Labor of Love
The Roanoke Times July 26, 2015
Christiansburg timber framers tackle giant chapel at The Greenbrier.
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Timber Frame Building, Crafted on a Deadline
Blue Ridge Timberwrights led the fast-track timber framing of The Greenbrier’s 12,000-square-foot wedding chapel, mobilizing a 15-person crew and shifting to two daily work crews to meet a Sept. 5 deadline. The Christiansburg team brought decades of high-profile experience, from Chateau Morrisette to projects in Japan and the Bahamas, to a site buzzing from dawn till midnight.
The timber frame structure showcases nearly 800 pieces of Douglas fir, including 12″×12″×35′ sanctuary posts and 200+ knee-brace arches. Blue Ridge’s scope included erecting the frame and sheathing the exterior in custom Structural Insulated Panels, a precision-driven package with pre-cut openings and chases. Other finishes amplify the chapel’s heritage look: stained-glass windows, clapboard siding, a standing-seam copper roof, and a copper-sheathed steeple rising about 100 feet. Inside, a wraparound balcony features wrought-iron railings with the resort’s script “G,” and a ceiling painted “Haint Blue”—all details chosen to feel timeless.
As Blue Ridge wrapped its work, crews hand-finished the timbers with a tung-oil/beeswax blend. Greenbrier leadership called the project a future “destination for weddings,” with capacity topping 400 and a schedule already filling after the inaugural ceremony. For Blue Ridge Timberwrights, it was a signature assignment with high stakes, high craft, and built to last for generations.
