Preservation of Historic Winchester

One preservation issue had percolated quietly in the background of the 1970s and into the 1980s – the fate of the vacant old John Kerr School building at the corner of Cameron and Cork Streets. In 1974, the original John Kerr building closed its doors as a public school for the final time, leaving the building empty for nearly ten years. Speculation about the fate of the building started soon after it closed its doors. The fear was that the beloved old school would be demolished for a parking lot. (1)(2)

The school was Winchester’s first endowed public educational facility. Local philanthropist and cabinetmaker John Kerr left a bequest of $7,000 to the City for the education of “poor white children” in 1870. His will was interpreted in such a way that the funds could be used to erect a public school building. Up to this point, the established public schools, although plentiful, were all rented spaces, often in the local churches or in private residences. With the Kerr bequest, which had subsequently grown to $10,000, and the City’s contribution of $6,000, Winchester’s first public school building was constructed from 1883-1884 in the Romanesque Revival style. The school originally consisted of ten rooms and accommodated about 300 to 500 students.

School enrollment boomed in the early 1900s with over 800 students by 1910, making the original building insufficient. The cornerstone for the addition to accommodate the surge in students was laid in 1908. In 1919, the overcrowding was further reduced by the temporary “chicken coops” located on the future grounds of the Handley High School. Virginia Avenue followed in 1931, and Quarles in 1955.

After serving students in Winchester for over ninety years, the old building was replaced with the new John Kerr Elementary School on Jefferson Street in 1972. It operated for two additional school years serving the the sixth grade during the construction of the Daniel Morgan Middle School before shutting its doors for the last time in 1974. With the school board having no further use for the building, the Council’s Municipal Building Committee recommended in 1975 to demolish Old John Kerr.

Knowing the significance of this building and fearing that a lack of ideas would lead to an untimely and unnecessary demolition for a parking lot, PHW allocated a portion of the grant funds received from the National Trust in 1975 to a feasibility study for the Old John Kerr, led by Arthur Zeigler. Several options for what could go into the building were suggested, including low income housing for the elderly, apartments, a community center, court facilities, or a museum. Although it was not a comprehensive survey by any means, it reaffirmed PHW’s concerns that this large building needed special attention and a specific purpose to be retained. Other ideas sprang up as well. The Winchester Host Lions Club made a separate proposal for shared nonprofit office and service space, while other ideas suggested uses as far ranging as a Bicentennial center, professional offices, nursing home, mental health facility, or Postal Service finance station.(3)

Applications to convert the building to a neighborhood center or a senior center were rejected in 1977. The old school began a slow decline into a vacant eyesore as the school board and the City worked through a potential snag by clearing the title to the three tracts of land comprising the school location and consolidating ownership of the John Kerr property. At the same time, the proposed uses for court facilities for the City and Frederick County fell through, as did the proposal to move postal services into the building. It seemed the time was finally right for the building to go up for sale and find a buyer. (4)

PHW pushed for the City to produce a new appraisal for the building with an eye toward purchasing the structure.(5) Several offers were submitted by the organization, but all were tabled or rejected. To ease some of the deterioration and buy the building more time, PHW volunteers helped secure the building against roof leaks and harsh winter weather and vandalism in 1979.(6) Bids opened again in 1980, and again PHW bid on the property.(7) Despite pessimistic forecasts of a lack of interest, a second bidder, Melco, Inc., also made a proposal for the property. Although both bids and plans were acceptable, both were rejected for undisclosed reasons.(8) (9) Speculation and worry on what would become of the Old John Kerr persisted.

Further information on Winchester’s schools can be found in Garland Quarles’ book, “Winchester, Virginia: Streets, Churches, Schools,” published by the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society.

We end our look back at PHW in the 1970s with a milestone celebration for the organization. Most likely due to the revolving fund and other activities in the busy year 1974, the organization missed commemorating its tenth anniversary, but instead celebrated its 15th anniversary in 1979-1980. (1) A number of commemorative items were produced for the organization that year, including a plaque donated by Mary Henkel to record the PHW founders for posterity, a plaque noting Carroll Henkel as PHW’s first president, and a delicate calligraphy record of PHW’s history to date lettered by B.J. Eastep.(2) These plaques currently hang in the foyer at the Hexagon House.

The calligraphy reads:

Preservation of Historic Winchester, Inc., was organized in 1964 by concerned members of the community for the purpose of safeguarding the heritage of the City and assuring a quality of life for tomorrow represented by the best of Winchester’s past. To the end that this goal may be encouraged among the people and the charm of the City maintained and improved, PHW has, through a program of education, enlisted sympathy for and participation in the preservation, restoration, and ownership of sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant to the cultural, social, political, economic, and architectural history of Winchester.
A major goal of PHW is to preserve the visual heritage of the City by saving old buildings and encouraging their use for present day needs. The W. Raymond Jennings Revolving Fund was established in 1976 as a source of money used to purchase properties of historic and/or architectural significance and resell them with protective covenants. Since its inception, the fund has bought and sold 26 buildings in the Winchester Historic District, the majority in the “Potatoe Hill” area of South Loudoun Street. eleven of the buildings are of log construction and at least seven date back to the 18th century. The Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission recognized the preservation efforts of the City of Winchester and PHW in the spring of 1979 by designating the Winchester Historic District as a Virginia Historic Landmark. And, at present, Winchester’s Historic District is awaiting inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
As PHW enters its sixteenth year, the organization has much to be proud of. Historic preservation has gained increasing acceptance in Winchester and throughout the nation. Not only are grand old homes being saved, but also entire neighborhoods and commercial districts. As residents rediscover links to the past, merchants realize that preservation is indeed good business. With over 700 members, PHW is now the largest volunteer organization in the City. Interesting lectures and tours throughout the year help to increase membership, educate the public, and enlist sympathy for, and participation in, preservation and restoration.
Winchester: Limestone, Sycamores and Architecture was published in November 1977 by PHW. This book, written by nationally-known author Walter Kidney and photographed and designed by James Morrison, is the first comprehensive book on Winchester’s history and architecture. PHW is recognized as a vital force in Winchester and with the enthusiastic support of its citizenry, one can understand why, in Winchester, Virginia, the past is looking forward to the future.

The Annual Meeting in 1979 was dedicated to recapping the organizational history in five year increments. Tom Scully covered the formative years of PHW from 1964-1969, Katie Rockwood tackled the formation of the Jennings Revolving Fund from 1969-1974, and Dave Juergans reviewed PHW’s modern era of the architectural survey and the subsequent Virginia Historic Landmarks Designation and publication of the Limestone, Sycamores, and Architecture book from 1974-1979.

This was also the inaugural year for PHW’s preservation awards, now a staple of our June Annual Meeting. The honored projects of 1979 included the Revolving Fund property of the Andrew Baker House at 702 S. Loudoun St., adaptive reuse of the 1930s bus terminal by Nobel Travel Agency, and the new addition at the Handley Library for new compatible construction and interior restoration work. Be sure to visit the Flickr album for more images from the 1979 Annual Meeting.

The tone of the 15th year exuded optimism for the growth and achievements of PHW and the eagerly anticipated acceptance of Winchester to the National Register of Historic Places, which was formalized in 1980. And indeed, much had been accomplished in a short period – but more challenges lay in store for PHW in the 1980s. We will pick up the next round of the “preservation versus parking lots” fight next Friday with the old John Kerr School.(3)

Last week, we recapped the educational work of PHW through 1979. Similarly, the Revolving Fund Steering Committee had made great strides in purchasing and reselling endangered properties in this period. Twenty-two properties had been bought and “revolved” by the fund into the hands of new owners and helped stabilize the Potato Hill neighborhood. The story of their preservation generated less controversy than the efforts to save the Simon Lauck house, but they are worth noting nonetheless. Those properties included:

1. 311 S. Loudoun St., The Simon Lauck House, c. 1790
Log house renovated into a quality office building.

2. 522 S. Loudoun St., Dr. Cornelius Baldwin’s House, c. 1785,
524 S. Loudoun St., Dr. Baldwin’s Doctor’s Office, c. 1800
Federal-style frame buildings restored as single family homes.

3. 510 S. Loudoun St., c. 1795 and
4. 512 S. Loudoun St., Grim-Moore Properties, c. 1780
Federal-style brick and log home renovated into a single family residence.

5. 20-22 S. Kent St. and
6. 24 S. Kent St., Grant Family Properties, c. 1883
Two frame townhouses renovated into commercial space and law offices.

7. 121-127 W. Boscawen St., Josiah Massie’s Hatter Shop, c. 1810
Log building renovated into owner-occupied office space.

8. 501 S. Loudoun St., c. 1800
Log house renovated into a single family residence.

9. 513 S. Loudoun St., c. 1800
Log and clapboard building renovated into a single family residence.

10. 702 S. Loudoun St., Andrew Baker House, c. 1800
Log and clapboard building, renovated into a single family residence.

11. 502 S. Loudoun St., c. 1882
Folk Victorian frame house, renovated into owner occupied residence with rental unit.

12. 418 N. Loudoun St., Magill-Keller House, c. 1840 with 1880s Victorian additions
Renovated into ten quality apartments.

13. 302 S. Kent St. and
14. 304 S. Kent St., Stoney Point, c. 1810
Log duplex built for the Everly family, renovated into two single family residences.

15. 606 S. Loudoun St., c. 1906
Frame workingman’s house sold to the tenant who renovated the house to be used as a single family residence.

16. 610 S. Loudoun St. and
17. 612-614 S. Loudoun St., Conrad Creb Properties, c. 1785
Log and clapboard houses, renovated into two single family residences.

18. 115-119 S. East Lane, Robert Rose House, c. 1840
Brick Federal-style townhouse, renovated into a single family residence.

19. 211 S. Kent St., c. 1810
Log and frame house, renovated and maintained as a single family residence.

20. 219 S. Kent St., c. 1800
Log and German siding house, renovated as a single family residence.

21. 124 E. Clifford St., Joseph and Irene Virginia Hodgson House, c. 1913
Frame and stucco house preserved as a single family residence.

22. 125 E. Clifford St., c. 1840 with substantial improvements c. 1880
Log and frame house with Victorian additions. Renovated as a single family residence.

Additional images of Revolving Fund properties may be viewed in the Flickr album. For information on deed restrictions for Revolving Fund properties, please see the Jennings Revolving Fund page.

We are drawing near the end of the 1970s in our weekly recaps of PHW’s history. Before making the jump to a new decade with new challenges, let’s take a moment to note some of the smaller events than those previously previously discussed. Chronologically, those events included:

1973

• The “Grand Event” at Glen Burnie, featuring entertainment, live music, dancing and an auction
• Present and proposed historic area slide presentation by Dr. Quarles, Mr. S. Bell; slides by A. Richardson

1974

• Clement E. Conger, Dept. of State, and Curator of the White House, “The White House and Its Collections”
• Mrs. Frances Edmonds, Director of Historic Charleston, “Defining Historic Districts”
• Bus Tour of Fredericksburg, presented by Ron Shibley, Historic Fredericksburg Foundation
• Walking tour “A Snoop Through History: Buildings Preserved for Adaptive Use Today as Law Offices”

1975

• Arthur Ziegler, Director of Pittsburgh Landmarks and History Foundations, conducted several days of seminars on administrative planning for Jennings Revolving Fund
• Thomas Slade, Dept. of Properties, National Trust, discussed building surveys as a tool for preservation
• Bus Tour of Alexandria, presented by Jean Keith, Historic Alexandria Foundation
• Annual Meeting, display of 17th and 18th century oil paintings at Glen Burnie

1976

• Royal Oaks Foundation & PHW workshop, Anglo-American conference on preservation
• Afternoon in Leesburg, with tour and slides, Graham Ashworth of England, speaker
• Wallace Gusler, Curator of Furniture, Colonial Williamsburg, “Shenandoah Valley Furniture”

1977

• Old House Workshop: “How to Maintain, Repair, Preserve” by Hugh C. Miller, historical architect; Dr. C.W. Ramisey, planner and specialist in the development of historic districts; James Askins, preservation carpenter
• Hugh Miller – A.I.A.: Philosophies and Practices of Historic Preservation
• Douglass Reed, lecture and slides on log houses
• Bridget Lane presented National Trust for Historic Preservation film “A Place in Time”
• Klaus Wust discussed “Buildings and Art of Valley People”
• Open House for PHW Office at 8 E. Cork St.

1978

• Paula Stoner Dickey: lecture and slides on “Building with Stone in the Valley”
• Frank Raflo, “Economic Importance of Preservation to the Business Community”
• Thomas Kamstra, A.I.A., “Contemporary Design in an Historic Area”
• Victorian Winchester workshop with Don Walters, A.A., Rockefeller Folk Art Center
• Shenandoah Valley Fraktur & Related Painted Furniture
• UVA graduate students on Victorian Winchester
• Old Homes: period, identification, restoration, planning and proper chimney care workshop, by Paula Stoner, Douglas Reed, and Michael Pratt
• “Save the Linden Tree” fundraising efforts to transplant a mature linden tree out of the path of the new addition at the Handley Library

1979

• Architectural Film Series: Weekly, four consecutive Thursday evenings, with two films and panel discussion
• Mack Headley, Jr., “The Relationship Between Architecture and Furniture in Traditional Woodworking”
• Mark Wenger, UVA graduate student: “Winchester Architecture; A Look at Past, Present, Future”
• Fall Workshop: Exchange ideas on how to keep an established preservation group running smoothly
• British Embassy Bus Tour

In 1978, PHW received its largest gift to date: the home of early founding member Lucille Lozier. “The Duchess,” who famously led PHW during the final year of the fight to save the Conrad House and laid the groundwork for the Historic District and Board of Architectural Review, bequeathed her home at 211 S. Washington St., some of her antiques, and a nucleus of funds to preserve and maintain the grounds to PHW.(1)(2)

After discussion, the PHW board voted to accept the house and conduct feasibility studies to determine the best use of the house in accordance to the spirit of her will. The major consideration was to make the house self-sustaining, so that PHW could continue its work preserving other property with the Jennings Revolving Fund. The committee, consisting of Judy Juergans, Chuck Yerkes, Katie Rockwood, Lee Taylor, Jim Laidlaw, Eleanor White, and Betsy Helm were charged with this task.

In May, the committee returned with their findings. The house was in need of maintenance, so it was suggested some of the Lozier fund be put toward the repairs to the most pressing issues concerning the roof rafters and basement walls, and a decorator showcase could be held in the house as a fundraiser. However, the necessary structural work complicated the fundraising plan, and it appears the decorator showcase had to be cancelled.

Subsequently, the house was prepared for a single family residence rental property. It was anticipated that PHW would move its office into the Lozier House at a later point. However, the maintenance issues cost more and took longer to repair than anticipated. The house was not rented until 1980; this happily coincided with a lull in the Revolving Fund activity, which allowed PHW to operate as a landlord for a few years and to make incremental improvements to the property. By 1983, with the house substantially repaired, the grounds cleaned of dead trees and wild shrubbery, the Lozier maintenance fund depleted, and a number of significant properties becoming threatened in the downtown, the PHW board felt the pressure to get back into the Revolving Fund full time and end the landlord experiment. The Lozier House was sold to the tenants in 1983 with covenants similar to those placed on the Revolving Fund properties.

Although PHW never utilized the Lozier House as office or special event space as Lucille Lozier envisioned, PHW members who knew her thought she would not wish the house to become a burden on the organization and would see the pragmatism in selling the house to others who could continue to care and treasure it. Proceeds from the sale were set aside as a nest egg to fund office staff salary and other Revolving Fund activities.

Information on the Lozier House from PHW’s unpublished minutes and Lozier House files. View other images of the Lozier House on Flickr.

PHW dipped its toe in publishing with a coffee table style book showcasing Winchester’s architecture with professional photographs by James R. Morrison and text by architectural historian Walter Kidney. (1)(2) Riding the crest of the survey work and educational efforts, “Limestone, Sycamores and Architecture” was in some ways the culmination of all the various documentation and educational efforts up to that point, condensed into a visually appealing black and white photographic essay.

Instead of focusing on the stories of individual buildings like Quarles’ books on historic properties, “Limestone, Sycamores and Architecture” attempted to provide an overview of the growth and changes of the town as a whole in five epochs – 1732-1770, 1770-1820, 1820-1865, 1865-1890, and 1890-present – using select images to illustrate the historic architecture of each era.

The book, with its timeless images captured in black and white, was dedicated to Lucille Lozier, president of PHW during the final fight for the Conrad House. Preorders were taken in 1976 to determine the print run, and in December of 1977, the first books were in-hand.(3) Three thousand books were printed. The first copy was presented to Mrs. Lozier at her home in a small commemorative ceremony. Seeing the book in-hand after three years of preparation was a “long-cherished dream [that] became reality.” (4)