The Samuel Noakes House, Part 1

The Samuel Noakes HouseJohn 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.

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.

The basement of the Samuel Noakes houseCAD 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:

427nloudounAwards of Merit, for renovations that contribute to the streetscape of Winchester:

    Alec Bouldin and Lindsay Shannon for 427 N. Loudoun St.
    Tommy Beavers and Scott Moore for 507 S. Loudoun St.

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

    Dennis Rhodes III and Richard Johnson, 800 Amherst St., the Toll House.
    Adams Nelson Management for the Adams family, 311 S. Loudoun St., the Simon Lauck House.

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

    Shenandoah University, 142 N. Loudoun St., the Solenberger Building.
    Larry Omps and Lawton Saunders, 144-146 N. Loudoun St.

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

    Eugene B. Smith Gallery, for his support of PHW’s programs through gift donations, being an official source for selling and framing PHW’s Beyer prints “A View of Winchester,” and the use of his artwork to promote our historic downtown buildings.
    Dr. Peter Bullough, for his support of preservation and education activities in Winchester and Frederick County, as well as special recognition for hosting our spring cocktail fundraiser “Manhattan(s) in Winchester” in his New York themed home on Cork Street.

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

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

diemCarroll 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 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.


Membership




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.

Images from Helping Homeowners

Work is progressing at our first facade improvement project house, 134 E. Leicester St. PHW started our association with the homeowner several years ago for Day of Caring. We are thrilled that our successful fundraisers this spring enabled us to give back a bit more to this deserving project. Images of the project can be seen at our Facebook page.

PHW is still accepting donations and volunteers for the program. Donations can be made at the PHW website via PayPal or via mail to PHW at 530 Amherst St. Winchester, VA 22601. Persons interested in volunteering, please contact Nancy Murphy at nvmurphy556@gmail.com.