PHW Preservation Awards Open for Nominations

It’s time once again to recognize achievements in preservation in Winchester and Frederick County. Projects (historical research or rehabilitation) or leadership activities should have been completed in the period from late May/June 2011 to May 2012 to be eligible for this year’s round of awards.

Download a nomination form at www.phwi.org/issues/award.pdf. Nominations are due at the PHW office, 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601 or via email at phwi@verizon.net by May 1, 2012.

Don’t Forget the Poker Party!

The St. Patty’s Day Poker Party is fast approaching. If you haven’t considered attending yet, please do! The proceeds from the event will be used to help us repaint the exterior of 134 E. Leicester Street for an older homeowner in need of assistance. RSVP to Nancy at nvmurphy556@gmail.com by this Wednesday to join us for the “Giving of the Green.”

Historic Preservation Advocacy Day

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is reporting on Historic Preservation Advocacy Day today, where representatives from the preservation community are visiting their elected officials and informing them that “Preservation Equals Jobs.”

The Trust reports that:

In 2011, the federal rehabilitation tax credit created 55,458 jobs and generated $4.02 billion in investment. One million dollars spent on rehabilitation, compared to $1 million spent on new construction, yields between 5 and 9 more local construction jobs. Preservation is a good return on investment—it creates jobs, encourages investment in existing communities, and supports the tourism industry.

The Trust also reported on three bills that have the potential to improve the effectiveness of the existing historic rehabilitation tax credit program:

H.R. 2479 and S. 2074, Creating American Prosperity though Preservation Act (CAPP), which would amend the existing program for commercial buildings to expand historic preservation’s community and job-creating power, encourage greater reinvestment in America’s Main Street neighborhoods, and foster economic development.
H.R. 2555, Historic Homeownership Revitalization Act, which would add a tax credit for owner-occupied historic homes that is similar to the current tax credit for commercial buildings. This will help revitalize communities, increase their tax base, and create jobs.
S. 1685, Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act, which would amend the existing federal tax credit to make it easier to rehabilitate historic school buildings.

Read more about Historic Preservation Advocacy Day at www.preservationnation.org.

Preservation Virginia 2012 Most Endangered Historic Sites Nominations

Preservation Virginia, the statewide preservation organization, has opened nominations for the 2012 list of Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites. The program recognizes the Commonwealth’s irreplaceable architectural, natural, and archaeological sites that face imminent threat by demolition, alteration, inappropriate development, insufficient funding, or neglect. These special “places” play an important role in Virginia’s heritage and should be recognized before it is too late.

You may remember in 2010, two properties in Winchester were recognized on this list: the Taylor Hotel and the Gavis (Aulick) house. If you know of a similar endangered site in Virginia, PHW encourages you to nominate it for the 2012 list.

The nomination form is online at www.preservationvirginia.org/EndangeredSites/. Nominations are due by April 13.

St. Patty’s Day Poker Party for PHW

Come join us in the “Giving of the Green” to benefit Preservation of Historic Winchester on Saturday, March 17th, 2012 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at 107 Lee St., Winchester, Va.

No poker experience is necessary. A donation of $20.00 is requested to play. You will receive a receipt for your tax deductible charitable donation after you “cash” in your chips. If you don’t trust your luck, come and enjoy the food and refreshments and watch the friendly competition unfold!
 
Please RSVP to nvmurphy556@gmail.com by Wednesday, March 14th. We’ll see you then!

PHW Website Facelift Complete

The website overhaul is live and appears to be functioning as expected. Please visit us at www.phwi.org to experience the new site. New features include PayPal payment options for membership renewals or donations, easier to find social media and e-newsletter links, and of course the new template. Enabling Javascript is recommended for full functionality on the front page but is not necessary.

PHW Website Facelift

The PHW website will be receiving a facelift in about one week. The content will be reorganized and updated along with the aesthetic components. This is the first major overhaul to the site in five years. We think the end result will be worth it, for both the users and the maintainers. We’ll let you know when the finished product goes live!

Transforming Yeomen to Patriots: Securing the Shenandoah Valley from 1720 to 1864

Following recommendations from the British Board of Trade in 1720, extensive land grants to proprietors were discouraged, instead favoring compact settlements. This resulted in yeomen, not aristocrats, transforming the Shenandoah Valley into a commercial center. This class will discuss events and profile leaders of this change.

PHW member Suellen Knowles will lead this Continuing Education class at Shenandoah University’s Center for Lifelong Learning Thursdays March 15 to April 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The class costs $89, which includes two Saturday site visitations and materials.

For more information on the class, contact Jo Miller, jmille3@su.edu or (540) 665-5442. The spring brochure and online class signups are available at www.su.edu/lifelonglearning. Only 20 seats are available for this class, so don’t delay!

Indian Alley Improvement Project

The City of Winchester is planning the replace the underground utilities, add sidewalk and streetscape improvements where possible, and repave Indian Alley between Cork and Piccadilly Streets in the summer of 2012. To that end, the City is hosting an open house on Thursday, Feb. 23 from 4-7 p.m. to look at the proposed plans, ask questions, and provide comments. This is an informal event, so you may visit anytime between 4-7 p.m.

If you are unable to attend but would like information on the project, please contact Perry Eisenach at (540) 667-1815 or email peisenach@ci.winchester.va.us.