Gravitas and Grit
Liberty Place, a new mixed-use office building, occupies an entire city block along William Street, the main artery traversing the historic district of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Located at the prominent intersection of William and Winchester Streets, the building’s massing and materiality has been designed to respond to the varying character of these two streets. Along the William Street facade, the building presents an elegant but austere composition of brick pilasters, spandrels, and clear glazing along the upper two commercial office levels. As the building approaches the corner of Winchester Street, a setback reveals a change in brick as well as a change in composition.
Where the main building volume presents a two-over-one arrangement, evocative of mid-20th century civic architecture, the corner volume, with its one-over-two arrangement of wide, two-story window bays, is more reminiscent of the 19th century commercial buildings within the district. Behind the office building, a five-story, public parking garage has been inserted with equal attention to its Winchester Street location. Red brick cladding and cast stone sills provide an air of elegance. A composition of empty window openings is enhanced by the long shadows of the cast stone sills, providing an understated but dramatic edifice. All in all, the effects are rich; two simple, rather unassuming buildings, project a sense of gravitas and presence appropriate to an historic avenue, transforming an innocuous office building and public garage into upstanding new landmarks.
