MeadWestvaco Headquarters

[wrldcoupe4]

MeadWestvaco Breaks Ground on New HQ in Downtown Richmond

The parking lot beside the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Richmond has started its transformation into a corporate office for the region's newest Fortune 500 company.

Bulldozers have replaced most of the cars in the lot as work starts on MeadWestvaco Corp.'s headquarters building. The nine-story office overlooking the James River is scheduled to be complete in 2009....

MeadWestvaco plans to move 500 to 600 people into the building initially, though it will accommodate up to about 1,000 employees. The company said it had the equivalent of 879 full-time employees in the Richmond area at the start of the year.

MeadWestvaco will lease the 300,000-square- foot building at 501 S. Fifth St. from Richmond-based NewMarket Corp., which is building it as part of a planned commercial and retail development called Foundry Park. NewMarket is a petroleum additives company with its headquarters adjacent to the site.

I thought it was about time to start a thread devoted to the new building. It will be complete in mid-2009.

Construction fencing along Tredegar St

View of the groundbreaking ceremony from afar

[burt]

Great thread, Coupe.

[Cadeho]

It's a neat little building. I like the view from the northeast.

[burt]

It's a neat little building. I like the view from the northeast.

Yeah, Cam. And if you count the floors from the lowest point near the fountain at 7th and Tredegar, see if you don't come up with at least eleven. It might even be twelve if the wing-like top is two levels.

Architects told J Blackwell at the Times Dispatch that the ground level, which looks like two stories, is actally to be a 2-level cafeteria.

This style of architecture, which includes Phillip Morris Research, defies floor-counting!

[andyfried]

It's a neat little building. I like the view from the northeast.

I don't like it.They should have put a real skyscraper on that piece of land.

[eandslee]

I don't like it.They should have put a real skyscraper on that piece of land.

Agreed.

[wrldcoupe4]

I'm liking the confidence the company had in downtown, the fact it chose downtown over the suburbs, millions of dollars in new investment, 1000 new corporate workers downtown, the extra business this new investment/employment will create downtown including more people living downtown, and that this is only the first phase of a larger project which will bring retail etc to the canal/riverfront.

[eandslee]

I'm liking the confidence the company had in downtown, the fact it chose downtown over the suburbs, millions of dollars in new investment, 1000 new corporate workers downtown, the extra business this new investment/employment will create downtown including more people living downtown, and that this is only the first phase of a larger project which will bring retail etc to the canal/riverfront.

Let's just say they MWV didn't set a good "tone" with their "less than fantastic" height of their building for the rest of the development.

[burt]

Remember skyscraper fans, we may get an announcement this summer about a tall one on the triangle at 9th and Cary.

AND, Centennial may rise a couple of more floors than planned.

[wrldcoupe4]

Let's just say they MWV didn't set a good "tone" with their "less than fantastic" height of their building for the rest of the development.

Since they'll be leasing the building from New Market Corp, perhaps dissatisfaction with height should be aimed in that direction?

[wrldcoupe4]

It's quite possible that they didn't want their view disrupted too much from their hilltop offices.

[vdogg]

I'm impressed with how quickly projects in your city go from announcement to construction. It's seems like down here no one even knows what a "timetable" is.

[Brickhead]

That's a nice looking office building in the rendering, though not too terribly exciting. It will be good to get more workers downtown, and, specifically, on the canal. I'm hoping this will speed up the development of the Canal Walk.

[burt]

That's a nice looking office building in the rendering, though not too terribly exciting. It will be good to get more workers downtown, and, specifically, on the canal. I'm hoping this will speed up the development of the Canal Walk.

Blackfinn's Saloon and Steak House opens at ROTJ in June. That should liven up, at least a little, Haxall Canal. And Toad's Place also opens in June at the Kanawa Canal Turning Basin as does Vistas on the James.

I think Mead WestVaco is just the beginning of development at Foundry Park.

Perhaps someday a connection between the two canals can be built and the western end extended to Maymont.

[Downtowner]

Guys I am Pumped for this development. Remember everyone this is only the first phase of foundry Park there will be more including a Residential Tower I think and Retail so there will be taller buildings than this. So I still have hopes for this development. it'll be fun to see this go up even though its short. Plus once we have MWV and Centennial done it will bring a good view from 195.

[gntrphoo]

Guys I am Pumped for this development. Remember everyone this is only the first phase of foundry Park there will be more including a Residential Tower I think and Retail so there will be taller buildings than this. So I still have hopes for this development. it'll be fun to see this go up even though its short. Plus once we have MWV and Centennial done it will bring a good view from 195.

Plus, with Foundry Park to the east and the new VCU buildings to the west, maybe we will be hearing soon about concrete plans for Jefferson Plaza!

[wrldcoupe4]

Plus, with Foundry Park to the east and the new VCU buildings to the west, maybe we will be hearing soon about concrete plans for Jefferson Plaza!

Seriously... it would be awesome to have a movie theater downtown which the Bow Tie folks probably have planned for eventually.

[burt]

Seriously... it would be awesome to have a movie theater downtown which the Bow Tie folks probably have planned for eventually.

I wish some representatives from UP and RCW had been at last night's Business Section forum at Richmond Times Dispatch. There's a report complete with lengthy video in today's inRich (which I have not yet viewed in full).

One of my questions would have been what's up with Bow Tie.

[wrldcoupe4]

I think BowTie might be waiting for Centennial and other developments first, but that's purely speculation.

[wrldcoupe4]

From MeadWestvaco's website:

MeadWestvaco Breaks Ground on New Headquarters in Richmond, Virginia

Site Plan

http://www.meadwestvaco.com/news.nsf/(vRes...itePlan1_lg.jpg

Clearly, there will be PLENTY of space for future phases of Foundry Park.

"Locating our headquarters at the Foundry Park site allows us to contribute to the exciting revitalization of the city

[burt]

Thanks, Coupe, for the M/WV news release. The graphic shows the building to be on 7th Street despite its 5th Street address --exactly where I thought. Notice the new driveway off 5th Street to a circle in front of the building's western facade, and what also appears to be a drive running directly behind the Fed Parking Deck connecting 5th and 7th.

I would estimate all this construction will reduce the original plot by about a half. Still room for more, but I do recall reading years ago that the former Ethyl's development plan called for towers (about three) ranging downward in height; the tallest would be near the Fed and the others would step down between it and 5th Street. If they stick with that idea in order to showcase its hilltop home I would not anticipate a future for anything higher than Mead WestVaco on the lot.

[Cadeho]

There still needs to be room for either a future canal connection with new locks and/or an homage to the canal's path across the properties.

[wrldcoupe4]

Ahh interesting. I just noticed this was moved to the top of the Richmond section. Thanks to whoever (vdogg?) did it

[wrldcoupe4]

Nothing much to report yet since they're basically just moving dirt around still, but they've been very busy at the site.

[Downtowner]

Do you think its getting close for them to be drilling Casions for the structure?