When the State Fair of Virginia sold its land to the Richmond International Raceway in 1999, the race was on to have a new site ready for the family event held annually in September. The State Fair then purchased Meadow Farm in 2003, the home of Triple Crown winner Secretariat, and an $81 million project was undertaken to prepare the land and construct buildings for the area, now dubbed The Meadow Event Park.
The new 400-acre site, owned by the Fair’s not-for-profit parent company SFVA, required two permanent buildings -- an Exhibition Center, named Farm Bureau Center, and a Horticulture Building, named The Meadow Pavilion, both built by Richmond construction company KBS along with Ceco Building Systems, partners since 1975.
Ceco President Roger Burlingame said, “We are pleased to be a part of the re-invention of the State Fair of Virginia and its new fairgrounds at Meadow Event Park. The Exhibition Center and Horticulture Building built by Ceco authorized builder KBS will serve this institution well for decades to come.”
The 75,000 square-foot Exhibition Center has a 211’ clear span frame with 24-gauge horizontal siding in Snowdrift White. Flashings and trim color are Ocean Blue, and the roof is 24-gauge standing-seam Galvalume® Magna-Loc.
The nearby Horticulture Building is 10,000 square feet. Flashings and trim match the Exhibition Center – Meadow Farm blue, the traditional racing colors of the Farm.
“We used horizontal 24-gauge siding in Snowdrift White,” commented Carleton Van Rensselaer, KBS project manager. “This was the first time KBS ever used this kind of wall panel – it looks less like a metal building – it had a really nice look to it.”
In a nod to its former racehorse past, the Horticulture Building sports two large cupolas on its 24-gauge standing-seam Galvalume “Magna-Loc” hipped roof. Because of the cupolas’ tremendous weight, additional steel framing was required.
Founded in 1975, KBS is the largest locally owned construction firm in Central Virginia. Rated among the top 30 construction firms in the Mid-Atlantic region, KBS’ work extends from its headquarters in Richmond to Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, Virginia Beach and beyond.
Services offered include construction management, design/build, general contracting and preconstruction services.
KBS has a significant portfolio of successful projects including adaptive reuse, commercial office, educational, healthcare, industrial, multi-residential, recreational, retail and senior living.