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Architects and commissioners lean toward contemporary ‘Option B’ for downtown YMCA after structural review
Summary
Dominion 7 Architects presented plans to demolish the front third of the downtown YMCA and build a new addition. Commissioners generally favored the contemporary facade option (B) with refinements, stressed cost limits (masonry could add ~ $500,000) and told the applicant to submit finalized plans ahead of the July 20 meeting.
Dominion 7 Architects told the Lynchburg Historic Preservation Commission that structural findings have made it infeasible to add on top of the existing YMCA, and the team is now proposing to remove the front third of the building down to the basement walls and slab and rebuild that portion to improve circulation, daylighting and program space.
"We're going to end up tearing down the front third down to the basement walls, down to the slab on grade, and rebuilding up," said Jason Burgerer, partner at Dominion 7 Architects, summarizing the design direction the team found necessary after structural evaluation. He said Dominion 7 became involved in 2022 after conceptual work began in 2019.
Architects presented two façade schemes, labeled Option A and Option B. Staff and several commissioners said they preferred a restrained white/gray treatment or the more contemporary Option B over heavier masonry veneer or wood palettes. Commissioners stressed that the commission’s review should focus on the new construction and exterior materials rather than the demolition question alone because the YMCA is listed in the nomination as a non-contributing mid-century institutional building.
"Option B demonstrates a more successful synthesis of contemporary civic architecture and institutional identity," read a prepared recommendation delivered by a commissioner who urged Option B as the preferred direction, while asking for modest refinement of the entry portal composition.
Budget was raised repeatedly as a limiting factor. Designers warned that applying full masonry veneer at the scale proposed could add roughly $500,000 and put the YMCA’s fundraising and the project’s viability at risk. Commissioners repeatedly asked the design team to find cost-effective material approaches that still respect the district’s character.
Staff walked the team through process and schedule expectations: to appear for a formal approval or denial the commission will require finalized building plans that identify locations of lighting, windows and doors and list final materials. The team said it is currently at roughly 65 percent construction document level and aimed to meet the application deadline for the commission’s mid-July meeting (July 20).
No formal application approval or denial was recorded at the meeting; commissioners offered largely positive, advisory feedback and requested refined plans for formal review. The design team said they would coordinate internally to finalize materials and submit the required documentation to staff ahead of the next agenda deadline.
