PROJECT  The Braystone

ARCHITECT  Winstanley Architects & Planners

LOCATION  Alexandria, Virginia, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  4/1/2022

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  George Eisenberger AIA, Michael Winstanley AIA, Leejung Hong LEED AP, Mike Balaban, Abhimata Nursilo, Chan Park, Assoc. AIA, Harrison Blair, Bence Szaloki, AIA
OWNER/CLIENT  Holladay Corporation and The Foundry Companies
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Holladay Corporation
PHOTOGRAPHER  Anice Hoachlander
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  
Located at the western edge of Old Town Alexandria’s historic core, The Braystone at 1300 King Street weaves preservation and innovation into a unified urban response. The project reactivates a prominent corner through the restoration of two 19th-century masonry storefronts and the introduction of a four-story, 55,000-square-foot mixed-use building with 32 condominium residences above retail. Inspired by the site’s industrial past, the design introduces new density while honoring the scale and texture of its historic context.

Central to the project is the sensitive restoration of two early 1800s Federal-style commercial structures. Once fragmented by surface parking and mid-century additions, these historic buildings now serve as architectural anchors. Their rehabilitated façades—defined by brickwork, punched openings, and traditional storefront proportions—reinforce Old Town’s scale and continuity, providing a grounded base for the new building to engage with the surrounding streetscape.

Rather than replicate the historic vocabulary, the new addition responds through contrast and clarity. The contemporary structure wraps the site in a quiet, L-shaped mass, stepping back along both street frontages to visually defer to the historic buildings. Its most distinctive gesture is a series of custom-fabricated metal tracery panels—a modern abstraction rooted in the site’s former use as a wheelwright’s workshop. These screens recall the circular geometries and radial patterns of hand-crafted wooden wheels, reinterpreted through a contemporary architectural lens. The tracery offers both aesthetic and performative value, adding rhythm, shade, and layered visual depth to the retail frontage.

This project is more than a building; it mediates preservation and progress. By restoring its historic structures and referencing their artisanal and mercantile past through a modern lens, 1300 King Street becomes a design that is both respectful and forward-looking. It reflects Old Town not as a static artifact, but as a living place—where architectural memory and modern life coexist with elegance and purpose.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

A masterful adaptive reuse of an industrial building, blending modern extensions with the original steel and brick structure. This project celebrates the building's history, contextualizing modern storytelling and ensuring its lasting relevance.

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. King Street Facade, Anice Hoachlander
2. View looking east, Anice Hoachlander
3. Tracery detail, Anice Hoachlander
4. King Street Facade, Anice Hoachlander
5. Streetscape, Anice Hoachlander
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