PHW – Page 30 – Preservation of Historic Winchester

PHW’s 55th Annual Meeting

Printed invitations were mailed on Thursday, but we also wanted to send out our invitation digitally. All PHW members are cordially invited to the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 23, beginning at 3 PM.

PHW’s 55th Annual Meeting will be held at Carter Hill Manor, 529 Jefferson Street, the home of Linda Ross Gibbs and Tommy Gibbs. This Georgian Revival house of rose brick was built in 1949 for Louise A. Patten, the seventh direct descendant of King Carter. The home, built by the Shockey Company and designed by Fredericksburg architect Philip N. Stern, harkens back to the ancestral home of Mrs. Patten, Mannsfield. The stone wall surrounding the property, the brick walkway, and the interior woodwork are direct callbacks to Mannsfield. Carter Hill is situated on one of Winchester’s highest points. The Jefferson Street address is actually the rear of the home; the front was built to face “The Old Lane,” with a view of the three acres of gardens and yards.

Parking is available on-street, and additional parking may be found in the former John Kerr School lots across the street from Carter Hill. The meeting will be held outside, so dress for the weather and in comfortable, low-heeled shoes suitable for walking in the gardens at Carter Hill Manor. In the event of inclement weather, we have several options for shelter both outdoors and inside. The meeting will not be rescheduled for inclement weather.

We hope that you will join us in this yearly reflection on our past year, celebration of completed preservation projects, and election of new members to the PHW Board to continue our work for the next year.

Carter Hill Manor, as seen from Jefferson Street.

The 2019-2020 PHW Board of Directors

Nominees for election or re-election to the Board for a 2-year term

Patrick Rodgers, Assistant Treasurer

Ed Acker, VP for Education

Jim Stewart, VP for Issues and Advocacy

Rose Eberhardt

Callie Fitzwater

Heather Merchant

Anne Scully

Dan Whitacre *

* Elected by the board to fill the unexpired term of John Flood

Directors whose current terms expire in 2020

Bruce Downing, President

John Barker, Past President

Mary Scully Riley, Treasurer

Friday Photos: Clowser Memorial Service 2019

Welcome back! It has been a long time since we had a Friday Photos edition, but last weekend we added to our collection of photographs with the fourth Clowser memorial service. If you weren’t able to attend, the Clowser Foundation gave us an update on their progress. They are still raising funds to continue the next phases of stabilizing the house, with a French drain being a high priority to help keep the foundation dry (as you may know, there is a small stream very close to the house). They also are working on new shutters for the exterior, and always need funds to cover various repairs, improvements, and insurance coverage. If you would like to make a donation to the Clowser Foundation to support their continuing improvements, you can make a donation online or find their snail mail address on their website clowserfoundation.org. You can see all 32 photos in our Flickr album. Happy viewing!

Friday Roundup: End of the Year Wrap Ups

PHW will be starting our 55th year in June. Thank you to all who have supported us. Your membership, interest, and engagement in our local community is a huge part of why Winchester has a thriving and active historic downtown. While it is well worth congratulating ourselves on the success we have had in the historic district protecting and valuing our local buildings, we always need to be aware and engaged in activities that will shape the development of our downtown in the future for the next fifty years. We look forward to supporting preservation and adaptive reuse projects, and we are always available to anyone who is looking for resources on collaborative and innovative solutions to development and design issues.

Today may be the last day of Preservation Month, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop celebrating our local history and architecture. The annual Clowser Memorial Service is this Saturday, June 1 at 10 AM. Come out to the Clowser House at 152 Tomahawk Trail in Shawneeland for a service open to all individuals who support the preservation of the historic Clowser House. The event will be held rain or shine. Learn more on their Facebook page!

While the school year is coming to an end for most students, you may want to peer back in time to see the growth and value of public education in Winchester and Frederick County. The article What Winchester Is Doing for Its Public Schools ran in the Richmond Times Dispatch on December 3, 1911. It is a copiously illustrated article, so be sure to check out the images of some of the old county schoolhouses!

Peonies cascade over a marble statue on the grounds of Carter Hill Manor.

PHW is also pleased to announce the details of our 55th Annual Meeting. We will be convening at Carter Hill Manor, the home of Linda Ross Gibbs and Tommy Gibbs, 529 Jefferson Street on June 23, beginning at 3 PM. Carter Hill Manor, a Georgian Revival style home of rose brick, is situated on one of Winchester’s highest points. The Jefferson Street address is actually the rear of the home; the front was built to face “The Old Lane,” with a view of the three acres of gardens. We plan to meet outside and enjoy the tranquil setting. In addition to the annual business portion and election of officers, we will also recognize the PHW preservation award winners for 2019. This is a great chance to celebrate local preservation projects and to meet our incoming PHW board members.

Last, mark your calendars for the Godfrey Miller Lecture Series of 2019! All lectures will be held at 7 PM in the Woltz Pavilion, 28 S. Loudoun St., Winchester. Cost is $10 (cash or check) for each evening, collected at the door. Proceeds benefit programs at the Godfrey Miller Historic Home and Fellowship Center. Door prizes will be given away each evening. For more information, visit https://www.winchesterva.gov/275th-anniversary

July 16 — 1700s in Winchester – Tom Maccubbin on early business life in Winchester through ledgers; Gene Fisher on history of the Godfrey Miller Home

July 18 — 1800s in Winchester – Rebecca Ebert on life before the War Between the States; Keven Walker on life during and after the war

July 23 — 1900s in Winchester – Trish Ridgeway on benefactors to the area; Judy Humbert on integration in the second half of the century

July 25 — 2000s in Winchester – Kris Tierney, Frederick County administrator, and Eden Freeman, Winchester city manager, on the present state of the area and future goals

Friday Roundup: Memorial Day Weekend

Hexagon House Sign — Found! This sign was on the Hexagon House in the mid to late 1980s. We’ve spoken with more than one person who remembers having their portraits taken on the Hexagon House staircase with Cookie and Larry Sullivan, so we were delighted to find this little bit of history tucked behind some boards.

First, the PHW office will be closed on Monday, May 27. We hope you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Second, we are closing in on the end of PHW’s fiscal year on May 31. If you haven’t renewed your membership from the 2018-2019 fiscal year or want to make a donation, you can still send in a check to 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601. We also have two online credit card options. If you want to make a one-time payment or donation, we recommend the donation option. If you’d prefer to have yearly renewals set up automatically, you can select your membership level from the drop down menu on the Subscription option.

Third, if you have noticed a preservation project that deserves recognition in Winchester or Frederick County at PHW’s Annual Meeting, fill out a nomination form and let us know! For best consideration for a 2019 award, please return nominations by May 31. You don’t need to have all the information, but as much as you can provide will be helpful. Winners will be recognized at the 55th Annual Meeting on June 23.

If you know or have children in the 10-14 year age range and you need some ideas for summer activities in July, check out “Expedition Winchester.” This summer camp is themed around Winchester’s 275th anniversary and has a fantastic slate of programs, sites, and activities. Week 1 (beginning of Winchester through late 19th century) runs from July 8-12, and week 2 (late 19th century Winchester to today) runs July 15-19. Both camps are held between 9 AM and 3 PM. Each week is $55, or you can register for both weeks for just $100. Spots are still available as of May 23, but make sure you register by June 12! Go to https://webtrac.winchesterva.gov, click on “Special Events and Trips,” and you should see the options for Expedition Winchester.

Last, we found another history account of Winchester in the August 1, 1900 edition of Musical Million this week. While we spotted a few factual errors, there were also some tidbits we had not seen before. You may read the article “The City of Winchester and its Historic Associations” on Virginia Chronicle.

Friday Roundup: Books!

PHW recently had a small boom in our office library thanks to the donation of a box of books from Dick and Dorothea Malsbary. The new additions are mostly on the broad scope and history of American architecture and historic preservation. If this is the first you’re hearing of PHW’s non-circulating library, you can actually check out our catalog online at LibraryThing. We have our books and some periodicals cataloged here.

We are always open for book donations in the fields of architecture, architectural history, landscape and exterior design, interior design, local history (primarily Winchester and Frederick County, but we have a few bits of Clarke County as well), historic preservation, and related fields. If you are downsizing your books and think you might have some things that would be good for our collection, drop us a note. We’d be happy to look over your offerings and we can work with you for in-kind donations for tax purposes.

Our other major book news is that we are very close to finalizing the reprint of the Winchester: Limestone, Sycamores & Architecture book. The book is mostly the same, with minor text edits and corrections throughout, a new introduction to the 275th Anniversary edition, a completely overhauled appendix of contributing buildings in Winchester’s National Register District, an index to the text and images, and a new jacket design. In short, the book is essentially a revised second edition, with the bulk of the revisions tackling consistency and grammar instead of new text and images. While we don’t have a date yet for books to be in hand, we hope to have them in time for our Bough & Dough Shop in November.

Last, while we have you thinking about books, you might also want to check out some recommended historic preservation books from the National Trust and Goodreads communities. Of course, if you are inspired to buy some books from Amazon, we would be thrilled if you made your purchase through our AmazonSmile link so PHW gets a small donation at no extra cost to you. It’s a small percentage, but we are always grateful for a little surprise deposit from Amazon now and then.

The Preservation Month Happy Hour Is Tonight!

Celebrate Preservation Month with Preservation of Historic Winchester tonight!

We have been so pleased with the interest shown in our happy hour event tonight, 5 PM at 522 S. Loudoun St. Just a couple notes as you get ready:

Parking is always tricky on Loudoun Street. We ask you respect private driveways as you arrive tonight. Be alert for pedestrians walking in the area from the adjoining streets.

There will be a PHW banner on the porch of 522 S. Loudoun by 5 PM so you can find the house more easily.

We will have mainly wine, craft beer, and light snacks – it will probably not be enough to replace your dinner!

If the weather cooperates (fingers crossed!), we may be able to utilize the rear yard as well for socializing.

It is perfectly fine to just stop in for a couple minutes and say hi or check on your dues. You do not have to arrive at exactly 5 PM. We will not have a program of activities so you will not miss any announcements.

We will, however, have nametags so you can put a face to a name of our current and potential new board members and volunteers. Several of our Holiday House Tour homeowners also plan to stop in tonight, so you can get an early glimpse of how our Holiday House Tour Through History is shaping up.

We will also have a few dates for you to save, upcoming events to mark on your calendars, and some of the new 275 Years of History and Architecture tour brochures for you to pick up (they are a fabulous update thanks to the work of Tim Youmans, Jennifer Bell, Renee Bayliss, and Sandra Bosley – check it out even if you have an older version!)

The PHW office will be closing up by about 3:30 so we can get set up for the event. We’ll see you all tonight!

Happy Bloom!

It’s a short post this week as we know you are all focused on Apple Blossom this weekend. If you get a few quiet minutes, we have a little bit of reading for you to enjoy:

May is Preservation Month! The National Trust has a suggestion of 31 activities to celebrate and enjoy historic places near you. They also have a discussion post going on the forum for other activities from across the country. You can celebrate with PHW next Friday, May 10, at 522 S. Loudoun Street, starting at 5 PM for our free Happy Hour.

One of the things the national preservation movement is moving toward is a focus on supporting community, not just properties of significance. It’s a monumental ideal, and if you’d like a glimpse at some of the thoughts preservation professionals are having for our “future significant” buildings, stories, and communities, there was a good discussion post at the end of April you may want to check out.

You’ve probably been doing some spring cleaning to get ready for the Bloom. Preservation Virginia has a few tips for cleaning some historic items. We will reiterate that if you are at all unsure or you feel the item is too delicate, the best course of action is NOT to attempt cleaning. You can make things much worse by being too aggressive or using the wrong materials.

We also want to thank all our “spring cleaners” who have dropped off bags and packing materials at the Hexagon House. It is a small thing, but we are so grateful for your help. Your donations help us keep our Bough & Dough Shop overhead costs to a minimum by not purchasing new bags and bubble wrap. We also share with our upstairs neighbor ShenArts so they can safely transport pieces between the gallery and the Hexagon House. We will still gladly take more bags and bubble wrap through the spring and summer.

Friday Roundup: Preparing for Preservation Month

May is almost here! To start the event off right, you may want to visit the Garden Tour this weekend – there are a number of fabulous homes in Winchester on the tour this year. You can learn more and buy tickets online here.

As anyone familiar with Winchester knows, the first weekend in May is part of the Apple Blossom Festival, so the PHW Office will be closed Friday, May 3. Enjoy a safe and happy Bloom!

Then on the next Friday, May 10, PHW will be hosting our Preservation Month celebration at 522 S. Loudoun Street. The event begins at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. If you have interest in our historic buildings in Winchester and want to get more involved ,we encourage you to come out and meet us. We’ll also be able to renew or take new memberships at the event. It seems like the event is generating a lot of interest, so we are looking forward to meeting and talking to all of you!

Additionally, PHW is still soliciting ideas for preservation awards for people and projects in Winchester and Frederick County. If you have some ideas, you can find our nomination form online here. Make sure to get it in by May 31 for the best chance to be considered for recognition!

If you own a property in Winchester’s Historic District and you’ve always wanted one of the oval historic building plaques but never knew how to get one, we encourage you to apply for recognition at the Board of Architectural Review. Plaques are acted upon in May as part of the Preservation Month activities. You can find information on the plaque process and costs at the City’s website under the heading “Is your property located in a Historic District?”.

While not exactly preservation-related, you may also want to mark May 17 on your calendars. City Code Officials will be hosting a free cookout in honor of National Building Safety Month at the Old Frederick County Courthouse on the Loudoun Street Mall between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Officials will be available to answer questions and provide information on decks, pools, fences, smoke detectors, permits and more. Be sure to stop by!

Friday Roundup: Easter Edition

While the PHW office is closed for the holiday, we still have a few bits of reading for you to enjoy over your weekend.

Are you wondering what historic preservationists do? Jeremy Wells created a short document detailing his findings of what career paths historic preservation training might lead to. If you are curious about working at a place like PHW, staff here would have to be versed in every one of his points as we are often the first line of contact on a variety of topics, but we work most with the “regulatory compliance” and “historic site” categories. While working as a single staff-person is challenging, it can also be incredibly rewarding if you enjoy learning new skills to expand your resume. You can also check out the blog post at the National Trust and the continuing discussion on the Forum for other perspectives on working in this field. Several comments point out how student interns are often looking for research opportunities. If you are a student looking to get experience typical of historic preservation fields in a self-directed format, PHW may be a great option for you. We would love more in-depth deed/will/tax record research for some of our historic district properties. While hunting down a chain of owners might seem inconsequential when you are in the midst of it, putting the chain together has helped countless people who needed a starting point for future research. Keep that in mind if you are a student needing some hours and wanting a nice point on future resumes!

While looking into the history of the John Mann Church on East Cork Street, we found a small article from 1914 on the parsonage, called “Pastor Too Tall for Parsonage.” We’re not sure from this little article if they were able to raise the roof 313 South Kent Street for their pastor, but if so, finding an article like this is a nice historic documentation of a change to the building and the reasoning behind it.

In many of the discussions around new construction in the historic district, we’ve seen a trend towards “all or nothing” thinking, with no medium option on the table. If you’re wondering why, you might be interested in “The Death of the Suburban Fourplex” at Strong Towns. While it focuses on Michigan, it is a great overview of how the fourplex (a building constructed to resemble a suburban split level but with four housing units) rose to prominence, became loathed, and were zoned out of existence.

Last, and most important, there are some proposed changes to the National Register process that are extremely troubling. In essence, large landowners input would be weighted more heavily than individual property owners, federal agencies would have unprecedented “pocket veto” powers on nominations, and Section 106 review would be stripped from certain properties. We suggest reading “Dire Consequences for the National Register,” “Proposed Rule Changes to National Register of Historic Places Nominations,” and “Proposed Regulations on the Listing of Properties in the National Register of Historic Places” and making comments on the proposal before April 30. Several of the links will take you directly to forms where you can submit comments online or provide the address for physical letters to be delivered. Most of our larger success stories of preservation in Winchester are because we have a National Register Historic District which enables the use of historic tax credits to make otherwise impossible preservation tasks attainable, like the George Washington Hotel and the Lewis Jones Knitting Mill. Millbank in Frederick County was spared from demolition in the 1980s in part because of the Section 106 review for mitigation on the Third Battle of Winchester. The original 1980 historic district listing also helped avert a potential insurance crisis for the Old Town area, thanks to the exemptions historic recognition can provide for historically flood-prone properties. We are also extremely troubled at the potential impacts on nominations for tribal lands. While we recognize this is not a likely impact for our area, you can find examples of how such proposed changes will produce a negative impact at Living Landscape Observer. Again, we hope that you will review the proposed changes and submit your comments before April 30.

Friday Roundup: Preservation Month Happy Hour

You’re invited to Preservation Month Happy Hour! Friday, May 10, 5 p.m. at 522 South Loudoun Street, Winchester.

National Preservation Month is celebrated every May across America. This year, PHW will be hosting Happy Hour on Friday, May 10 at 522 South Loudoun Street in Winchester. This free event is open to the public. If you are interested in old buildings, the historic district, learning about our organization and events, meeting some PHW board members and staff, and getting involved in PHW, this is the event for you.

We know most of our members renew in the spring and early summer, so we can take dues (cash, check, or card) at this event. Printed invitations will be going out in about a week, but we encourage you to start spreading the word now. If you can’t attend, pass the invitation on to a friend! You can also find this event on Facebook.