Mark your calendars for two events happening at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St.!
First, PHW and the Shenandoah Arts Council will host our second annual open house event on Saturday, May 13, noon-4 PM. This event is FREE and open to the public! Stop by to see both the upstairs and downstairs of the unique Hexagon House and learn about the two nonprofits which call the building home. PHW will have a small temporary display of artifacts from our Kurtz Building era, a visual display focusing on Winchester’s architecture, as well as other hands-on history activities. Light refreshments will be available.
Next, PHW is hosting a book signing by author and architectural historian Maral Kalbian on Friday, May 26, 4:30-6:30 PM at the Hexagon House. Stop by to chat and get signed copies of her newest book, “Clarke County, Virginia: History Though Architecture.” This event is also open to the public.
Kalbian’s book introduces the reader to the first people known to live in the area, guides readers through the development of roads and communities, and explains the architectural styles of its grand estates and humble houses. She addresses all types of buildings and provides an overview of how the surviving architecture reflects Clarkes’ history. Kalbian also separated fact from fiction by tracking down widely held beliefs and finding documented evidence to either support or debunk them. Aware of discrepancies in past historical writings, she double- and tripled-checked some stories in order to give future researchers a better place to start. The book is heavily illustrated and footnoted.
If you can’t make our official open house event, the first floor of the Hexagon House will also be open for visitors that evening. Light refreshment will be offered.
PHW is still accepting award nominations for the 2023 Preservation Awards! Official deadline is end of day on Friday, May 5, but if you are out and about during Apple Blossom weekend, feel free to leave some nomination packets for us at the Hexagon House. You may tuck envelopes in the basket on the back door, or place larger packets in the cabinet on the back porch. Thank you to all the submissions to date. The winners will be announced at PHW’s Annual Meeting in June.