We’re excited to bring back a classic PHW event of yesteryear in a new format! Visit the PHW Office at 530 Amherst St. Friday afternoons in October to join or renew your membership and receive a thank you gift for free! Items include pins, small posters, books, and more—while supplies last!
Our first Friday event will also feature the public launch party of “More Doors of Winchester” poster sales. Stop by to pick up your copy for $15 plus tax. The photographers will be on hand if you’d like your copy signed!
Mark your calendars for October 6, October 13, October 20, and October 27 between 4-6 PM at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St. for four afternoons of fall fun!
We are also pleased to announce our selection of artists for the 2023 Bough & Dough Shop:
Angel’s Roost Quilts
Blooming Hill Lavender Farm and Gift Shop
Nina Burke
Lorraine Candell
Capers in Crochet
The Card Shop Bakers
George Davis
Double D’s Bees
Eye of the Needle Embroidery
Gustafson Glass
Hailewatercolors
Heathen Works
Dave Hickman
J&W Farm
Susan Keenan
Lighthouse Woodworking
The Merry Beader
Ornamentally Creative
Libba Pendleton
Very Merry Mittens
Waterlilly
The Shop this year will be held Wednesdays-Sundays at the Hexagon House, November 17-December 10, 10 AM-5 PM. To coincide with some other holiday events happening in Winchester, the Bough & Dough Shop is rolling with a theme of an old fashioned general store this year. We hope to have fantastic products as well as a fun visual experience for shoppers. We’re also excited to test out our Laidlaw Amphitheater space for our greenery and wreath sales – hopefully there will be a little less bending down to pick your boughs this year. Look for more information as we move into November!
411 S. Loudoun‘s demolition request to the BAR was concluded yesterday, after the brief hiatus in August for a status report with the court. While a potential buyer was interested in purchasing and rehabbing the property, the owners were unwilling to entertain the idea of a sale. Given the very unusual nature of this request, the BAR members voted to abstain from ruling on this demolition, as no alternate path could be found. Both the 514-520 S. Loudoun townhouses and 411 S. Loudoun will likely be demolished before the end of this year.
Discussion after the meeting included the situation at 137 S. Loudoun, which is also a blighted structure. BAR members are concerned about a potential loss of another salvageable building. In this case, the current owner is willing to sell, the property is listed for sale, and much site plan work has already been completed and a facade restoration plan was previously approved at BAR (which will transfer to a new owner). We will encourage our readership who may be interested in rehabbing a building to investigate this structure.
We would also like to extend our thanks to the artists who have applied to the Bough & Dough Shop. We plan to send out the acceptance letters with individualized recommendations for products starting Tuesday, Sept. 12 – if you applied but don’t hear from us by email on Friday, Sept. 15, please reach out to us at phwinc.org@gmail.com.
For our usual shoppers, it looks like we will have a good mix of new and returning artists. We’re looking forward to sharing our artist lineup in next Friday’s dispatch!
First, it’s not too late! If you need to fill out your artist application for the Bough & Dough Shop this year, this is your last chance! Fill out the form on the last page of the info packet and return by email to phwinc.org@gmail.com. We’ll be finalizing the artist lineup when we return to the office on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Next, we’re starting phase two of Holiday House Tour preparations. We are now open to take sponsorship ads for this year’s program booklet. Our advertising sponsors support the Holiday House Tour by offsetting the costs of printing and postage associated with the event, as well as the small stipend for decorating allotted to each tour site. These sponsorships allow us to maximize the fundraising efforts associated with the ticket sales and Bough & Dough Shop proceeds.
We have three ad sizes – full page, half page, and business card size – as well as one opportunity for a major sponsor to be placed on our back cover. If you have not sponsored before, we have a sponsor form available online; we’ll be sending packets to our past sponsors shortly.
We ask all sponsors secure their spots by submitting their ads by end of day October 27, 2023 for the booklet printing deadline, with the sponsorship payable by Dec. 31. If you have questions or need help with your ad, contact us at phwinc.org@gmail.com.
If you are not able to financially support the Holiday House Tour, we also have another option for in-kind support. Do you have evergreens that will need a trim in mid November to early December? The Bough & Dough Shop would be delighted to take any cuttings you can spare. Options include pine, spruce, boxwood, magnolia, nandina, holly, juniper, or other greenery or natural dried materials suitable for wreaths and centerpieces. If you are cutting greenery and have extra to spare, feel free to leave your donations in the Laidlaw Amphitheater at the rear of the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St.
PHW hit the road this week and visited Mike McCool in Front Royal for Town Talk!
Decades of Dedication: How Preservation Historic Winchester is Saving the City’s Architectural Legacy.
In this Town Talk, our publisher Mike McCool, speaks with Sandra Bosley, Executive Director of Preservation Historic Winchester, and delves into Winchester’s heritage conservation efforts.
Winchester has a long-standing history of beautiful homes and landmarks, reflecting the rich tapestry of its past. In the face of modernization, one organization has remained vigilant, ensuring that the city’s historic heartbeat continues to thrive.
Apply for the Bough & Dough Shop 2023 by September 1!
Today also marks the final week before PHW closes our artist applications for the Bough & Dough Shop 2023. If you’ve been hesitating, don’t wait any longer! Download the informational packet to learn more, and fill out the application on the last page. It’s free to apply, and we would love to find new artisan talent to showcase in this year’s event. Return your applications by end of day Friday, Sept. 1 either to the Hexagon House at 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601, or by email to phwinc.org@gmail.com.
First: Are you an artist? Do you know someone who is? Come visit PHW at the Hexagon House tomorrow morning, Aug. 19, between 10 AM and noon for an artist open house event to learn more about this year’s Bough & Dough Shop and fill out an application to be one of our artisan vendors. Vendor space will be capped at 30 applications this year.
Looking at the current lineup of artist submissions, we could use more ornaments of various styles (we have had particular requests for Winchester-themed souvenir ornaments), holiday decor (including live or artificial greenery arrangements) and other unique holiday gift type items.
Second: PHW is aware of at least one person who would like to purchase 411 S. Loudoun St. and has begun the process to start the negotiations. With that in mind, the demolition request through the City was continued at yesterday’s BAR meeting. As this is an ongoing situation, we likely won’t have any further updates until September or later.
Third: From August 26-September 4, fifteen locations including museums, historic organizations, and community sites will come together to showcase the area’s historical food traditions at “Hungry for History.” Four restaurants and a brewery will also participate with historic recipes and special programs. There will be presentations, cooking demonstrations, how-to classes, children’s activities, food tastings, special handouts and giveaways, special tours, agriculture related programs and more. Topics at the event will include history from many eras, spanning from Native American pre-contact up to the present day.
Dates and times for the activities vary depending on the site. Many of the activities are free of charge; an admission fee will apply to some sites. See the event schedule for details, or visit the website: https://visitwinchesterva.com/hungry-for-history-food-event/
Tomorrow is the annual Route 11 Yard Crawl! If you are selling or participating, we wish you good luck and many happy finds. If you’ve never participated in the Yard Crawl, the official event spans 43 miles between Stephens City and New Market. While most of the event takes place outside PHW’s stated area of influence, it’s still a good excuse to visit the four major Frederick County sites – the New Town Commons and the the Family Drive-In at Stephens City, and Laurel Ridge Community College and Cedar Creek Battlefield Museum and Visitors Center in Middletown. Check out the event at their webpage.
Don’t feel like leaving Winchester? The next Behind the Scenes Tour at Handley Library is also taking place Saturday, 11 AM. Meet at the Lower Level of the Handley Library. The tour will take you behind the scenes to all floors of the building. Come learn about the architecture and history. Walk on the famous glass floors and peer down the well built into the stage. Tours are free and open to the public!
Are you an artist or know someone who is? Are you curious about the Bough & Dough Shop that takes place at the Hexagon House in November and December? Have you always wondered how we find new artists? Our August Open House is one of the ways! Visit us next Saturday, August 19, between 10 AM to noon at the Hexagon House, 530 Amherst St. in Winchester, to learn about the Shop, see the space, and grab an artist application. PHW representatives will be on hand to answer questions on logistics and processes, and it’s a great time for new artists to bring sample items to show us in person. You can also download the informational packet and application in advance from our website. If you’re considering joining the Shop, don’t delay – we’re closing applications for 2023 on September 1!
Mark your calendars for Hungry for History: Basic Preservation and Canningon Thursday, August 31, 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the Handley Library, Robinson Auditorium. This program is an introduction to food preservation. Guests will learn a little history and science behind safe food preservation, as well as learning about the five main ways we preserve foods today: boiling water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, dehydrating, and fermenting. You will leave with introductory knowledge of food preservation and a few helpful handouts. This event will be presented by Hannah Copp, Family and Consumer Services Associate Extension Agent focusing on food, nutrition, and health, Virginia Cooperative Extension.
411 S. Loudoun St.: A number of people have reached out to PHW about this building. It’s too early to say how this may go, but given the interest expressed, we hope it will be possible to find a buyer. If you are contemplating pursuing this property and have not reached out for more information, we will remind our readers you will need to file a Motion to Intervene ASAP to be heard at the upcoming August 28 hearing.
Valley Conservation Council Resources: The VCC shared two updates to their resources page this week. Conservation Resources for Landowners provides general resources for habitat, soil, and water projects. All resources include the counties in which they operate and descriptions of what they can help with.
Native Landscaping Resources provides resources specific to native plant landscaping and pollinator gardens. If you’re looking for a place to start a native plant project, this page is a great resource!
At Home on Main Street: The National Trust for Historic Preservation shared a Q&A on two aspects of a four-part research initiative to provide action-oriented recommendations for thoughtful housing development. In 2021, Main Street America, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, launched the At Home on Main Street (AHOMS) project, funded by the 1772 Foundation, in response to widespread housing challenges in the forms of both housing availability and affordability across the country, including in many Main Street communities. On the Main Street America website, you can read and download “A Report on the State of Housing” and “A Housing Guidebook for Local Leaders.”
Eventbrite Changes: We were notified late yesterday Eventbrite will start charging additional fees to list events with more than 25 tickets on their platform. While we’ve enjoyed the ease of using Eventbrite for digital tickets for the Holiday House Tour the past few years, we will most likely be going back to direct sales on the PHW website. We heard last year some people had issues with checkout through Eventbrite, so fingers crossed our self-hosted checkout option will be more user-friendly. If not, we will always have tickets available at the Bough & Dough Shop at the Hexagon House and in select other locations in Winchester.
Identified: Thanks to Frances and Missy, we feel more confident last week’s photo of Mulvey’s is the rear of Abija Blue, which is modern day street address 16 S. Loudoun. Frances shared that Mulvey’s was owned by the same family that owned the Oxford Shop at 21 S. Loudoun. The Oxford Shop is now Roma’s – but look above the outdoor seating and you’ll still see the Tudor Revival styling on the building to mark the location.
Identified? This image was taken about the same time as the Mulvey’s photo posted last week. We think this is also a view taken of the back of the Loudoun Street mall buildings from Cameron Street, possibly on the north end of the mall this time. Unlike last week, we don’t see any store signs to help us confirm we’re looking in the right area. If you recognize the buildings and can provide a modern street address, let us know!
If you or someone you know may be interested in purchasing 411 S. Loudoun, PHW has received some additional information on how to start the process. A Motion to Intervene in the ongoing receivership lawsuit must be filed. It is recommended but not essential the interested buyer has legal representation; the previous Motions to Intervene are a matter of public record and may be referred to in your filing.
The next status hearing is set for August 28. If you have interest in this property, the motion must be filed as soon as possible to be considered on the August 28 docket.
PHW is happy to share the architectural inventories and other documents gathered in relation to this property; please contact us at phwinc.org@gmail.com to receive digital copies.
Identified? We believe this view to be the rear of approximately 18-22 S. Loudoun St. as seen from Cameron St. The sign above the door appears to read “Mulvey’s,” which a city directory notes was a haberdashery in the mid-20th century. If any readers can confirm this identification (possibly with an updated street address), we would appreciate it!
Please note PHW cannot retrieve voicemail at the moment due to some technical glitches outside our control. Please utilize phwinc.org@gmail.com for questions. Thank you!
Preservation News: An application for the total demolition (instead of just demolition of the rear) of 411 S. LoudounSt. was held at Thursday’s BAR meeting. Many of the BAR members expressed concern about approving the demolition of the building’s front portion when rehabilitation of that portion is feasible. As such, the board tabled the decision until the second meeting in August to see if a buyer can be found. As you may know, 411 S. Loudoun was initially hoped to be purchased by family members of the original owner/builder of the property for rehabilitation, but the sale fell through. The abatement time frame is relatively short – work would have to be complete in July 2024. If you have interest in this property, drop us a note at phwinc.org@gmail.com and we can get you in touch with the correct people to inquire about this property.
A revision of the brick piers and gate at 119 S. Washington St. was also heard and approved at Thursday’s BAR meeting. The approved piers for this application are stated to be square and of a height and width in keeping with similar gate piers in the area. We know this still may not appease everyone, but we hope this change will be less visually jarring to the streetscape than the large round piers.
Calling Local Artists! Do you make items suitable for holiday gift-giving? PHW is now accepting applications for the Bough & Dough Shop 2023. We are once again planning to set up at the Hexagon House, Nov. 17-Dec. 10, Wed.-Sun. This year we are capping the number of vendors at 30 maximum and we are asking for a bit more back end help for your inventory sheets if you have various price points, but otherwise most information will be the same – PHW handles the manning the shop, setting up and stocking displays, sales – all you have to do as an artist is drop off your items before the event. If you are interested, download the informational packet now!
We are also hosting an open house event again for new artists to see the space and get an idea of what to expect. The Hexagon House will be open Saturday, August 19, 10 AM-Noon for anyone interested. We will have artist applications on hand, and if you are a new artist you may bring physical items as part of your application.
Doors of Winchester Poster: To finish off our week at PHW, we are pleased to announce we are nearing completion of a “Doors of Winchester” poster, which we should have available for purchase at the Bough & Dough Shop in 2023. Earlier this year, when discussing possible items for publication the idea of a reprint of this popular poster was floated by the PHW Board. We tracked down the original artists and received their blessing to proceed with a spiritual successor, using new photographs but following their same guiding principles.
The sequel will be a standard poster size of 18″x24″, containing 36 doors on a black background. Some doors are the same from the original, but some are new for this edition. We plan to keep them reasonably priced, probably about $15 plus tax. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, drop us a note at phwinc.org@gmail.com.
More Doors of Historic Winchester, coming this holiday season to PHW!
The appeal for the fence location approval at 119 S. Washington St. was heard and voted on Tuesday evening at City council. The decision of the BAR for the April 20 approval was upheld, and it was stated Winchester’s Zoning Department has viewed the fence and views it as “substantially compliant” with the April 2023 application in execution. The issue of the design of the entrance gate and piers will likely be heard again at the BAR meeting on July 20 to attempt to address the brick piers design denial.
For those readers and observers who seem very concerned that the appeal process of a BAR decision is endless, we understand – it is frustrating and exhausting for everyone. We will note to PHW’s knowledge and recollection in about the last twenty years of observing BAR meetings, only two petitions for appeals not filed by the original applicant (i.e. neighbors filing an appeal) have successfully made it to the threshold of 25+ signatures with proper documentation. Both times the appeals were successful because of an error in process that was pointed out by the appellants.
City Council also voted Tuesday on amending the language for Substantially Rehabilitated Historic Property to bring the City’s ordinance in line with Virginia Code, as well as add a possibility of 15 year tax exemption. Following discussion, the “step down” approach to the tax exemption was struck from the ordinance, which was the preferred outcome for those working in the redevelopment of historic properties. We hope that this approach can benefit some of the projects in the pipeline, like the ZeroPak Building, bringing it from an underutilized and dilapidated state to vibrant, contributing structures reflecting Winchester’s history.
As you may know if you attended our 59th Annual Meeting, PHW was working on a micro grant program specific to homeowners or nonprofits in Winchester’s National Register Historic District. We have completed the basic application and criteria documents and added a dedicated grants page to our website. We have earmarked $10,000 maximum for our first grant cycle, with an application due date of January 31, 2024.
PHW used the principles outlined at the Community Tool Box website when establishing this program. We hope to stretch the $10,000 across a number of building repairs and quality of life upgrades through the Winchester Historic District and help subsidize needed work on our historic buildings to keep them contributing resources. We see this as a more sustainable and attainable way for PHW to continue improving the quality of the Historic District now that purchases through the Jennings Revolving Fund are rarely achievable.
Since this is the first grant cycle for us and this program, we anticipate lots of questions from applicants. We encourage you to reach out to the PHW office at phwinc.org@gmail.com or through our social media channels for more information – we are likely to compile an FAQ section over the coming months as we learn what our frequently asked questions are.
History Mystery – Solved? In a bit of research off our usual beaten path at the PHW office, it was pointed out that there is Morse code on the Henkel box we keep in our Board Room. It was short enough characters to spell out “Henkel,” so we did a little deciphering to see what the code stood for.
—.. -.-. -.– .-. …-.-
The code translates to 8CYR$. This became another head-scratcher – what did this new code stand for? It was not the right format for a phone number and did not seem related to the furniture business. Some tapping into online databases led to the idea of amateur radio. Amazingly enough, this guess was substantiated with a hit in Amateur Radio Stations of the U.S. in 1924 for Carroll H. Henkel under the call sign 8CYR, based in Martinsburg, WV. This portion of the mystery seems solved, but if you’d like to read more about the history of call signs, we would like to recommend An Overview of Amateur Call Signs Past and Present to see how these numbers were generated almost 100 years ago.
