Charles Weston introduced Weston Miles Architects ’ s “ Barley Place ” at the Taste of Morgan Hill in September . Barley Place is a condo complex development that is transitoriented , sustainable , and walkable , with valley views . It is ideally placed in downtown Morgan Hill .
“ The building was literally falling down when we began work on it in the early 1990s ,” said Weston . “ Since it was an historic property we collaborated with the city and others on the project . The structural engineer discovered that the building had had its entire face cut off when Monterey Street was widened some years earlier . We had to demolish it and start over , but we were able to preserve some of the original wood moldings , frames and objects of historic value .
“ Working with the Morgan Hill Historical Society , we designed an authentic look for the façade . We developed a mixed-use building of modern structural design with apartments above and commercial space on the ground floor that is occupied today by the Ladera Grill .”
In 2001 , Weston and Miles attended a USGBC conference that inspired them toward a new vision for their business . After the event they enrolled in an innovative program called Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design ( LEED ), and were among the first generation of architects to obtain LEED professional accreditations based on their knowledge and experience with sustainable building design and construction .
They decided to renovate the Granary , an historic and iconic property along Morgan Hill ’ s Depot Street .
According to Weston , “ The Isaacson family had owned the Granary for many years and along with Sunsweet , had helped to make Morgan Hill an agricultural hub for Santa Clara Valley . It had been closed , mothballed , for about seven years when we purchased it . Money was tight and we had to stretch ourselves . We did the design , got the building permits , and South Valley Bank came through with a loan . We were on our way .
“ It was the Granary that allowed us to pursue our vision to repurpose and re-use an historic property in a new and productive way . We designed and renovated the property to accommodate our new offices and provide space other business and retail operations . The Granary was awarded LEED Gold
Certification … at the time it was only the 25th building in the entire world to achieve this distinction .”
The success of the Granary development opened new doors for the firm and Weston and Miles gave tours to people who came from all over to learn about LEED design and environmentally-friendly building practices .
“ We even got a chance to do a little urban orcharding on the property ,” said Miles . “ Despite having to work around an unforgiving base of gravel , we planted French prune , Blenheim apricot and fig trees that are flourishing today .”
Weston added , “ People stopped by whose parents and grandparents had orchards , and gave us great tips on how to mulch and prune the right way . They also shared stories about Morgan Hill history . I only wish I ’ d recorded them . We ’ re always looking for ways to help keep Morgan Hill history alive .” “ In our work over the years we ’ ve touched practically every building downtown ,” explained Miles . “ Between the Cornerstone Building and the Skeels
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