Leesburg receives three Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Awards

The Town of Leesburg was honored at this week’s Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Awards.

The annual Signatures of Loudoun Design Excellence Awards, overseen by the Loudoun County Design Cabinet, encourages and recognizes high-quality design projects throughout the county, soliciting public nominations for outstanding design in several categories. 

The Town received an award in the Streetscapes category, recognizing two major capital projects completed within the last two years—the Edwards Ferry Road sidewalk, and improvements at the intersection of King and Market streets.

The Edwards Ferry Road sidewalk project was completed in the fall of 2023, and saw the replacement of a quarter-mile of sidewalk along the north side of Edwards Ferry Road from west of Woodberry Road to Prince Street. The new brick sidewalk was designed in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, and provides enhanced access to the historic downtown for nearby residents.

The King and Market intersection improvements were also completed in late 2023, and provided enhancements to the major downtown intersection to address the heavy use of the intersection by both motorists and pedestrians. Inlets located at each corner of the intersection were replaced with new inlets set back away from the corners to avoid damage by turning movements of heavy trucks. Also included in the project was the replacement of the 50-year-old streetlights and improvements to pedestrian crosswalk signals.

The Town also received an award in the Public Spaces category, recognizing the improvements at the east side of Mervin Jackson Park, which was unveiled in December of last year. The updated park includes a brick patio, a surrounding seat wall with lighting, and a lighted pavilion-like structure that contains the Town’s first community piano. The Commission on Public Art led the effort to install a community piano in Leesburg, and the redesigned Mervin Jackson Park, located in the heart of the downtown historic district, was chosen as the ideal location. The piano was painted by artist Danielle Ferrin and is centered around the idea of finding harmony and unity within the gift of music.

Also honored with a Design Excellence Award was the Birkby House Conservatory in the Contextual Design category. The Birkby House was already a well renowned event venue in historic downtown Leesburg prior to the opening of its conservatory in 2023, but the construction of a striking conservatory not only comfortably accommodates more of its guests, in all forms of weather, but creates an attractive structure in an already beautifully-landscaped garden in the historic downtown.

The Design Excellence Awards were presented at the Board of Supervisors’ June 3, 2025, business meeting. Accepting the awards for the Town were Mayor Kelly Burk; Director of Public Works and Capital Projects Renee LaFollete; Director of Parks and Recreation Rich Williams; and Commission on Public Art Chair Jeanette Ward. Birkby House Conservatory owners Colin Malone, Carleigh Marlone, and Kathleen Malone accepted the award on behalf of their project, along with Mayor Burk.

“I’ve always said Leesburg is such a beautiful Town, and these awards prove exactly that,” stated Mayor Burk. “The careful planning and design from our Town staff and our contractors bring us road improvements that enhance safety, and public spaces that are inviting. These awards also recognize the attention to detail and aesthetics that sets our Town apart.”