The Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (A.C.O.R.N.) paid tribute to the individuals that are “in the trenches” renovating and revitalizing Richmond’s historic neighborhoods at its annual Golden Hammer Awards last night. The winners were announced in the categories of Best Residential Renovation, Best Commercial Renovation and Best Infill Construction, with the award for Best Infill Construction going to Allen Townsend (Whippoorwill River, LLC) for his work at 610 Idlewood Avenue (Allen Townsend, designer; Victorian Homebuilders, LLC, contractor).

From the announcement:

Located in a prominent gateway into the Oregon Hill neighborhood, Allen Townsend knew the vacant lot at 610 Idlewood Avenue would need to stand out. Mr. Townsend studied the neighborhood architecture and re-created the details of the surrounding historic structures of the area and applied them to a new building with artistry. Equally innovative is the fact that 610 Idlewood Avenue is the first factory-built modular house in Richmond to be specifically adapted to a vacant lot in a dense urban environment. The combination of new, energy-efficient modular construction, with the meticulous attention to historic detailing applied to the building shell, has resulted in house whose new character instantly blends with the surrounding character of the historic neighborhood.