Author: PHW

Handley Library and the American Renaissance in Architecture and Art

Dr. Richard Guy Wilson, Architectural Historian and Commonwealth Professor in Architecture History at University of Virginia, will speak at the Friends’ of the Handley Library Annual Meeting on Wed., May 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m., Handley Library Auditorium.

The Handley Library is an excellent example of a major transformation that took place in American art and architecture in the later 19th and 20th century. Spurred by the idea that the Italian Renaissance had sprung to life in the United States, architects and artists created a lasting legacy of classically inspired designs. Dr. Wilson will focus on the idea of an American Renaissance and how the Handley Library embodies its ideas.

The Friend’s Annual Meeting is in honor of the first 100 years of The Handley Library. A reception and book signing will follow the lecture. In addition, Martha Woodruff of WMRA will interview Dr. Wilson on her program The Spark. The program will be broadcast at noon on May 10 and at 3 p.m. on May 11.

To learn more about the Handley Library, visit them at www.handleyregional.org.

Friday Photos: The Old Frederick County Court House

Step back in time to the early to mid 2000s and remember the Frederick County Court House before it became the Old Court House Civil War Museum. Be sure to visit them on the web at www.civilwarmuseum.org, or even better, stop by the museum at 20 N. Loudoun St. in the heart of Old Town Winchester, Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

From Old Frederick County Court House, 2006

Edit: If the wording of this post has caused confusion, the 2000-2006 dates reference the dating of these photos of the renovation work at the Court House, not the age of the building itself, which is 1840.

Friday Photos: 401-403 S. Kent St. and Blues House Showcase

PHW is sharing a selection of our photo collection online each Friday. This week, you can revisit 1999-2000 with the Blues House. As you may recall, PHW purchased the property at 401-403 S. Kent and performed the majority of the renovation ourselves. To do so, we started the Blues House Showcase to raise the necessary funds. The Blues House Showcase was an unexpected hit, attracting crowds far larger than anticipated. The event has since been taken up by other organizations for their fundraising needs, currently benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Winchester-Frederick County, but this is where it all started. Learn more about the event at winchesterblueshouse.com.

Link to the photo album.

Lunch and Learn Lecture Tomorrow

Don’t forget, PHW’s second “Lunch and Learn” lecture on historic brick and mortar will be held tomorrow, April 16 at noon. We’ll be meeting in the main level conference room (at the upper parking lot) at the OakCrest Companies, 126 N. Kent St. Feel free to attend even if you haven’t RSVP’ed — we’ll find room for you!

If you have any other last minute questions, be sure to call or email the office before 10:30 AM tomorrow so we can get back to you in time. Thanks, and we hope to see you at the lecture tomorrow!

Reminder to RSVP for the April 16 Lecture

Don’t forget to RSVP for PHW’s second “lunch and learn” educational lecture “How to Repair and Restore Historic Brick and Mortar” Tuesday, April 16 at noon at the Lewis-Jones Knitting Mill, 126 N. Kent Street, Winchester, VA. The lecture will be held in the main floor conference room at the upper parking lot. Additional parking is available at the George Washington Autopark, 131 N. Kent Street.

The lecture is free to attend and open to the public. If you would like to order a boxed lunch from Panera Bread for the event, please send in your orders to PHW by Sunday, April 14. Boxed lunches can be purchased at www.phwi.org/lectures.php.

To RSVP your attendance without purchasing a lunch, you may call 540-667-3577 or email phwi@verizon.net.

We need your input to plan future lectures and make them relevant to your needs! You can take a quick (less than 5 minute) survey here even if you haven’t attended a lecture yet. If you have some ideas for future topics or if you want to volunteer as a speaker, drop us a line at (540) 667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net.

Looking for an Internship at PHW?

We’ve received a few inquiries about internship opportunities at PHW. While we love the chance to introduce students to history and preservation careers, we do need to limit ourselves to just one intern a semester.

If you’d like to apply for a fall internship (August-December 2013) please send a short letter detailing your expectations for your internship and your resume to us at phwi@verizon.net. The cutoff date is April 30, 2013. Good luck, everyone!

PHW Office Closed on Friday, March 29

The PHW office will be closed for regular business on Friday, March 29 while we introduce a group of historic preservation students from Shepherd University to Winchester, our preservation movement, and our downtown. Of course, they’re getting a private tour of the Hexagon House while they’re here. You might spot them looking at our architecture if you’re downtown Friday afternoon!

Sign the Historic Tax Credit Pledge to Keep our Historic Communities Vibrant!

Via the National Trust for Historic Preservation comes a short video highlighting some of the community-wide benefits the federal historic tax credits:

(View video on YouTube.)

We’ve seen tax credits at work here in Winchester, and it’s safe to say tax credits were key to rehabilitating the Lewis-Jones Knitting Mill, the George Washington Hotel, and now the Taylor Hotel. Still not convinced it’s working in Winchester? Take a look at this rundown of recent revitalization projects.

If you value the benefits of historic tax credits in your projects and in your community, take a few minutes to sign the pledge at the National Trust at www.preservationnation.org/taxcredits and help us keep the federal historic tax credit in the preservation toolkit.