Category: Informational Events

Call for Entries: Traditional Design Challenge

This year’s Traditional Design Challenge at the Traditional Building Exhibition and Conference in Baltimore will be a live team-competition. Each design team will consist of up to three participants working together for two days to design and hand-draw a new “old” house that could fit into one of Baltimore’s most famous historic neighborhoods.

For more information and to download a Traditional Building Design Challenge application, please visit www.traditionalbuildingshow.com or call 202.339.0744 ext. 101 to receive it by fax or mail.

Applications are due by October 5 and require $100 fee and a portfolio of your work.

Summer 2009 Places that Matter Photo Contest

The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance are proud to announce the start of the Summer 2009 Places that Matter Photo Contest. Submit photos of your favorite places – whether they’re national monuments or right in your own backyard – and be eligible to win one of three digital cameras.

NSV Quarterly Branch Meeting at Zirkle Mill

Please join us for the next general membership meeting of the Northern Shenandoah Valley (NSV) Branch of Preservation Virginia. We will be meeting on Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at the historic Andrew Zirkle Mill in Forestville, Virginia. The meeting offers a rare opportunity to see this historic grist mill which is not normally available for tours.

Estimated to have been built in the 1760s by Andrew Zirkle and his brothers, the Zirkle Mill was in operation for more than 180 years, until the late 1940s, and retains much of its original machinery. The mill was not burned during the Civil War, as were most commercial buildings of the era, probably due to its location and the lack of visibility from the main road. The mill is currently under restoration. For more information, visit www.historiczirklemill.org.
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A Handbook and Resource Guide for Owners of Virginia’s Historic Houses

Camille Agricola Bowman has written a 64 page book for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. It provides valuable information on good stewardship practices, basic preservation issues, and additional sources to turn to for expert advice on various maintenance and restoration matters. Single books are $10; discounts are available for larger quantities.

Please click here for an order form and contact information for bulk orders.

A sample book is also available in PHW’s non-circulating research library.

2009 INSIGHT Citizen’s Academy

Get to know your local government! This 12-week INSIGHT Citizen’s Academy provides area residents an opportunity to discover their City government through interactive, hands-on experience and to gain exposure to the wide range of government services, programs, functions and challenges. You do not have to be a city resident to participate. All you need is an interest in the way City government operates!

To ensure a spot in the program, please register by August 12, 2009 using one of the following options:

1. Complete the online INSIGHT Registration Form.
2. Print the INSIGHT brochure and mail the completed form.
3. Call Amy Simmons (533-0603).

There is no charge to participate in the program. For more information, visit http://www.winchesterva.gov/insight/.

Greenway Court Fundraising

Last year, when the Northern Shenandoah Valley Branch of Preservation Virginia was organized, the group chose as its initial direct service project the coordination of efforts to stabilize the three remaining buildings at Lord Fairfax’s Greenway Court in Clarke County. Of the three buildings, the stone Land Office is particularly at risk, as it has a major structural crack. The group received a $47,500 grant from the General Assembly to aid in the stabilization. To date, the NSV Branch has raised nearly $24,500, but still need an additional $23,000 in order to secure the grant funding.

The deadline for fundraising is June 25. If you would like to make a contribution, please make your checks payable to: “Preservation Virginia – NSV Branch”, with memo note “Greenway Court fund”, and send to P.O. Box 14, Boyce, VA 22620.

Please see the brochure for more information on Greenway Court.

Window of Opportunity Webinar

Produced by Restore Media, LLC, and underwritten by Marvin Windows and Doors, these three in-depth, 90-minute Webinars will add key facts and useful information to what you already know about working with windows in traditional architectural settings – residential, commercial, and institutional. Presented by leading experts in the field, they’ll cover the history of window design and manufacturing with an eye toward using the knowledge in your work today, explore sustainable windows old and new, and clarify the sometimes mysterious subject of selecting and installing windows in traditional settings.

Course 1: The Making of American Windows – A Present-Minded History
June 2, 2009, 2:00 p.m. ET, 90 minutes, 1.5 HSW/SD

Course 2: Sustainable Windows, Old and New
July 28, 2009, 2:00 p.m. ET, 90 minutes, 1.5 HSW/SD

Course 3: How to Install – Successfully – New Wood Windows in Traditional Settings
November 17, 2009, 2:00 p.m. ET, 90 minutes, 1.5 HSW/SD

Call 802-674-6752 to get more information on continuing education credits or to obtain a group registration form. To register for the webinar, click here. Registration is free!

Salvaged Bathroom Fixtures

A PHW member has graciously offered several bathroom fixtures for architectural salvage purposes. Each is in fair to good condition. Items include:

  • Claw foot bathtub, porcelain lined zinc tub, five feet long, 30 inches across. Has attached shower unit that attaches also to nine foot ceiling. Unit includes handheld shower sprayer.
  • Porcelain toilet with wooden seat
  • Porcelain sink that attaches to wall. Two feet tall by two feet wide. chrome soap dish attached.

All items might be detached and be available at a neighborhood garage sale on Peyton St. on April 18th, starting at 7:00 a.m. rain or shine. They will definitely be removed on April 20th. Call for appointment 540-539-7911 or come to garage sale.

OTDB Receives Two Milestone Awards

On Friday, March 20, Old Town Development Board (OTDB) and City of Winchester were presented with a Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Award for $80 million in private investment and 25,000 volunteer hours contributed toward downtown revitalization. The Virginia Main Street (VMS) Milestone Achievement Awards celebrate achievements in volunteerism and private investments in Virginia’s designated VMS localities.

“Winchester is being recognized for setting another benchmark; one that only a few years ago may have seemed, to many, out of reach,” said Bill Shelton, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development. “Winchester had several landmark projects completed in 2008, including the newly constructed First Presbyterian Fellowship Hall, the adaptive reuse of the historic Union Bank Building, now open as the Union Jack Pub and Restaurant, and the reopening of the 90-room George Washington Hotel, featuring a grand ballroom, meeting facilities and spa.” Mr. Shelton noted that it was extremely fitting that he was able to present the private investment award to Winchester Old Town Development Board member Kim Burke on behalf of the organization and the City of Winchester. “Kim and her husband Glen (who also attended the luncheon) own the George Washington Hotel and their efforts have contributed to this award for having reached $80 million in private investment in Old Town since 1985.”

Click here to read the full press release.