UNITED
Williamson Shriver Architects and Pray Construction employees pose in front of the new RMH building .
FRONT
LOCAL COMPANIES TEAM UP FOR FAMILIES
Many strong busine ss re lationships are forged out of the opportunity for we alth and pe rsonal gain . Howe ve r , some collaborations are forged from the de sire to impact communitie s and the live s of othe rs .
For Pray Construction , Inc . and Williamson Shriver Architects , Inc ., that desire , which is fostered by the leadership in each company , led them toward a mutual interest in the services of Ronald McDonald House ( RMH ) Charities , which provides free housing and home-cooked meals for the families of seriously ill or injured children .
After serving the families of young patients at Charleston Area Medical Center ’ s Women ’ s and Children ’ s Hospital for decades out of its Kanawha City location , the RMH of Charleston began construction of a $ 3.5 million structure on Pennsylvania Avenue in October 2015 . The new , conveniently located home will be within walking distance of Women ’ s & Children ’ s and will replace the Kanawha City building , which is the smallest and oldest RMH in West Virginia .
Williamson Shriver Architects , a company with nearly 50 years of design experience , began working with the RMH planning committee in 2010 . The award-winning , multidisciplinary design firm provides services to a diverse clientele throughout the Mountain State , but this was their first experience working on an RMH . According to Gregory Martin , an architect with Williamson Shriver Architects , the committee wanted to create an instantly recognizable building that would make guests feel comfortable and secure .
“ Knowing that Charleston was building a new Ronald McDonald House and recognizing the generous benefits the organization brings to families with sick children around the country was a tremendous motivating factor for our involvement ,” says Martin . “ This is also a very rare building type , one that is built in a community usually only once in the span of an architect ’ s professional life , and as such , it was an honor to have the opportunity to be the designer for this project .”
Pray Construction was also brought on to the project during the earliest planning stages . The 32-year-old construction company , which has a reputation for producing high-quality construction