The architecture firm’s space is right across the street from Starr Hill Brewery’s Richmond location. (Courtesy Thalhimer)
Scott’s Addition’s office market remains hot heading into the fall.
Earlier this month architecture and interior design firm DNA Workshop relocated its local office to 3425-B W. Leigh St., a space that formerly housed dumpster startup Mobiledumps.
Founded in 2012, DNA Workshop is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and expanded into Richmond in 2022. Its work locally has been primarily on affordable multifamily housing developments, typically sized at around 120 units.
Theresa DeBoer
“Our bread and butter is multifamily and we do a lot of work in the affordable housing realm,” said managing director Theresa DeBoer, noting that the company has worked with local development firm The Real McCoy Cos. “We also do historic renovations, adaptive reuse, hospitality and retail.”
DNA Workshop spent its early years in Richmond at the Scott’s Addition Gather coworking space and a small office around the corner from Gather at 2930 W. Broad St.
The move to West Leigh Street has allowed DNA to roughly double its footprint to 2,200 square feet. DeBoer said she’d like the size of her local staff to make a similar leap in the coming years, from nine to 20.
“We’re in growth mode right now,” DeBoer said. “We want to have more of a presence in Richmond.”
The firm is leasing the space, and 7 Hills Advisors’ Ali McCrickard and Landon Hinton represented DNA Workshop in lease negotiations. DeBoer said she and her team moved in earlier this month and are planning to renovate the space.
Though Scott’s Addition is known for its myriad breweries and new apartment buildings, it has been on an office-space hot streak in 2024. Investment management firm Apogem Capital, commercial real estate brokerage Newmark and public relations firm The Hodges Partnership all signed on to move into the neighborhood this year. The former Isley Brewing Co. space also has been leased to an office user, the identity of which remains undisclosed. Last year another architecture firm, Hickok Cole, also relocated to Scott’s Addition.