The city of Buena Vista is inviting the community to help design the future for the old courthouse/city hall building that is the home of the city’s branch of the Rockbridge Regional Library.
The iconic building at 2110 Magnolia Ave., constructed in 1890 to serve as the headquarters of the Buena Vista Company, is the focus of a study that’s being funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Interactive public sessions to be conducted by CJMW Architecture, the city’s consultant, will be held Tuesday, June 3, in which the public is invited to share ideas and collaborate on possibilities for the building’s future.
As city officials seek to address the building’s structural and maintenance challenges, they are exploring its continued use as a library alongside other potential options to ensure it best serves the community moving forward.
“This project is about more than preserving a building – it’s about preserving a vital piece of our city’s history and creating a vision for its role in Buena Vista’s future,” said Kristina Ramsey, the city’s director of economic development. “We are committed to exploring all possibilities, including its continued use as a library, and we need the community’s input to ensure this study reflects their priorities.”
To gather ideas and feedback, the city is holding a two-part public session on Tuesday, June 3, at the Ramsey Center at 2040 Magnolia Ave. A stakeholder session will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. in which prior city plans will be reviewed. The session will include a brief walking tour to allow community and business leaders see the city’s broader revitalization efforts. This will give participants an opportunity to share their perspectives on the building’s current role and potential uses.
A public input session will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. This will be a “handson design charrette” in which attendees will be invited to share their visions as well as to brainstorm, sketch and evaluate potential ideas for the building’s future. Both sessions are open to all, and the city encourages community members to participate in as much as they can.
“This initiative is part of a broader effort to evaluate and plan for downtown properties, ensuring Buena Vista is positioned for sustainable growth,” said Tom Roberts, the city’s director of community development. “Focusing on this central, historic building – which currently houses a key community facility – allows us to coordinate efforts and make a lasting impact.”
Roberts emphasized that “We are not trying to kick the library out. We’re just thinking through options for the best use of the old city hall building. If another use is found for this building, then we would look for alternate locations for the library. In order to move forward, we have to find a good home for the library. This is an important resource that serves the community well.”
The study is to build on a 2015 assessment and will include a detailed evaluation of the building’s current condition, renovation options and potential future uses. Combining technical analysis with community input, the study will provide a framework to guide the building’s rehabilitation while supporting Buena Vista’s continued growth and revitalization goals.
The study also complements a separate effort by Main Street Buena Vista, in partnership with Virginia Main Street, which aims to identify redevelopment opportunities and provide critical insights to reduce investment risks and accelerate sustainable development. Public meetings for a downtown survey are scheduled for July 30 and 31, offering another opportunity for the community to engage in shaping the future of Buena Vista’s downtown.
“We want to hear from everyone – whether you value its role as a library or see new possibilities for how it can serve Buena Vista,” added Ramsey. “This building means a great deal to our community, and it’s important to us that the community is involved in the conversation about its future.”
For more information about the June 3 public sessions or Buena Vista’s downtown revitalization efforts, contact the Community and Economic Development offices at (540) 261- 8608 or email [email protected].
