William Barret House to become new downtown HQ for local IT staffing firm

The building dates back to the 1840s. (Mike Platania photo)

A historic downtown home is set to become a local company’s new nerve center. 

Last month Ken Ampy and Sam Young bought the William Barret House at 15 S. 5th St. for $1.25 million, with plans to convert the property into the new headquarters for their IT staffing firm, Astyra Corp. 

The 6,500-square-foot home was built in 1844 as the residence of local tobacco magnate William Barret, and would later be donated to the Virginia chapter of the American Institute of Architects, which renovated the building in the 1980s, per Architecture Richmond. 

Young and Ampy met as college roommates at Old Dominion University and founded Astyra in the late 1990s. It now has a staff of around 20 and does business in 18 states, providing IT staffing services, however Ampy and Young said that in recent years they’ve expanded into healthcare staffing, a move that was spurred by the pandemic. 

Ampy said that for the entirety of Astyra’s existence it’s been based in downtown Richmond, with its current home at the Douglas Development-owned 411 E. Franklin St. building a few blocks away. But last year, with Astyra’s lease set to expire, Ampy said he and Young began looking for a new space that they could own, but pickings were limited. 

Sam Young and Ken Ampy

“We’ve always had a commitment to be in the city proper. We never looked in the counties. We always wanted to be in the city, and particularly downtown,” Ampy said. “That limited the footprint.”

They eventually found the William Barret house. which has been vacant for some time. Young said he was skeptical at first. 

“I have to be honest, it was not sexy to me on paper. You can’t always go based on pictures, because there’s been a significant amount of renovation to the property,” Young said.

“When we stepped in, I was shocked at how well it was kept…It’s very beautiful and ornate. They did a good job of keeping the original molding on the windows, the staircase is spectacular, even the doorknobs on the various rooms, you can tell they’ve been here a very long time.”

The sale closed on May 1, and included an 1,800-square-foot carriage house at 508 E. Cary St. Sam and Young bought the property through Monarch Way LLC, and said Astyra will be leasing the building. The City most recently assessed the property at $1.4 million. One South Commercial’s Tom Rosman and Lory Markham brokered the deal. 

With around 8,300 square feet of total space, the new office is larger than Astyra’s current 5,400-square-foot home on Franklin. Ampy said they’re only going to do light renovations to the building, including fresh paint and carpeting, with plans to move in in the late summer or early fall. 

“Our 28-year anniversary is in September, so we’d love to target being in there prior to that,” Ampy said. 

The William Barret house is just a few blocks up from some major development sites like the state-owned lot at 703 E. Main St. where a mystery developer is plotting a mixed-use tower that could reach 400 feet. It’s also near Dominion Energy’s unused city block at 701 E. Cary St., the future of which is unclear. 

The post William Barret House to become new downtown HQ for local IT staffing firm appeared first on Richmond BizSense.