We are thrilled to share news of our most recent design awards: an Award of Excellence for Saint Mark’s Episcopal Chuch and Juror Citations for 1728 14th Street, The Hive, and The Barn at Hazel River Cabin.

A symbol of continuity and evolution, the Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church has served its Capitol Hill community since the late 19th Century. Today, a historically conscientious renovation has updated the church’s support spaces to better meet its needs, while sensitively adding to the historic building envelope. The double height parish hall was split to create a second floor office suite and a fully underpinned basement was excavated for classrooms and meeting spaces. Where possible, original architectural elements were salvaged – the original timber trusses were repurposed as column covers and benches and the original maple flooring was reinstalled in the new rector’s office – offering some continuity amidst the change. The completed project is a testament to the congregation’s dedication to their church, a recognized landmark of the Nation’s Capital.

1728 Fourteenth Street, NW is a contemporary mixed-use commercial building fitting comfortably into a varied historic context rich in architectural styles and changing land-use patterns. An infill building on a fast redeveloping commercial street within the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, the project integrates two levels of commercial office above two integrated levels of street front retail in a design that pays homage to the area’s rich commercial past. The project design is formally composed around a central three-story display window. Humane, craft-derived masonry detailing in rich colors and textures organizes the building façade. Vertical steel columns mark the site’s 3 former structures and support the horizontal louvers and a glazed retail canopy.

After having outgrown our space in a historic Dupont Circle rowhouse, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS returned to its roots in the emerging 14th Street Corridor. Our new, larger and more collaborative studio, The Hive, is a single-floor, 7,000 SF open workspace that emphasizes collaboration and communication. Programmed uses are arranged to provide maximum circulation and interconnectedness, while offering access to natural light and views from a variety of vantage points. A consistent palette of materials and colors features the richness of a reclaimed 1929 maple floor, walnut wall and furniture panels; crisp white work surfaces; restrained gray floor, ceiling, and millwork elements, and the zeal of green and maize accents. A hexagonal motif throughout the space reinforces the concept of ‘The Hive,’ and was chosen as a counterpoint to the orthogonal arrangement of the space. The end result is a vibrant working environment featuring a variety of flexible and multi-use spaces demonstrating modern sensibilities connected to the city and its history, and consistent with our caliber of work.

The Barn at Hazel River Cabin repurposes a hand hewn oak corn crib, which originally stood in Berks County, Pennsylvania, into a screened living space and equipment shed on the grounds of Hazel River Cabin in Woodville, Virginia. Reclaimed red barn siding emphasizes the structure’s historic use, while set-back screen doors, framed with black timber on the southeast corner offer contrasting modern lines and an asymmetrical read. A stone terrace provides an outdoor gathering space with views to the main cabin as well as to the nearby river and mountain. On the interior, exposed beams and rafters reveal the barn’s rustic aesthetic, with colorful and contemporary inserted cabinetry and furnishings.

Photography © Anice Hoachlander