LIVING HISTORY

The Preserve is the seamless collaboration between found and made: progressive, modern, and industrial design meets historic preservation.

In 1891, an industrious Vicksburg businessman, Joseph A. Biedenharn, bottled the first run of a widely popular new fountain drink called Coca-Cola. Using a bottle of his own design, the precursor to the iconic hobble-skirt design that came later, Biedenharn set in motion the first steps of a truly iconic brand. Following Biederharn’s lead, three entrepreneurs from Chattanooga officially licensed, bottled, and distributed Coca-Cola in 1899. Just a decade later, there were over 400 companies operating bottling plants across the country. Most of these businesses were family-owned.

Around the turn of the century, James E. Crass moved his Coca-Cola bottling from a small Charleston, South Carolina plant to Richmond, Virginia. The business quickly grew and eventually expanded to 42 franchises across the Mid-Atlantic. In 1953, Architect Joseph J. Schlesser designed the Mid-Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling building. It quickly became of the most prominent and significant buildings in the industrial neighborhood of Scott’s Addition. The modern-style four-story brick building included a garage designed by Richmond architect C. W. Huff in the 40s and another three-story, one-bay addition from the 60s. A striking piece of architectural work, the structure was as functional as it is beautiful.