Bailey & Glasser Main Office – Charleston, WV

Bailey & Glasser Main Office – Charleston, WV

When Bailey and Glasser, a highly respected law firm formed in 1999 and now with 16 offices, wanted to develop a unique and historic presence on Capitol Street in Charleston, WV, they knew where to start.

“Trust and relationship are two words that seem to come up often when discussing Dave Pray. They also happen to be two words that matter a great deal in the legal industry.” explains Ben Bailey, a founding partner in the firm. He continues, “Dave Pray was actually my client 25 years ago. He built my first office when I ventured out on my own. So when it came time to take on the challenge of renovating this historic building at 209 Capitol Street, it wasn’t hard to know who to call.”

The historic structure in the heart of downtown Charleston was re-opened in 2008 and quickly became known as a showcase that exhibited the unique culture of Bailey and Glasser and the unique skills of Dave Pray and his PrayWorks firm.

The combination of modern business needs and historic preservation requirements can be quite tricky. PrayWorks and the Bailey and Glasser team worked closely with the West Virginia Historic Preservation Office to ensure alignment with detailed requirements needed to receive the tax credits that helped the project make sense financially.

Practically speaking, the development needed to wrap around how Bailey and Glasser envisioned their attorneys working. In most big law firms, the attorneys are separated from the client meeting areas. Bailey & Glasser’s culture called for a more collaborative environment with a mix of large and small meeting areas, and enough space for attorneys to meet with clients in their own offices.

“Dave’s sensibilities made him the perfect guide to achieve many of our aesthetic and end-user experience goals. In addition to the complexities of restoring an historic building, we had a unique need for excellent acoustics; Dave figured that out. We have a unique culture that Dave needed to assess and design functionality around; he figured that out, too.” – Ben Bailey

The renovation was driven in large part by Dave’s ability to obtain federal and state tax credits for 209 Capitol Street. The bottom line result was this project was built essentially entirely with other people’s money.

PrayWorks performed all owners’ rep services on this project and acted as the development consultant as well. The return on investment from a financial and end user experience perspective demonstrates the value of this approach.

Ben Bailey & Brian Glasser at the office ribbon cutting.

Bailey & Glasser Main Office – Charleston, WV

When Bailey and Glasser, a highly respected law firm formed in 1999 and now with 16 offices, wanted to develop a unique and historic presence on Capitol Street in Charleston, WV, they knew where to start.

“Trust and relationship are two words that seem to come up often when discussing Dave Pray. They also happen to be two words that matter a great deal in the legal industry.” explains Ben Bailey, a founding partner in the firm. He continues, “Dave Pray was actually my client 25 years ago. He built my first office when I ventured out on my own. So when it came time to take on the challenge of renovating this historic building at 209 Capitol Street, it wasn’t hard to know who to call.”

The historic structure in the heart of downtown Charleston was re-opened in 2008 and quickly became known as a showcase that exhibited the unique culture of Bailey and Glasser and the unique skills of Dave Pray and his PrayWorks firm.

The combination of modern business needs and historic preservation requirements can be quite tricky. PrayWorks and the Bailey and Glasser team worked closely with the West Virginia Historic Preservation Office to ensure alignment with detailed requirements needed to receive the tax credits that helped the project make sense financially.

Practically speaking, the development needed to wrap around how Bailey and Glasser envisioned their attorneys working. In most big law firms, the attorneys are separated from the client meeting areas. Bailey & Glasser’s culture called for a more collaborative environment with a mix of large and small meeting areas, and enough space for attorneys to meet with clients in their own offices.

“Dave’s sensibilities made him the perfect guide to achieve many of our aesthetic and end-user experience goals. In addition to the complexities of restoring an historic building, we had a unique need for excellent acoustics; Dave figured that out. We have a unique culture that Dave needed to assess and design functionality around; he figured that out, too.” – Ben Bailey

The renovation was driven in large part by Dave’s ability to obtain federal and state tax credits for 209 Capitol Street. The bottom line result was this project was built essentially entirely with other people’s money.

PrayWorks performed all owners’ rep services on this project and acted as the development consultant as well. The return on investment from a financial and end user experience perspective demonstrates the value of this approach.

Ben Bailey & Brian Glasser at the office ribbon cutting.