Battle Street Bistro in Manassas, VA is the second restaurant concept from Sarah and David Devight, owners of the Secret Garden Cafe in Occoquan, VA. Our experience with restaurant design, converting space for new uses, and local historic preservation regulations made Loveless Porter Architects a perfect fit for designing this retrofit and managing construction.

9402 Battle Street began as a law practice in 1950. The Devights had a clear vision for transforming the outdated offices into a cozy, French cafe-inspired eatery, complete with the city’s first rooftop dining area. This required a structural redesign of the existing roof, a drainable paver system, and an attractive steel railing to keep diners safe while keeping the cafe vibe. Our design work also included plans for replacing the metal front door with a more inviting wooden door and removing some brick to allow for more windows. Additionally, we opened up the small space to maximize the occupancy load.