Shenandoah Moonlight Ball on July 24

The Shenandoah Moonlight Ball will be held on the Old Town Mall at the Civil War Museum lawn tomorrow, July 24 from 6-10 pm. Wear your favorite Civil War, formal or casual attire and enjoy 19th century music by the Susquehanna Travellers and period dance instruction by the Victorian Dance Ensemble. Inclement weather location: 1st Pres. Church (116 S. Loudoun Street). This event is free!

Program on the Restoration of Historic Structures

Where: Blandy Farm

When: Thursday, July 15, 2010 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Camille Bowman with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will lead a program on the restoration of historic structures at Blandy Farm. The program will begin with a presentation in the Blandy library, followed by a look at the Blandy Quarters as a test case. Registration is $10 per person for nonmembers, $8 for members of the Foundation of the State Arboretum. To register, call the main office at 540-837-1758 ext. 223.

Winchester’s African-American Neighborhoods

The Coalition for Racial Unity and the Winchester-Frederick County  Historical Society are holding a bus tour of Winchester’s African-American neighborhoods on June 26. The bus tour leaves the Douglas Center (598 N. Kent St.) at 1:30 pm. Following the bus tour, the history of the Douglas School and Coalition for Racial Unity 20th anniversary exhibits will be opened.

Tickets are $4 per person and are available at the Hollingsworth Mill, 1360 S. Pleasant Valley Avenue, 540-662-6550.

ArtScape Festival

ArtScape returns to Old Town Winchester on June 26 from 2-7pm. The event will be held at the Old Town Event Center at 403 S. Loudoun St. and is free and open to the public.

The festival will feature live music, artist booths for the 2010 banner artists, and wine, beer, food and beverages for sale. The food and beverage and art sales will help to kickstart the 2011 ArtScape program as well as fund other art-related projects downtown.

For more information, call the Shenandoah Arts Council at 540-667-5166. Visit SAC online at www.shenarts.org.

46th Annual Meeting on June 26

PHW’s 46th Annual Meeting is scheduled for June 26 at 3 p.m. at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St. The meeting will begin with a review of the fiscal year. Following that presentation, the 2010-2011 board will be elected by the membership. This year the by-laws will also be revised. Before adjourning for a reception, the 2010 Preservation Awards will be presented.

Two Properties Named to State Endangered List

Vic Bradshaw covered the news of the Taylor Hotel and the Aulick house at 414 South Braddock Street being listed in a state-wide list of endangered properties. While  it is not an honor, it is a hope that the  inclusion of the properties will raise awareness of the serious risks of  deferred maintenance.

[Richard] Bell said that while he hopes the exposure of the two properties on the endangered list will prevent other owners from letting structural problems linger, PHW is concerned that one or both buildings could disappear from the local streetscape.

“There is a real risk,” he said, “of losing them forever.”

Click here for the Winchester Star story. (Login required).

Click here for the full list of endangered properties recognized by Preservation Virginia.

Two Structures on Mall Declared Blighted

City Council voted unanimously to declare the Taylor Hotel and the “Blind Faith” building, both on the Loudoun Street Walking Mall, blighted structures at last night’s Council meeting.

While there is no word yet on future action for the “Blind Faith” building, a potential purchaser is looking to buy the Taylor.

In a phone interview, Erik Wishneff said  the development group [Brian Wishneff & Associates] has presented a signed contract to Denver Quinnelly, a Lafayette Plaza principal. The development group still has due-diligence work to complete before the sale is completed, he said. . . .

Brian Wishneff & Associates . . .  is the co-owner of the second phase of the Our Health complex and has worked with Oakcrest Development to manage the tax-credit process for a historic building on Loudoun Street.

To read more of last night’s City Council coverage, visit Vic Bradshaw’s article Council declares three structures as blighted, including the former Taylor Hotel building at the Winchester Star Online (login required).