PHW – Page 98 – Preservation of Historic Winchester

The Samuel Noakes House, Part 2

John Chesson has graciously offered to share his story and images of his ongoing adaptive reuse project at the Samuel Noakes house, 101 West Cork Street/201 South Braddock Street with PHW. We will be releasing these stories through the PHW blog in the coming weeks, following the progress with virtual hardhat tours.

As you saw in part 1, the Samuel Noakes house had been adapted to one commercial space in a sub-first floor area facing Braddock Street and two apartments in the main body of the house, one upstairs and one downstairs. Layers of changes had accumulated over the years, leading to blocked stairs, blind alleys, and inefficient use of space.

John had contemplated pursuing historic tax credits for this project. However, he found his goals for the property did not mesh well with the historic tax credit process. This is fine; not every property can or should be a tax credit project. He took the right approach in consulting with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources before beginning any work on the property to see if it would work for him. It did not, so after a trip to the local Board of Architectural Review for the Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior changes, he was free to then begin work. He started with some selective demolition to see what is under the layers of changes.

Selective demolition to expose a fireplace

Interior demolition on Cork Street – exploratory demolition

Interior demolition, on Braddock Street – removal of plaster, items found, and cleaning up

Stay tuned for the next installment on Tuesday for more detail photos, interior photos, and video walkthroughs.

The Samuel Noakes House, Part 1

Most historic preservation projects that receive media attention are built on the concept of rehabilitation or adaptive reuse, in which the character of the building is retained while adapting it to modern conveniences. This is most often the approach used in a historic building that needs extensive repairs to make it functional and useful once more. (Other recognized forms of historic preservation are preservation, restoration, and reconstruction, which refer to ongoing maintenance and retention, preserving a set time period in the building’s history, and rebuilding a structure, respectively). The Samuel Noakes house is no exception. This brick and stone house, built in the early 1800s, had been patched and updated piecemeal over the years and was in dire need of attention. The following images will set the stage for the existing state of the building.

CAD drawings of the existing elevations and floor plans

The Peoples Barbershop area

Downstairs area

Upstairs area

Stay tuned for the next installment on Friday, when the interior demolition begins!

The Taylor Hotel Is Sold

Word has arrived that the Taylor Hotel has now completed its transition to the hands of the Winchester Economic Development Authority. This action allows the beginning of the first phase of the project, which is slated to be stabilization efforts of the front and rear sections and demolition of the collapsed central portion.

While further paperwork is being completed to access the Housing and Urban Development funds, which will open the path for redevelopment in phase two, this news marks a milestone in the languishing building’s history. PHW President Frank Wright was quoted in the Star today, saying:

“Hallelujah!” he exclaimed. “This has been a worrisome subject for many years and has caused a great deal of concern in the community, and this is the best news possible.

“This is great news for preservationists. This is great news for the citizens of Winchester, and for visitors to Winchester whom I’ve heard remark about the awful state of that building. So it’s a win-win for everyone.”

Read the complete article by Vic Bradshaw at the Winchester Star (login required).

2012 Preservation Award Winners

At our Annual Meeting Sunday, PHW announced the recipients of the 2012 Preservation Awards for preservation efforts in Winchester and Frederick County in the past year. We had an excellent selection of winners. By category, the recipients are:

Awards of Merit, for renovations that contribute to the streetscape of Winchester:

Katherine G. Rockwood Award, for the outstanding renovation of one of PHW’s Jennings Revolving Fund houses:

Lucille Lozier Award, for the renovation of an outstanding building that retains 75% for its historic fabric:

Patron Awards, for people or businesses that have been an outstanding supporter of PHW’s goals and programs:

Elsie M. Rosenberger Award, for an unsung PHW volunteer:

Sherry Bosley, for her ongoing support in the behind the scenes office tasks at PHW.

Carroll Henkel Award, for a leader in preservation:

Vincent Diem, for his support of preservation during his time as Zoning Administrator at the City, as well as his leadership role in the updated architectural survey and recommendations for future survey areas which was completed last fall.

Congratulations to all the award winners, and thank you for the work you do, big and small, to help keep Winchester’s historic buildings a shining example of positive preservation in our community!

Uncovering Your Hidden Gems Photo Contest Winners

At PHW’s Annual Meeting yesterday, we finalized and announced the winners for the 2012 Uncovering Your Hidden Gems Photo Contest. At the end of the contest, we had almost 80 photos submitted. The PHW judging panel narrowed this to six top winners.

Sharing third place honors:
Michael Foreman, Hollingsworth Cemetery
William Henkel, Shutter Locks at 316 W. Boscawen St.
Karen Oleksa, Time and Place in Winchester, Old Court House Civil War Museum
Christy Oseth with two photos, Abrams Delight and First Presbyterian Church

In second place:
Jenny Brockwell with two photos, the dome of Handley Library and the spiral staircase descent at Handley Library

The top honors for PHW’s choice for an outstanding photo is:
Bill Jarvis, Tying History Together Through Architecture, a view of Christ Episcopal Church through the stained glass window at Parish Hall.

Judging was very difficult based on the quality and variety of entries we received, and to that end, the Old Town Development Board and PHW have pooled resources to provide honorable mention prizes for the other contestants. If you entered a photo, you can expect a small gift to arrive shortly.

Thank you again to all the entrants for sharing your vision of Winchester, and to our prize donors EBS Gallery, One Upon a Find, Total Image and Workingman’s Store, and Winchester Parking Authority for helping us reward the contestants. This was truly a special contest!

See the album of top entries on Picasa.

Construction of the Winchester Towers

A series of photographs were tucked in a long-forgotten album at the PHW office. When closely examined, they yielded a surprising discovery — a sequential look at the demolition of the Greek Revival style house and new construction at 200 North Cameron Street for the Darlington Motor Inn, better known today as the Winchester Towers.

Cameron, or Market, Street was once a mixed residential and commercial area and once sported homes and many classic commercial Italianate buildings in the locations where we now see parking lots and Modern construction. These images highlight the changes in Winchester that fostered the formation of PHW and our ongoing efforts to educate the public on the value in these older buildings on the streetscape. Can you imagine this home being replaced with the Winchester Towers today?

View the Album on Picassa.

Images from the British Embassy and Lafayette Square Tour, 1979

These images of a 1979 bus tour to Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., including the Decatur House were discovered on some long-neglected slides at the PHW office. While a guest list from this trip is in existence, we need your help pairing up faces to names. Take a look at let us know if you can identify some of the members!

View all

Get your own

View the album on Picasa.

PHW’s 48th Annual Meeting on June 10

It is almost time to close our fiscal year at PHW, and the Annual Meeting is our chance to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next with the membership. This year’s Annual Meeting will be held in the Old Post Office at 40 West Piccadilly Street, now the home of New Lifestyles and the Coffee Cellar. The business portion of the meeting begins at 2 p.m. and covers the state of PHW, election of officers and board members, presentation of the 2012 PHW preservation awards, and the announcement of winners from the “Uncovering Your Hidden Gems” architectural photo contest.

Following the meeting, Dr. Kenneth L. Cuave of New Lifestyles will open this impressive building to PHW members for a tour from the basement to the attic, revealing the structure’s changing uses as a post office, a stock-brokerage, a restaurant, a bank, an art gallery, a bridal shop, and the offices of New Lifestyles and the Coffee Cellar. As an alternative to the tour, a light reception will also be held in the Coffee Cellar following the meeting.

Are you a PHW member? If not, you can join today and make the Old Post Office the first of many PHW events you attend! More information on membership to PHW is available at www.phwi.org/join.php.

150th Anniversary of Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign Events

A number of events commemorating the 150th Anniversary of Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign will be taking place in our area from May 24 to June 9. Here’s a rundown of the events:

May 24, 2012: “150 Years Ago…On This Day” Tour – The Running Fight on the Valley Pike (Middletown) – Presented by Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
May 25, 2012: “150 Years Ago…On This Day” Tour – The First Battle of Winchester (Winchester)
May 25, 2012: “History at Sunset” – The First Battle of Winchester (Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester) – Presented by the MSV and Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park
May 27, 2012: Clarke County Memorial Day Service (Berryville)
June 9-10, 2012: Reenactment of Cross Key and Port Republic (Cedar Creek Battlefield, Middletown) – Presented by the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation.

In addition, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation’s major regional event, “If This Valley is Lost”: Preserving the Legacy of Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign, will be held in Cross Keys on June 9.

Visit Shenandoah at War for the full list of events related to Jackson’s Valley Campaign.

Commercial Winchester, 1974

While going through our old educational materials at the office, we came across a collection of commercial building photographs dated January 1974. Take a look to see some stores that are now long gone, buildings and streetscapes that have been altered almost past recognition, and even spot some stores that are still in business at the same location! (Keep a sharp eye out for the Taylor Hotel, hiding under the McCrory’s facade treatment.)

Visit the album on Picasa.