FOR THE PAST 23 YEARS, Michael Franck and Art Lohsen have worked together with a dedicated and talented team of professionals as Franck & Lohsen Architects Inc. creating architecture in the realms of ecclesiastical, residential, university, and urban design.

It has been a source of great joy to have created timeless buildings enjoyed by a wide-range of people — from students to homeowners to worshippers; and fortunate to have wonderful clients who placed their trust and vision in our hands — including the peer recognition of the Arthur Ross Award for our body of work.

This September, Franck & Lohsen Architects, Inc. will transform into two new entities. Michael will assume the helm of residential, hospitality and university commissions with Michael M. Franck Architect LLC. Art will assume the helm of ecclesiastical commissions with Bella Chiesa LLC. and, as always, Michael and Art will continue to work in a collaborative spirit which has been a hallmark of their firm.

We are excited about this next chapter as we continue to create enduring architecture.

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Moss & Johns Residential Halls

Longwood University

Built in 1970, this pair of 10 story high-rises are home over 70% of the Freshmen class with each building housing roughly 400 students. As with many projects built during this period, there was an attempt to be “of our time” and “modern”, however almost 50 years later, the buildings were sadly dated and did not reinforce the traditional architectural identity of Longwood University.

These projects are a complete gutting and refacing of the pair of buildings. There are new systems, completely new interiors, a new exterior skin with classical detailing, porches, and a tower on each side to add student lounges to each floor. A pair of new cupolas atop the towers add an identifiable element to the skyline.

As these buildings are so vastly different in scale from the historic building on campus, the renovated buildings are designed to look like historic 1920’s apartment buildings that have recently been restored. Reminiscent of historic urban apartment buildings and hotels, this new renovation looks timeless yet is fully contemporary on the interior with new systems and spaces appropriate for students today. The exterior style is defined by the use of classical detailing, a breakdown of the overall scale with a 3 story base (with a 2 story porch), a 6 story middle portion with faux balconies, and a top portion that reads as a penthouse/attic that is above the building cornice.

A new plaza at the center of the pair of buildings now serve as the new entry to the buildings and creates a strong connection between the town of Farmville and the campus.