FARM		Belvedere - Orange County, Virginia
		The acreage surrounding what is now Belvedere is noted in records as far back as 1722 when George I of England allocated the property and surrounding to the Octonia Land Grant. These Octonia Lands became part of the newly formed Orange County in 1734. Belvedere and the neighboring Montpelier, home of President James Madison, share a linked provenance of owners from 1869 to 1983, including the duPont Family. The strong connection between the properties can be seen in the design of Belvedere, most apparent in its colonial revival pediment front. Madison Spencer Architects has been called upon to analyze the integrity of the original structure and rehabilitate the estate.
		Blue Ridge Farm - Albemarle County, Virginia
		Blue Ridge Farm is in the historic Greenwood district of Albemarle County, Virginia, and the original house dates to the 1850’s. In the late 1920’s and 1930’s the renowned Georgian architect William Lawrence Bottomley was asked to prepare a series of designs for the property and house that resulted in the celebrated facades that enchant us today. Leaving no stone unturned, the well regarded landscape architect Charles F. Gillette was brought on board to collaborate and execute an exquisite suite of gardens about the house. It was this joining of two of the greatest classical designers of the early years of that century – Bottomley and Gillette – that makes Blue Ridge Farm a truly unique estate.
		Hammersmith - Newport, Rhode Island
		Hammersmith, one of the oldest working farms of Newport, was first recorded in the 1640’s. The main house that now crowns the property overlooking Narragansett Bay was built in 1887 for John Auchincloss. His son turned the estate into the summer White House during Kennedy’s administration. The brick and shingle style home has a handsome arrangement of surrounding walled and terraced gardens and a principal lawn stretching to the bay. Madison Spencer Architects currently advise the owners on the restoration and renovation of the greenhouse, the stables and barns, as well as the manager’s cottage.
		Swiss Village - Newport, Rhode Island
		The Swiss Village is a picturesque assemblage of stone buildings crafted in a northern Italian/Swiss style within Surprise Valley Farm, the grand summer estate of Edward Curtis James. The farm fell into a state of disrepair and passed through several owners before our client, a dedicated preservationist, rescued it at a bankruptcy auction. Madison Spencer has served as an architectural and preservation consultant to the owner since work began on the property in 1998. Its refurbishment has led to a renaissance along Harrison Avenue, one of Newport ’s most important byways.
RESIDENTIAL		Abell-Gleason House - Charlottesville, Virginia
		This two story Greek Revival home set upon an English basement built in the 1850s is one of the few of its type remaining within the Downtown Historic District. It’s raised pilasters and deep-bracketed cornice projecting from a stucco frieze point to a high level of finish. Madison Spencer directed the deteriorated home’s restoration and the refurbishment of its surrounding gardens, earning for it registration as an Historic Place with the United States Department of the Interior, and designation as a Virginia Landmark Structure.
		Byers-Northcutt Residence - Charlottesville, Virginia
		This five part Palladian plan villa fronts a driving court let into a hillside that conceals the house within the landscape. The house draws upon the clapboard detailing of Jefferson’s Edgemont estate in Albemarle County, and while of one story, through careful proportional arrangements the central pavilion of the composition stands tall, capped by a cupola. The clients have recently requested that a small garage and office/guest suite be added to the home as envisioned in the initial master plan.
		Clarendon Court - Newport, Rhode Island
		This elegant stone residence in Newport was the summer home of a New York family. A relatively small scaled – by Newport standards – five part Palladian plan with garden and stable structures set to the sides, Clarendon Court exhibits a level of refinement emblematic of that grand era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century. Madison Spencer’s responsibility was to begin with planning for the expansion of the wings and stable buildings to accommodate the owner’s growing family. All additions would be accomplished without detracting from the order and serenity of the principal entry court and garden courts. Alliances developed with local review boards at that time continue to serve us today with other Newport projects.
		Farmlands – Middletown, Rhode Island
		Located adjacent to the Vaucluse Estate, Farmlands comprises fifteen acres of gardens and sweeping lawn upon a bluff on the Sakonnet River. The current owners have been committed to restoring this handsome New England colonial revival house and grounds to their original grandeur. Madison Spencer Architects in collaboration with Kirby Perkins Construction Company have undertaken a dramatic refitting of the house, removing unsightly additions and replacing them with appropriately scaled and designed solutions. In most respects the house was taken down to the bare structure in order to return finishes to those in keeping with the period. Modern appurtenances were set within the context of “old” cabinets to form a seamless composition. Careful coordination with coastal regulatory bodies was required to improve the grounds.
		Randolph County House - West Virginia
		This family retreat is built on a ridge where an early 19th-century homestead once stood. Constructed of stone quarried on site, the house engenders the character of the landscape and merges with the rock outcroppings that frame it. The home is arranged around a main block containing the principal living spaces. The master wing and exercise area are set off at an angle following the line of a rock precipice that spills to the lawn below.
		Seven Oaks - Charlottesville, Virginia
		The two story house built in the early 1800s on this property grew from a simple frame farm house built before the Civil War into the imposing structure it is today with its Ionic portico grafted on front. Named for the massive stand of oaks that once ringed its front lawn, the main house at Seven Oaks has been altered over time with inappropriate additions and interior adjustments. Its Historic Landmark status in question, Madison Spencer advised the new owner on the restoration to be completed in a manner suitable to its stature. Its landmark status now secure, Seven Oaks reflects the owner’s commitment to preserving this historic property for future generations.
		Wildacre - Newport, Rhode Island
		Wildacre, designed by the architect Irving Gill, was the summer home of Hartford banker Albert Olmsted, stepbrother of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, principal designer of Central Park in New York as well as other great estates. Completed in 1902, the house was designed in a shingle style set upon a rough rock plinth at the foot of a magnificent protected cove. The client purchased the property in a state of decay and Madison Spencer has served as architect for the restoration and expansion of the residence.
		Windswept - Newport, Rhode Island
		Substantial alterations and additions had been made to this late 19th century country retreat, not the least of which was the addition of a one-hundred foot long proverbial car barn which overwhelmed the architectural composition. Madison Spencer has served this family in various projects over the past decade and devised a master plan strategy for Windswept. In its initial phases, the project involves correcting the overall site proportions. The interiors have been reorganized to provide staff apartments and guest rooms. The main house is a registered Newport Historical District landmark.
INSTITUTIONAL & COMMERCIAL		Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum - Bristol, Rhode Island
		The Blithewold Mansion was built in the early 1900’s in a shingled Queen Ann Style. The former summer resort of 33 acres has been opened to public enjoyment. The Mansion overlooks Narragansett Bay, with lawns and gardens between. Madison Spencer Architects worked with the Blithewold organization to find an appropriate entry strategy. With the expansion of the existing visitor center and gift shop in the fall of 2002 came a new gateway into the landscape.
		Clapp Hall – Princeton, New Jersey
		We feature this project, built in 1987 at Princeton University, for a dormitory that completes Wilson College and its quadrangle, as a result of its recent republication by Rizzoli. Clapp Hall was designed by Fred Koetter and Madison Spencer while he served as a project architect at Koetter Kim in Boston. The dormitory complex houses approximately one hundred students with bicycle storage and dorm social rooms at the lower ground level. The rooms themselves are arranged in four student suites and two student room formats.
		Fuel Restaurant– Charlottesville, Virginia
		Intended to provide sophisticated and convenient dining to pedestrians and drivers, this project provides an alternative to American car culture. The existing gas station was upgraded into a full service wine bar restaurant and café under a signature canopy. Although a renovation, this project is a prototype and has been designed for replication in other locations in the future.
		James Madison Museum – Orange, Virginia
		At the close of 2001, Madison Spencer Architects was selected to advise The James Madison Museum of Orange, Virginia on master plan strategies pertaining to the anticipated expansion of the museum. The James Madison Museum has a two fold mission: first, to provide for the display and collection of artifacts and documents pertaining to Former President James Madison; and second, to display and build a collection of local history. These two core collections are presently housed in separate sections of a building not easily traversed for which Madison Spencer has designed a new principal entry and lobby area that will unite the two and accommodate a new board room and offices on an upper level. Madison Spencer Architects is also developing a master plan to tie the Museum property into the James Madison Historic District, new marketing material, signage and display systems, and publication graphics.
		Lexington Presbyterian Church – Lexington, Virginia
		In 1843, a Presbyterian congregation from the Shenandoah Valley town of Lexington hired Thomas Ustick Walter to draw up plans for its sanctuary. Walter was later to become famous as the Architect of the United States Capitol. The Greek-inspired design served Lexington Presbyterian Church for 155 years until in July 2000 an accidental fire burned out the interior and toppled the steeple. Madison Spencer has advised the church on rebuilding strategies and coordinated the design of the interiors based on considerable historical research. As a personal gift to the church, Mr. Spencer designed a new pulpit and baptismal font.
		Trinity Church, Newport, Rhode Island
		The present Trinity Church has stood on its holy ground in Newport, Rhode Island since it was erected in 1726. The parish, organized in 1698 and one of the oldest continually serving in the United States, has hosted George Washington, Queen Elizabeth and has been witness to many of the important events in our nation’s early history. Madison Spencer Architects currently assists Trinity Church in master planning its churchyard property, including its historically significant burial ground. Designated a National Historic Landmark, close collaboration with multiple review boards is essential in these efforts.
		Virginia National Bank – Charlottesville, Virginia
		Virginia National Bank, a startup community based bank secured Madison Spencer as consultant and architect to assist in strategizing the location of the bank headquarters. The bank was able to secure the Moses Kaufman Building, one of the most dignified edifices in the downtown district of Charlottesville. Mr. Spencer was charged with the planning, design and execution of the banking hall and offices on a “fast track” schedule of 110 days. A successful merger of this well conceived traditional building and a modern banking operation, Virginia National Bank opened its doors in July of 1998.
		Washington and Lee University – Lexington, Virginia
		"It is without question the finest room on campus. Our deepest appreciation." Peter Grover, Director of University Collections Designated a National Historic Landmark as well as a Virginia Landmark, Washington and Lee traces its roots to 1749. Thomas Jefferson’s neoclassicism is evident in the temple fronted Washington Hall, built in the 1800’s. With its lawn to the fore sweeping down to the town of Lexington and its garden mall to the rear, the Colonnade formed the spine around which all future building was to occur. Madison Spencer Architects has joined the University Architect and President in planning the restoration and renovation of the historic Colonnade. Madison Spencer undertook the design of the Mason Taylor New Room, an adaptive reuse of the Payne Hall Annex on the Colonnade. This grand new room replaces a series of crowded offices to house conferences and private receptions.
PLANNING		Weatherstone Stables - Sharon, Connecticut
		The stables and riding ring at the Weatherstone Estate were conceived as part of an overall master plan developed by Jaquelin Robertson, with Madison Spencer in charge of its design. The intent was to compose the 88 acre property in such a way that the riding ring/stable structure, along with the house, bracket the outdoor ring and paddocks, allowing them to serve as a focus of the estate. At the core of the 40,000 square foot structure is an Olympic size indoor riding ring with arms that house stables for 12 horses, along with tack and work rooms.
		Herreshoff – Bristol, Rhode Island
		The Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol was formed by John and Nathaniel Herreshoff in 1878 in an old tannery building overlooking Bristol Harbor. Together, they designed and built the greatest and most highly regarded racing vessels in the world. In 1971, two family members founded the Herreshoff Marine Museum to preserve the artifacts and salute the America’s Cup winners. Planning for new facilities and restoration of the existing buildings has become crucial. To this end, Madison Spencer Architects has begun master planning the waterfront and advising on the restoration of the remaining Herreshoff factory buildings. New facilities will accommodate a new café and restaurant, the expanding collection and visiting skipper and crew quarters.
		St. Anne’s Belfield School – Charlottesville, Virginia
		With an enrollment of eight hundred girls and boys, Saint Anne’s Belfield School provides a college preparatory program with a strong emphasis on public service and its own honor system. Because it was founded upon a merger of several historic academies in separate locations, the contemporary divided campus arrangement is not without difficulties. Madison Spencer Architects has joined the school in analyzing appropriate solutions for carrying the school into the 21st century with an aggressive vision.
		Royal Louvet Resort – St. Lucia, West Indies
		The Royal Louvet Club was planned as a five star Inn and Cottage community on the Atlantic side of St. Lucia. Madison Spencer was directed by Trafalgar House Ltd. Of London to devise the plan for the project. The 125 room Inn is at the core of the village like arrangement, with its lawn terracing down to the casino, pool and ocean beyond. The 620 acre property is planned so as to accept smaller village clusters up the hillside roads in a similar fashion to those villages that already dot the island in such an understated and comfortable fashion.
		Office of Admissions – University of Virginia
		The University of Virginia expanded its central library facility (Alderman Library) in a fashion required vacating the Office of Admissions in Miller Hall. Madison Spencer undertook this feasibility study to find a new home for the Office of Admissions. The site selected for analysis is awkwardly sloped but the study determined how to accomplish building in such a site and how to best knit the building into the fabric of the Central Grounds and improve the overall character of the site and this fringe area. Simultaneously, conditions for additional development within the site area were duly considered and noted.
		Carr’s Hill – University of Virginia
		Designed by the great architecture firm of McKim, Mead and White, Carr’s Hill has been home to the University of Virginia’s presidents since its completion in 1909. Sited prominently across from Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda, and adjacent to the Palladian Bayley Art Museum, Carr’s Hill crowns what has become the arts center of the Acedemical Village. The house, while conceived solely as a residence, now supports a much greater public component. Madison Spencer Architects offered a master plan analysis of the house and surrounding grounds, which include various cottages, gardens, terraces and an elegant carriage house.