Baskervill is leaving its Shockoe Slip office in summer 2020 for the James Center. (Mike Platania)
RICHMOND, Va. — One of the area’s oldest and largest architecture firms is leaving Shockoe Bottom and relocating to the heart of downtown.
Baskervill announced Tuesday it is moving its company headquarters to the James Center.
The new offices will total 28,000 square feet, split between part of the first floor of Two James Center at 1021 E. Cary St. and all of the second floor of Three James Center at 1051 E. Cary St.
The architecture, engineering and interior design firm is currently in the Canal Crossing building at 101 S. 15th St. in Shockoe Slip.
Baskervill President Bob Clark said by the time its lease is up at Canal Crossing, Baskervill will have been in the building for 17 years.
“We work very differently than we did 17 years ago,” Clark said, noting that they’d need to gut and renovate the Canal Crossing office to do things such as remove walls and add more conference space.
“We’d have to move out, renovate it, move somewhere in a swing space, then move back. As much as we love it here, that was a daunting task,” he said.
Canal Crossing is owned by Margaret Freund’s Fulton Hill Properties. She declined to comment when reached by phone Tuesday.
Clark said they’re in the early stages of designing the new James Center offices, with a plan to move in summer 2020. The firm’s offices in Orlando, Florida and Washington, D.C. won’t be affected by the move.
