the wind that swept through American gardening since Sarah Stein and Doug Tallamy showed us the sterility of traditional 20th century landscapes that starve native pollenators and the local ecology they depend on. Her granddaughter is more likely to be into native habitat plantings like meadow, butterfly, and rain gardens, perhaps keep-
ing bees and chickens around the place and growing a few vegetables. Let’s bring these generations together with a basic plant palette for a richer landscape that still evokes classic Virginia design.
“Open to all, these unique serpentine spaces hold Jefferson-era plants and old Virginia sensibilities.”
Boxwood: Both American and English
CATHY CLARY
Native Flowering Dogwood: Grows 20'
high and wide, the veritable picture of spring. It’s a denizen of woodland and suburb, and host to larval butterflies. Full sun to part shade with good clay loam soil; no dry windy sites. Southern Magnolia: Smaller, slower-
growing Little Gem (20') can be trimmed as a hedge, unless you are lucky enough to have room for the grand lady herself (60'x30'). It requires full sun to part shade, good soil, and a protected site. Also native, sweetbay magnolia (20') gives a finer texture in a damp low spot or by the patio. originate in Europe, but they have been around long enough to have naturalized in our minds as indispendable to our common image of Virginia gardens (unless you’re one of those who just can’t stand that cat smell)! Americans, with darker leaves and larger size, are faster growing and less prone to problems than English. Both require wind protection, good soil, and drainage. If you have a moist place, substitute with native inkberry. Azalea: Like Crape Myrtles, these Asian
Crape Myrtles: From shrubs to small
trees, they thrive in heat and sun. Some people are compelled to pollard them with varying degrees of skill, but this is not necessary. Look to native viburnums, clethra, and itea as substitutes.
April 9 – 15, 2014 c-ville.com
lovelies have been thoroughly adopted by the South to grace our city streets and houses. Azaleas are perfectly happy as long as they have acidic moist soil, shade, and good air circulation. Prune right after it blooms for shape and size and keep old leaves cleaned up.
spreading groundcover with light blue spring blue flowers. It’s a classic groundcover companion for dogwoods and boxwoods, allowing the little bulbs to come up. Non-native, it can overtake woodlands. Try foamflower or American ginger instead. Do not under any circumstances plant English ivy, a pernicious weed.—Cathy Clary
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ROBERT LLEWELLYN
Periwinkle: Shallow-rooted, evergreen