Location: Newport News, Virginia
Owner/Customer: Whittaker Place, LLC
Project Description:
Registered as a National Park Service Historic Preservation Site, Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Property Whittaker Memorial Hospital is an evolved medical building comprised of the main historic building constructed in 1943, with additions constructed in 1956 and again in 1964. The National Register Nomination form for Whittaker Memorial Hospital notes that the building "is possibly one of a few African American hospitals in the United States built by African American physicians and designed by African American architects." The hospital was a significant resource for Newport News' underserved African American community from its opening in 1943 until its closing in 1985. Since being vacated in 2002, the building sustained significant water damage, resulting in widespread plaster failure, rusted metal lath, and growth of toxic mold. The Whittaker Memorial Hospital building was rehabilitated for use as affordable housing, while preserving the building's exterior mass and historic windows, preserving corridor walls, stairs, plaster finishes and historic public spaces, reconstructing significantly deteriorated historic corridor walls, removing non-historic finishes and dropped ceilings, and construction of new partitions for residential apartment units.
The Whittaker Place Apartments project was completed in two phases which included:
- Environmental cleanup and demolition
- Framing, roof repair/replacement, systems installation, masonry repairs, window repairs, installation of new partition walls, finishes, site work, and punch list items
All units include modern conveniences like a fully-equipped kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, ice maker, stove and dishwasher. Additional features include modern concrete floors and the convenience of in unit washer and dryer, as well as a community lounge, an outdoor dog park, courtyard and grill and sitting area for social gatherings. Other features include adaption of the existing courtyard to include a ramp to provide ADA-compliant building access.
