Cultural Resource Survey of Historic Winchester to Begin November 2010

EHT Traceries, Inc., in concert with Maral S. Kalbian, LLC, is pleased to be conducting the Survey of Buildings and Properties within the National Register Winchester Historic District. The project is possible thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, plus a shared sponsorship from Preservation of Historic Winchester, Inc. and the City of Winchester, both of which contributed $12,500 to the project. The objective of this project is to document the remaining 600-800 properties in the historic district, beginning on the east side of Loudoun Street, where the 2008 survey concluded, and moving westward.

The scope of work includes a reconnaissance-level (exterior only) survey of all properties with sketch site plans, location maps, black-and-white and color digital photographs, and detailed descriptions of each associated resource including dates of construction and alteration(s). Surveyors will not be entering the buildings they are documenting and will have proper identification. The goal is to provide concise documentation that will be available for all to use when studying the architectural development of properties in the National Register Winchester Historic District. The survey information will be added to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources’ Data Sharing System (DSS) database, which is available for researchers and public agencies. The collection of this information and its professional presentation will lead to a more efficient and effective process of further preserving the historically and architecturally significant resources of the City of Winchester. The project is expected to begin at the beginning of November, when the leaves will no longer obstruct views of the city’s architecturally significant buildings, and will conclude in the spring of 2011.

Based in Washington, D.C., EHT Traceries, Inc. is a research and consulting firm specializing in architectural history and historic preservation. Maral S. Kalbian is an historic preservation specialist who has been practicing in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont areas of Virginia for 22 years. Both Traceries and Maral Kalbian provide a wide range of services related to historic and cultural resources, including research, survey, identification, evaluation, and preservation. Their extensive efforts have resulted in the documentation of over 40,000 properties that resulted in the nomination of over 55 individual properties and more than 70 historic districts. The partnership of EHT Traceries with Maral Kalbian will ensure this project is performed to the highest level of expertise. EHT Traceries, having conducted the first phase of survey in the National Register Winchester Historic District in 2008, will benefit from the locally based expertise of Maral Kalbian, who was responsible for the two most recent expansions to the historic district as well as several individual nominations and tax credit projects in the City.

Contact: Josh Didawick
(540)667-1815