Founded in 1993, Our office has steadily grown into a nearly 20-person studio over the years. Our work engages and encompasses a wide range of residential and commercial projects, many of which have been nominated for and won numerous awards.
We specialize in Architecture and Interior Design. Our firm’s discipline expertise lies in Historic Renovation, Adaptive Reuse, New Construction, and Interior Design. Most well-known for multi-family projects, we provide much more than that — including work on commercial spaces, high-end modern residences, and restaurants.
Our focus is enriching the Richmond market and surrounding areas, including areas throughout Virginia, the Carolinas, and Oklahoma.
What We Believe
We believe that thoughtful design fosters positive change in our communities. We believe in coloring outside the lines; creatively working through challenges throughout the design process.
Most of all, we believe that a strong culture of collaboration is at the heart of who we are as a firm.
Why WPA?
At WPA, we know work isn’t only about who you work for; it’s also about what you do and how you do it.
Led by the strength of our values and a culture shaped by collaboration across disciplines, we build on each other’s ideas and work together to make great things possible.
Meet the Team
Walter Parks
Principal
Registered Architect (RA)
Starting the practice in 1993, Walter has led the practice from its beginnings as a one-person office to one of the most prolific architectural firms in the City of Richmond. He is proud of the diverse range of projects, from small projects like World of Mirth and the Ellwood Thompson offices to the high-rises like Southfalls and the Square. Most of all, Walter is dedicated to the urban growth of the Arts district, where the WPA office has been for the last 20 years.
With a passion for historic buildings and extensive experience with the Federal and State historic tax credit programs, Sarah has designed and managed projects with WPA since 2003. Her design work honors and responds to existing spaces and communities, while imagining exciting opportunities for new uses.
Originally hailing from Canada, Sarah has called Richmond home since 1992. She is a graduate of both VCU and Virginia Tech. As recent empty nesters, Sarah and her husband enjoy riding bikes and camping.
As an Architect, Designer, and Project Manager, Nate is focused on urban infill new construction projects that repair and enhance the fabric of our cities. He draws inspiration from over 20 years of experience working in the richly varied urban environments of Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Portland, OR; and now Richmond, VA.
Growing up in the rural countryside of Northwest Iowa has given him a unique perspective on urban environments and the features that make them most livable. Nate believes in the importance of projects developed around the values of quality design, sustainable construction, social equity, and transit accessibility to support the cultural, educational, ecological, and economic health of our cities.
Sean lives and works in Jackson Ward with his wife Melody and their two daughters. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 2005 and started working with WPA that same year.
Outside of architecture and spending time with his family, you might find him in his workshop, gardening, or playing soccer.
Alison joined the WPA team in 2008 as the firm’s first dedicated interior designer. As a Richmond native, Alison was drawn to WPA’s focus on developing new impactful real estate and reinventing and revitalizing historic properties throughout the metropolitan area. Taking on the challenge of clients’ spatial needs while creating aesthetically pleasing spaces is Alison’s specialty.
When she’s not designing, Alison enjoys traveling, camping, and further exploring Richmond with friends and family.
Brett is a 2008 graduate of Virginia Tech and joined WPA in 2012. He focuses mainly on construction administration and brings his construction knowledge, digital agility, rapid drawing assembly, and an infectious can-do demeanor to each and every project.
Chris was born and raised in Richmond. He achieved his Master of Architecture degree from Virginia Tech in 2017 and joined WPA in the summer of 2020.
When he isn’t designing buildings for WPA, you can find Chris honing his woodworking skills at his home wood shop, enjoying Scott’s Addition’s various breweries, or studying for his licensure exams.
Projects
Chestnut Flats
Witches Brew
Plant Zero
Gaelan Finney-Day
Project Architect
Registered Architect (RA)
Gaelan joined the WPA Studio team in 2019 after nearly a decade working and training to become an architect in the midwest. A native of Richmond, Gaelan is thrilled to work on projects that celebrate the qualities that make this city unique.
Gaelan prioritizes thoughtful consideration for context and a commitment to balancing contemporary design sensibilities with Richmond’s historic urban fabric. In addition to new multifamily construction, he also has experience in single family housing, commercial adaptive reuse, and urban site planning.
When not at work, Gaelan enjoys accumulating hand tools and shop equipment that he swears he will use one day.
Jenna, originally from Georgia, has lived in various parts of the country before settling in Virginia with her family. Captivated by the charm of the Chesapeake Bay and the rich history of the Northern Neck, they made it their home. Jenna earned a BFA in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 2022.
As an artist, she loves sketching, painting, and writing to capture the essence of her surroundings. Her leisure time is often spent exploring antique shops, embarking on road trips with her sisters, and collecting glass lamps.
Projects
Jenna Grenfell
Interior Designer
A Southeast transplant from Maine, Jenna graduated from High Point University in 2015 with a B.S. in Interior Design. Renovation projects are among her favorites as they are opportunities for unique problem solving and creating engaging spaces that respect the building’s history.
When away from her desk, you can find Jenna trying new recipes, playing board games, or exploring Virginia with her husband and two dogs.
Julia is a Maryland native who made Richmond her home in 2008. After studying painting at SCAD and VCU, she pivoted her career towards architecture. Julia has a diverse background in historic renovation, new construction, structural engineering, and detailing. She brings a creative and analytical perspective to everything she does.
When not at work, Julia enjoys printmaking in her studio, goofing off with her pets, and taking long walks around the city with her husband.
Projects
Kelly Miller
Designer
A Virginia native, Kelly has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from VCU and a Masters in Architecture from Virginia Tech. She enjoys working on all manner of projects, historic and new, but especially on local projects.
When not working, Kelly is wrangling twins and enjoying the outdoors as much as possible.
With a historical conscience, Lile brings old forms into modern life in a responsible and thoughtful manner. A native of New Yorker she has a deep respect for the art in architecture.
When not sitting in front of a screen, Lile enjoys outdoor activities, especially those that include bikes, water, sand, friends, and family, and always with her awesome four legged seal Loosie.
A graduate of Kansas State University, Marcos worked in New York before moving to Virginia. He enjoys mentoring, problem solving, creative project detailing and the art of preparing construction documents. He provides Building Code and QC reviews as well as assisting project teams with technical needs.
He was born in Brazil but has come to love his adopted country and was the first in his family to attend and graduate college. He enjoys time with his ever growing family, home improvement projects, sketching, genealogy research and cheering for his K-State Wildcats.
Melody lives and works in Jackson Ward with her husband Sean and their two daughters. She is from Colombia, S.A. and came to the United States to study architecture at Virginia Tech. After graduating she worked at firms both in North Carolina and Virginia before joining WPA in 2009.
Taking her cue from a long line of dancers in her family, she looks for the art in architecture.
Though a consultant to WPA, Rob has been helping out the firm for more than five years. Rob wears many hats from networking, computer support, VoIP, remote work, business processes, and making software work to graphic design and front-end web development.
Rob is a Detroit native but has called Richmond home for 30 years. If he's not buried in a laptop, he's playing with nephews, playing volleyball, or taking long walks with his wife and pups.
