Category: Board of Architectural Review

Community Food Store Slated for Demolition

Vic Bradshaw reported on the fate of the Community Food Store, 319-321 S. Kent St.:

. . . Hobbs’s response provides an answer to why the Community Food Store building is still standing – money to rebuild on the site could not be obtained. The structure, at Kent and Cecil streets, could be gone by year’s end, however. The City Council has begun action to declare it blighted and tear it down.

Read the full article at the Winchester Star (login required).

PHW representatives toured the building prior to the public hearing for demolition.  While the building tells a key story in the development and history of the neighborhood, the cost of the necessary stabilization made the project financially unfeasible.  PHW did not oppose the demolition of the structure given that the state of neglect and compromised structural integrity would make the project financially unfeasible.

The fate of the Community Food Store,  like Ruth’s Tea Room before it, is a sobering reminder that  important pieces of history may become empty lots when faced against demolition by neglect.

One City, Two Districts

As the rezoning request of the Amherst Street corridor last week highlighted, Winchester’s local historic district and National Register district currently have different boundaries.  What does this mean for property owners? Currently, the Amherst corridor has  the regulation of the local Board of Architectural Review, but none of the financial incentives available to other properties that fall within both the local and national districts.

Dave Shore, a Planning Commission member who served on the Historic District committee, said he thought the panel’s intent was to seek expansion of the national district to mirror the local district.

That would provide economic incentives for property owners to improve buildings currently subject to BAR governance but without the fiscal advantages of being in the national district.

The hope is that the incongruities noted in the survey will drive the redrawing of the city’s historic district, potentially contracting the district from “non-contributing” resources and expanding to include contributing resources currently ineligible for tax benefits.

To read more about the potential boundary changes from the architectural and cultural resource survey, visit Vic Bradshaw’s article at The Winchester Star Online. (Login required.)

BAR Public Hearing for Community Food Store

The former Community Food Store at 319-321 S. Kent St. will be up for public hearing on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the Board of Architectural Review meeting. The meeting begins at 4 p.m. PHW will make a public statement at the meeting, but citizens are encouraged to attend and offer their input as well.

The plan to demolish the former Community Food Store has been approved and stood unopposed at the BAR meeting due to the severity of the deterioration. You can find the story online at The Winchester Star.

Public Meeting

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing to discuss a proposed Winchester Historic District Boundary Increase. The meeting is scheduled for May 12 at 7:00 PM in the Rouss City Hall Council Chambers. Public comment may be sent to Director Kathleen Kilpatrick, VA Dept. of Historic Resources, 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, VA 23221. For a copy of the proposal and/or a boundary map, contact Jean McRae, VA Dept. of Historic Resources, 804-367-2323 x-102 or jean.mcrae@dhr.virginia.gov.

Public Presentation

A public presentation by officials from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and EHT Traceries will be held on February 14 at 7 pm in Council Chambers at Rouss City Hall. The presentation will explain the steps necessary to complete an exterior survey of buildings in Winchester’s Historic District. You are invited to attend and ask questions.

Preservation of Historic Winchester Files an Appeal to the Kent Street Demolition Decision

Winchester, Va. – Today Preservation of Historic Winchester (PHW) announced that it has filed an appeal with the Winchester Circuit Court to the decision made by the Winchester City Council allowing the demolition of five structures on the 400 block of South Kent Street. All of these structures are located in the Historic Winchester District as well as the Winchester National Historic District and are designated as contributing to the purposes of the district. In filing the appeal, Franklin Wright, President of the Board of Directors of PHW remarked “Regretfully, PHW is taking this action following considerable soul-searching and thought. However, we believe that the action by City Council on November 13th to overrule the Board of Architectural Review’s denial of the demolition of these structures is flawed and not in the best interest of the city or its residents.”
Continue reading Preservation of Historic Winchester Files an Appeal to the Kent Street Demolition Decision

City Council Hearing

The Rose Foundation will be appealing the decision of the BAR to deny the demolition requests of 404, 406, 412 1/2-414, and 418 S. Kent Street. The hearing will take place at Rouss City Hall at 7:30 p.m. This event is a public hearing, so you are encouraged to attend and state your case.

The City Council overturned the decision of the BAR despite strong opposition from PHW representatives, The Department of Historic Resources, and BAR members. However, the properties are currently listed for sale. Watch PHW for more news about the Kent Street Properties.

Board of Architectural Review

The Rose Foundation appeared before the BAR concerning the fate of several houses in the 400 block of South Kent Street. The demolition requests for 404, 406, 412 1/2 – 414 were denied with a vote of 3-2, while 418 was denied unanimously. The demolition request of 408 S. Kent was approved unanimously. The BAR members opposing the demolitions cited the irreparable damage to the historic fabric and character of the Kent Street corridor with the loss of an entire block was the main concern and troublesome precedent. Others cited that other preservation options never seriously considered for these properties, and a true test on the market to search for purchasers willing and able to renovate the structures could provide that test.

The fight may not yet be over to save the 400 block of South Kent Street. An appeal to City Council by the Rose Foundation is likely.

Board of Architectural Review

126-128 E. Cecil Street, once home to Ruth’s Tea Room, appeared before the Board of Architectural Review meeting at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers in Rouss City Hall.

Ruth's Tea Room The BAR approved the Rose Foundation’s plan to demolish the former site of Ruth’s Tea Room at 126-128 E. Cecil Street based on its unsound structural condition. The Rose Foundation intends to replace the structure with a close facsimile of the original building, which will appear before the BAR at a later date.

Ruth’s Tea Room opened its doors in 1927, the same time as the Community Store around the corner on Kent Street. Both businesses were family-owned and operated for more than 70 years and draw fond recollections from the community. The Community Store is being renovated by the Rose Foundation.