“Ten years ago, almost no club would have done a tear-down,” says Linda Blair of Image Design. “But now, about half elect that option, since the costs to remodel or rebuild are very similar, especially for older buildings.”
Tearing down and starting over is exactly what the Princess Anne Country Club, located in Virginia Beach, Va., chose to do. The original clubhouse was built in 1916 and had since been through 16 architectural changes. Despite clear sentimental attachment to the old building, it became clear that renovating the clubhouse was not feasible. The building was severely lacking in operational efficiency, and a thorough study found that the clubhouse had several structural issues as well.
Once everyone had come to terms with the need to tear down the old building and rebuild, it was decided that the building’s site would change as well. By building the new structure behind the existing building, the original clubhouse could remain operational during much of the construction process. This served a dual purpose: it allowed members to continue using the facilities with only minor interruptions, and minimized the impact on revenues during the period. Had the new building been planned for the same site, members— and income—would have been displaced more severely, and for a much longer time. From Start to Finish The Princess Anne Country Club’s Long-Range Planning Committee started planning the project in 1998. “The initial concept went through several evolutions, but stalled temporarily in 2001 following the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center,” says Bill Shonk, Princess Anne’s current General Manager, who joined the club in April 2002.
In June of 2002, with the help of an outside team that included the McMahon Group, which had conducted surveys as part of the planning process; Niles Bolton Associates, the project’s architectural firm; and Image Design, the interior designer, a final plan was presented to the membership. Prior to this meeting, “behind the scenes” tours of the clubhouse were given, to help members fully understand that renovation was impossible. Those tours, in combination with presentations about the plan, led to 85% approval by the membership. After that, bids were taken and Conrad Brothers Construction was selected as the building contractor. Permits were obtained over the following months, and work finally began in March 2003.
Given the club’s location—only two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean—the new building site was essentially a sand dune. To make the site ready to accommodate a structurally sound building, a lengthy settlement process had to take place.Over four and a half months, sand and dirt was brought to the location to firm up the building pad. Engineers used settlement plates to record and evaluate soil consolidation and ensure that the site was adequately prepared to support the new construction.
The site was deemed solid in September of 2003, but then Hurricane Isabel struck, delaying the start of actual clubhouse construction for another month. Once it finally began, construction carried on throughout 2004. The carefully orchestrated transition started in October 2004, when much of the furniture and artwork was removed from the old building. The pieces were sent to Atlanta to be restored.
On New Year’s Eve 2004, the old building had its last hurrah, and then in January 2005, the move to the new building began with two auctions. Club artifacts and memorabilia that were not moving to the new building were made available to members. Property that was of no interest to members was then auctioned to the public.
Then, over five days, the operations team worked with a professional moving company to complete the rest of the move. Items that were being used in the new clubhouse were moved first, and items not slated for immediate use were packed for storage. After obtaining a temporary occupancy permit, the administrative and golf teams were moved first, so they could continue to provide member services.
Once everything was cleared, the old building was demolished to make way for the newly designed parking lot. Designed in semi-circular rows, the new lot accommodates more cars and also has a considerable amount of landscaped green space.
The new clubhouse officially opened March 22, 2005, and on June 4, 2005, a grand opening celebration brought the membership together immediately, showcasing the banquet space that the previous building had lacked. Room to Move Princess Anne’s old building had served the membership faithfully since 1916, but it did so without a large banquet space. The new building was designed to correct that problem. The second floor, where dining is located, is made up of several rooms that can be integrated into a larger space when the need arises: the Chesapeake Room (which seats 72), the Prince Charles family dining room (which seats 64), and the Virginia Ballroom (which seats just over 200).
These three rooms are separated by soundproof partitions that were designed to look permanent when in place. This design, along with distinctive décor for each room, gives the club a more residential atmosphere that avoids the look and feel of large, multi-functional hotel ballrooms. The difference is not drastic enough, though, that the rooms look out of place with each other when the space is opened up.
The dining rooms on the east side of the building are more formal and better suited for more intimate private functions. The Princess Anne Room can accommodate 40, and the Founders Room seats up to 16 for a small luncheon, dinner or meeting. There is also a daily luncheon served in both the ladies’ and men’s lounges on the lower level. A jacket is required in these two rooms, while the lounges and the rest of the clubhouse have a looser dress code that even allows jeans—as long as they are “neat and tailored.”
The club’s ability to accommodate larger banquets was put to the test on Easter weekend, just one week after the new clubhouse opened to members. It passed with flying colors, as about 730 members and guests celebrated the holiday at their brand new club.
To complement this new operational efficiency, the kitchen was designed at the heart of the second floor. There is easy access to each dining room, something that wasn’t the case in the previous clubhouse. As often happens with buildings that are put through a series of architectural modifications, the kitchen’s location had become less and less efficient with each addition. The storage area, to top it off, was in the basement, which only added to the logistical problems.
The old clubhouse had a “compartmentalized” feel to it, while the new clubhouse, despite actually being 8,000 square feet smaller (38,000 square feet, compared to the old building’s 46,000), seems much more spacious and has proved to be more practical. The high ceilings (17.5 feet) throughout the building certainly help to add to that perception. In the end, the new clubhouse provides a lesson in efficient use of space. Saving the Best of the “Battleship” Shonk described the old building as “elongated and irregular,” but others were less generous with their choice of words. One person involved in the proj
ect building as “elongated and irregular,” but others were less generous with their choice of words. One person involved in the project thought the old building was somewhat reminiscent of a “battleship.”
Whatever the opinion, though, everyone recognized that the building held a great deal of history and tradition, and had a sentimental value to many members. For years the club had known that something had to be done to update the clubhouse, but at first, because of the strong sentimentality involved, efforts were always focused on trying to find ways to restore the original building.
In fact, even after the decision was finally made to start anew, postcards depicting the club in the 1920s were used as the inspiration for the new style. The overall original look of the club—a comfortable beach feel—was achieved with dormers, cedar shingles and a distinctive roofline. This became the goal for the new building as well.
“A high priority throughout the process was integrating the proud heritage and traditions of club members from the old building into the new,” says Shonk. A Historical Preservation and Tradition Committee worked together with Image Design to identify memorabilia, artwork, and other items of historical and sentimental significance. Once identified, these items had to be incorporated into the new clubhouse. Many antiques, including a buffet that had been donated by a member who is now 92 years old, were restored. Trophies were shined and new plaques were made to honor sport champions throughout the decades.
The new clubhouse has a gallery space on the lower level that is graced with enlarged sepiatone photographs. One series traces the clubhouse’s evolution through the years, matched up with additional photos depicting well-known historical events of those times. And to ensure that future generations can enjoy the club’s history, a special fund was developed, through the sale of bricks that now form a terrace around a flagpole. The resulting proceeds were earmarked for the future preservation of historical memorabilia. In With the New Few projects of this scale are possible without additional assessments, and the Princess Anne restoration, at a cost of slightly more than $12 million, was no exception. “Luckily, the club had locked in the contract [for the new building] before steel and concrete costs skyrocketed,” notes Shonk. “Experts have conjectured that it would cost considerably more to build it today.”
The clubhouse project was really the cornerstone of an overall club improvement program. There were concurrent renovation projects for the club’s cart storage and lifestyles facilities, as well as golf course improvements to the first tee, west lawn putting greens and short game practice areas.The indoor tennis courts were enhanced, and a new golf course maintenance facility was added to the property.
Half the cost was financed through a one-time $6,000 assessment for members with full privileges. Other membership categories paid a prorated amount. The remaining debt is being paid primarily through a $40 per month capital charge first assessed in January 2005.To offset that cost for members, an equivalent monthly minimum charge was discontinued.
While 85% of the membership approved the project, 8% of the members resigned and “a significant number” chose to downgrade to dining-only memberships. The club certainly isn’t suffering, though. “There has been a renewed sense of pride among the members [who remain], and heightened interest in new memberships from the public,” according to Shonk. “And many members who had previously resigned have returned, because they now see more value in belonging.”
In addition, the number of special and private events has also doubled at Princess Anne. Overall, there’s a palpable sense of renewed excitement and activity—one might even think a brand new club has opened right where a grand old club once stood. C&RB
Project Summary Club: Princess Anne Country Club Location: Virginia Beach, Va. Architectural Firm: Niles Bolton Associates Interior Design Firm: Image Design Timing: March 2003 to March 2005 Cost: $12 million Project Highlights:
• New construction was completed on a different building site, to minimize operational downtime
• The new building is smaller than the old by 8,000 square feet, yet seems more spacious and is operationally more efficient
• More effective banquet space was added that, in combination with the excitement of the new building, has led to twice as many special-event bookings
• The club’s history was preserved by utilizing 1920s postcards of the old building (showing how it was originally intended by the architect) as the inspiration for the new structure
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