Introducing Houndstooth
Known for our vibrant cultural institutions, studio-based ventures and abundant works of public art, the NEON District has a unique identity within Norfolk. Strategically situated between Monticello Avenue, Brambleton Avenue and Granby Street, the former Greyhound Bus Station has the potential to catalyze change in the NEON District and extend the energy of Norfolk’s bustling Downtown across Brambleton and towards Virginia Beach Boulevard.
A bus station has stood at the corner of Brambleton Avenue and Granby Street since 1942. Built in the height of World War II, the first station was an art deco marvel with air conditioning and modern amenities in service of the thousands of sailors traveling to and from Norfolk’s busy port. It was razed in the early 1960’s to widen Brambleton Avenue and a new station was built to complement the new jetset-era Golden Triangle Hotel. That station operated as a Greyhound terminal for decades, serving Downtown and then the NEON District until a few years ago. Now again, the site is changing for a new age.
We now welcome Houndstooth–The Breeden Company’s plan to redevelop the former Greyhound Bus Station into a high-quality, mixed-use multifamily development where Downtown’s emerging creative class can live, work, and play. In alignment with the goals of the City’s Downtown Norfolk 2030 plan, the project will contribute to coastal resilience and pedestrian connectivity, with public art encouraged to enhance and enrich residents’ lives and bring people together. It will include active uses that animate the public realm, live-work dwellings for artists to make and showcase their work, and spaces like the NEON plaza that encourage community and collaboration. Houndstooth honors the historical context of the site, while also contributing to the creative and urban character of the NEON District.
The project’s high-quality architecture raises the bar for redevelopment in the 757, strategically incorporating amenity areas for socialization, outdoor gathering spaces and connections to the street. The architect and developer took great care to design a high-quality urban, mixed-use development that is pedestrian-oriented, resilient and inspiring. The project plans for a multitude of balconies for individual residential units and structured parking screened from view to align with the new streetscape plans in the District. Importantly, the new building will also incorporate the historic bus station’s facade into the design, using the existing brick wall that curves from Brambleton Avenue to Monticello Avenue as an anchor to the new upper stories. In a nod to Greyhound’s original rotating sign, the NEON cube will remain atop its pedestal, anchoring a new entry plaza at the corner of Granby Street and Brambleton Avenue.
The Breeden Company’s design project partner for Houndstooth is Work Program Architects, a Norfolk-based firm with a mission to strengthen community through the design process. Long-term friends and collaborators to the NEON District, WPA led two design charrettes that were instrumental in shaping the neighborhood’s development. Their staff regularly volunteers at The Plot, and the firm is an annual sponsor of the NEON Festival. WPA truly knows NEON in and out, taking into account the neighborhood’s past, present and future as Houndstooth develops.
All images courtesy of The Breeden Company and Work Program Architects