The Black Dog Crew recently headed to Norfolk, VA to salvage a block of homes, known as Ghent Row, prior to demolition. Two of the houses were home to The Painted Lady Restaurant & Tea Room (pictured below), a well loved local landmark.
We are very thankful to the Hoover family for making a special effort to see that the architectural details from these properties were saved from the landfill prior to demolition. They were owner operators of The Painted Lady and admired her as much as her patrons but unfortunately the buildings were no longer sustainable. The neighborhood is currently going through a transition and in her place will be a new 164-unit apartment complex called The Green at Ghent, which will be one of the most environmentally advanced apartment buildings in Norfolk, with two "green walls" for energy efficiency.
Robert reached out to his old college friend (Go Hokies!) and fraternity brother Scott Crumley, owner of Crumley Group, Inc., to help with this salvage job. Robert worked for Scott, prior to moving to Roanoke to start his own general contracting business, Blue Ridge Residential. Thanks to Scott's mom, here's a look back at the early years, circa December 1994!
 |
| Robert, Patti, Janette, Scott |
Crumley Group has been building award-winning homes in the Hampton Roads area since 1985 and Robert knew they would provide invaluable support. When the project was proposed, Scott was the first in line to volunteer his time and resources to join the "fun"!
Next to the three homes was a fish shack, which boasted a salvaged iconic '7-Eleven Cupola'. Thanks to Scott, we were able to bring it back to the shop in one piece!
Speaking of 7-Eleven's.... Roanoke just happens to have two of the best around! If you're in town, stop by and say 'hi' to owners Susan and Rob Lipes - their Grandin Village and South Roanoke stores are known as 'The Happiest Place to Be!' and even have their own facebook group!
The Painted Lady's Bar proved to be a challenge to remove but was safely brought back in time to be sold to the set of the TV series Banshee - look out for it on Cinemax!
While the crew was gone, Lonny was busy in the wood shop fabricating this custom sink - made from a US Navy Reserve Footlocker (fun fact: Mike and Robert both served in the Navy).
For the Ebay listing, click HERE.
If you know Mike, it's no surprise that he returned from Norfolk with a boat! This came from The Bill Hoover Boat Collection and was the one of the first fiberglass Chris Crafts made. No doubt there are grand plans for "Cheek to Cheek".... stay tuned!
Saturdays at 11pm
Sundays at 6:30pm
Saturdays at 8:30am
Roanoke, VA
No comments:
Post a Comment