DPR Construction, Inc., a forward-thinking national commercial general contractor and construction manager, has recently kicked off construction on the renovation and restoration of Virginias 72,500-sq.-ft. Finance Building. Located in Richmond, Va.'s Capitol Square, the $26 million project, which also includes a 51,000-sq.-ft. addition to the building for a total of 123,500 sq. ft., will be the first state-owned building renovated and restored through a partnership between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Trammell Crow Company. This building and the Washington building, also located in Capitol Square, are being renovated through the Public Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act of 2002 (PPEA).

Built in 1896, the building has been described as a symbol of Virginia emerging from the Reconstruction era after the Civil War. The PPEA provides an alternative approach to the conventional procurement processes for the construction and renovation of needed facility infrastructure projects, such as the Finance Building. Virginia is one of a few states embarking on this new approach to facility construction, management, development and operation.

"It is a whole new approach for how the Commonwealth does business," said James T. Roberts, Director of the Department of General Services.

The renovation and restoration includes re-pointing of brick, repairing cornices, and preserving original elements of the building such as the main lobby grand staircase, handmade mosaic tiles, and wood windows. State tenants that have occupied the building through its history have included the Virginia State Library, Supreme Court of Virginia, and Museum of Natural History. Once renovation is complete it will house the office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The project is slated to be finished in the summer of 2005. Renovation of the Washington building will begin in the fall of 2005 and is expected to be completed December 2006.

Serving as the general contractor for both the Finance building and Washington building projects, DPR is working closely with project developer, Trammell Crow Company, and architect, Ballou Justice Upton Architects, on the Finance building and extension.

About DPR Construction, Inc.

DPR Construction, Inc. is a forward-thinking national general contractor and construction manager focused on delivering great results for technically challenging and sustainable projects for the biotech/pharmaceutical, corporate office, education, entertainment, healthcare, mission critical, semiconductor and warehouse/distribution markets. Consistently ranked as one of the top general contractors in the country, the employee-owned, privately held general contractor was founded in 1990 by Doug Woods, Peter Nosler and Ron Davidowski (The D, P and R) and has grown to $1.3 billion in annual revenue in 2003. Building "great things" -- great teams, great projects, great relationships -- in Virginia since 1996, DPR's mid-Atlantic office is located at 2941 Fairview Park Dr., Suite 600, Falls Church, VA and can be reached at (703)698-0100. To learn more about DPR, please visit http://www.dprinc.com.

For more information about construction and renovation of the Finance building or improvements in Capitol Square log on to http://www.dgs.virginia.gov.