Efficient ADU could serve as template for local homeowners

It’s called the Sugar Shack, but don’t get the wrong idea. The accessory dwelling unit in the Fifeville neighborhood, designed by Oak Five Architecture, is named for the dandelion wine once made there. “It was a place where lots of stuff happened,” Oak Five principal Kate Snider Tabony says. “[The former homeowners] sold the dandelion […]

Alexander Nicholson expands learning center to its limits 

The unassuming storefront at 128 Chancellor St. has long belied the Center for Christian Study’s extensive research and scholarship space. And just a few months ago, the square footage behind those doors was expanded even further. Residential and commercial building firm Alexander Nicholson was tasked with the expansion project—namely, to use every last bit of […]

Kai Crowe-Getty of Lord Nelson goes troubadour

Kai Crowe-Getty says Lord Nelson, one of Charlottesville’s most successful party-rock bands over the last 10 years, isn’t breaking up. But the group he fronts isn’t so much together, either. “Lord Nelson has been hitting the road hard for the last decade, and that’s been a wonderful experience,” Crowe-Getty says. “This is the first time […]

“Napoleon Dynamite” LIVE revives an early 2000s indie hit

The cult classic coming-of-age movie Napoleon Dynamite turned 20 last year, but the main characters—Napoleon, Pedro, and Uncle Rico—are still kicking around their old stomping grounds. About five years ago, the film’s core ensemble of Jon Heder (Napoleon), Efren Ramirez (Pedro), and Jon Gries (Uncle Rico) hosted a Dynamite film screening and post-movie conversation with […]

Tom Tom takes another big swing

The Tom Tom Festival is doubling down on inclusivity while the rest of the country seems to be betting against it. The theme of the 2025 festival’s opening day is “civic futures,” and the idea, according to organizer Paul Beyer, is to bring the most influential local minds together to talk about their “big vision” […]

For the Blue Ridge School, basketball is (almost) everything

The snowstorm brought bad news. Tuesday’s varsity basketball game, which would decide whether the Blue Ridge Barons or Miller School of Albemarle Mavericks would land the No. 1 seed in postseason play, was postponed to Thursday. For Blue Ridge seniors like Colby White, a 6’3″ guard, the snow delay meant two things. One, White and […]

Can the city grow its lagging percentage of under-25 homeowners?

New survey data shows that only 2.8 percent of Charlottesville’s homeowners are under the age of 25—a number that’s notably lower than state and national averages. According to a recent report from the web-based consultancy Construction Coverage, the share of home purchase loans that originated in Virginia in 2024 was 4.4 percent. That ranks 29th […]

Local design firm works with PVCC for environmental milestone

Charlottesville is home to the country’s first net-zero community college building after the recent completion of a project nearly seven years in the making. Piedmont Virginia Community College’s new Woodrow W. Bolick Advanced Technology and Student Success Center wasn’t supposed to be a landmark environmental structure when multiple design firms presented the school with bids […]

Real estate/design team helps homeowners with unique approach

A local homeowner and her husband wanted the kind of home that wasn’t on the market if you didn’t know where to look. But with a little help from a realtor and a designer, both with extensive architecture expertise, the family willed what they wanted into being. In 2017, the homeowner was casually working with […]

A.D. Carson drops groundbreaking composition with open access publisher

Clemson University was proud of its doctoral student. It was 2017, and the university announced the achievement with fanfare: A.D. Carson had produced an original piece of music as his dissertation and successfully defended it to receive a Ph.D. Carson went on to receive tenure in the University of Virginia’s music department. At UVA, he’s […]