If you've driven through Bridgewater this week, you may have noticed something new on the skyline. A four-story hotel built out of shipping containers is going up right on Main Street, next to the Sipe Center, to be called Blox on Main, developed by Joel and Jami Kauffman of Dayton. 

The ground floor will be commercial space (not yet leased), while the top three floors will offer what the Kauffmans describe as a high-end, immersive guest experience, with hopes of partnering with local restaurants and giving visitors a home base to explore the Shenandoah Valley.  

The architect behind the design, Tony Pope of Atlanta, has built shipping container projects in nine states and even in Belize. According to Pope, this will be the tallest shipping container structure in Virginia. 

The Kauffmans aren't new to hospitality. They already run an Airbnb near Silver Lake in Dayton, a historic home dating back to before the Civil War, where they frequently host families visiting JMU, Bridgewater College, and EMU, especially during football weekends.

Construction crews broke ground this week, and the Kauffmans are hoping to open the doors by late August or early September.
  

Read more via the Daily News Record.