Cookie Factory Lofts apartments open in Richmond

Published November 17, 2014 by Paula C. Squires

The aroma of cookies baking in the former FFV Interbake Building on Broad Street may be gone, but architectural remnants of the building’s history
remain, thanks to a $24 million rehabilitation that transformed the 255,000-square-foot bakery building into a residential community with 178 apartments.

The seven-story project, by The Rebkee Co., Commonwealth Architects, Branch and Associates and The Capstone Contracting Co., celebrated its opening Saturday with an open house and cookies. 

For nearly 80 years, the Southern Biscuit Works (FFV Interbake) baked cookies and snacks at the property, known for a distinctive neon rooftop sign that was restored.

According to Commonwealth Architects, residents are moving into the first phase of 60 units. The developers expect the entire project to be complete by next month.

Commonwealth Architects reconfigured the cavernous bakery into industrial-style apartments with amenities.

“The large floor plates and raw industrial nature of the building made it ideal for conversion into contemporary living spaces,” Lee Shadbolt, a principal at Commonwealth Architects, said in a statement.

A new two-story glass entry leads into a light-filled central space. Large, original industrial steel sash windows bring natural light into the apartments while new skylights bring light into the corridors.

The community will offer 12 studio apartments, 98 one-bedroom units, 61 two-bedroom units and 7 three-bedroom units. Sizes range from 548 square feet to 1,494 square feet, and rents range from $850 a month to $2,500 a month.

One of the most unique features of the project is the view overlooking the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Located near the Boulevard, The Cookie Factory Lofts also are within walking distance of The Science Museum, The Diamond and Movieland at Boulevard Square, another rehabilitation project by Commonwealth Architects.

Amenities include a community room, fitness center, pool and a sitting area with fireplaces.