The HIVE (Hub for Innovators, Veterans and Entrepreneurs)

Winchester, Virginia

Firm

ESa

Client

Shenandoah University

Area

19,116 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$12,500,000

Completion Date

08/2024

©Eric Laignel

[close]

Design team
ESa (Architecture and Interior Design); Comfort Design (MEP/FP Engineering); Wallace Design (Structural Engineering); Greenway Engineering (Civil Engineering)

Shenandoah University’s Hub for Innovators, Veterans and Entrepreneurs (HIVE) revitalizes the historic Hazel-Pruitt Armory. Constructed in 1940 for the National Guard for World War II, the building also served the community with events like dances and concerts, including one by Patsy Cline. Through the building’s preservation, this adaptive reuse project pays homage to the past while igniting possibilities for the future through the new student-centered community spaces.

The gymnasium now houses immersive learning labs across two floors, including a new mezzanine level to expand the academic and administrative capacity. The adjacent two-story armory, with its historic Millwood Avenue façade, is repurposed as a Veteran’s Center that offers counseling, employment support and social services.

A striking new addition, the “Collaboratory,” hosts the Shenandoah Center for Immersive Learning and serves as a 170-person event space. Its modern glass form contrasts the original masonry structure, and its dynamic geometry and shifting roof planes reflect the region’s topography of the Appalachian Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley.

The Hazel-Pruitt Armory embodies Shenandoah University’s commitment to honoring veterans. It enriches student life and preserves history. Through careful restoration and innovative design, it bridges past and future, and creates a lasting legacy for the university and the Winchester community.