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Main Street Tower
Client: NEVA Properties

179,000 sf :: 17 stories

The Main Street Tower, located on a key corner site in the heart
of downtown Norfolk’s Main Street Redevelopment, started
construction in 1991. It is a 17 story commercial office building
high-rise contributing 179,000 new square feet of speculative
office space to the downtown business district core. The
developer filed bankruptcy during the early stages of
construction and abandoned the project, leaving an unsightly
and unfinished building steel frame for over a year. The City
deliberated on best actions to clean the site and began the
movement to condemn the project site. A Las Vegas developer,
Ralph Englestead of NEVA Properties appeared on the scene
and offered a cash settlement to the financing lender. At that
point in time, VIA design architects, pc was contracted by
NEVA to re-develop the design and construction drawings to
complete construction. New codes had become active, a
different lobby and building core were required and the design
of a pedestrian bridge connecting the building to the Marriott
parking garage was designed. Both buildings required a full
structural analysis to determine structural upgrade requirements,
in addition to the technical efforts described above, to complete
the design and construction of the high-rise building. VIA was
contracted to space plan and design the 179,000 sf of office
space.