01/20/2026
Reflecting on a momentous day in the Commonwealth of Virginia this Saturday, January 17, 2026! Like many, we will greatly miss the outgoing leadership that Governor Glenn Youngkin so passionately provided, in particular his love for Virginia’s history and historic sites; AND YET, we are equally as positive to see the incoming, trailblazing, leadership of Governor Abigail Spanberger.
In this light, we’re grateful for the privilege to steward Virginia’s historic properties. Equally so, for the past privilege, with former mentor, Patricia M. O’Donnell, to design the rehabilitation of Virginia’s Capitol Square 2002-2007, wherein during Glenn Stach’s time at Heritage Landscapes we devised a respectful and creative approach to recapture the pre-1940s circulation patterns of “The People’s Square.”
Embracing the full spirit of “Rehabilitation” to envision vibrant future use for our coveted public spaces, we proposed a new addition to the landscape, the terrazzo granite paving at the base of Thomas Jefferson’s Capitol. This act of creative expression brought the terrazzo patterns of the building’s interior rotunda to the outdoors and serve as a forecourt to the Capitol; one that would be particularly prominent and fitting every four years during gubernatorial inaugurations.
Since its completion in 2007, the plaza has observed five such ceremonies and none as positively momentous as today’s! May we continue to steward well the spaces where history happened, and those that shape and celebrate hope for our future.
May God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia, and God Bless this Republic “if we can keep it!”
Photo Credit:
Clark B. Hall - June 2025
Virginia General Assembly
Heritage Landscapes Design Development Drawings - 2004
Virginia Pilot - 2026
The American Battlefield Trust/Virginia State Parks - June 2024
