 | The HMA Mid-Atlantic Tour
September 2009
By Josh Aisenberg
The Beginning
Twenty-seven Holzman Moss Architecture staff members awoke in the pre-dawn hours of September 19th to board a charter bus and thus began the journey south to Delaware and Virginia for what the office affectionately dubbed the "Mid-Atlantic Tour." The purpose of the trip was to experience firsthand the recently, and soon-to-be completed, projects designed by the office. Beginning in front of the office in New York City, we first headed to Dover, Delaware, to tour the office’s five projects at Delaware State University, as well as the site of the currently-in-design Dover Public Library. We then cut inland toward northern Virginia where the Hylton Performing Arts Center at George Mason University was still 6-months from completion, and finally we returned home to New York City, resulting in one very long, jam-packed day.
Wilmington Rendezvous
The first deviation from the itinerary occurred before the bus even left its starting point. Our associate architect informed us that he was not going to be able to make the bus departure and, instead, asked if we could stop in Wilmington, DE to pick him up at the train station. The second deviation from our plan occurred upon arrival at the Wilmington train station when we learned that our associate’s train was delayed by an hour. Fortunately, the group had ample supplies of coffee, donuts and bagels on the bus and, by the time we reached Wilmington, everyone was eager to lay their caffeinated eyes on some architecture. The group quickly broke into smaller teams and systematically surveyed the station, already too familiar to the Delaware State Team, and surrounding buildings designed by renowned architect, Frank Furness. |
