Posted on March 31, 2008
Harrisonburg houses are filled with more than just families, students or retirees. Some have history dating back to 1850 and are resurfacing with fresh faces thanks to their owners.
After three failed attempts, Harrisonburg Old Town District gained a place in the National Register of Historic Places, Historic District and the Virginia Landmarks Register Historic District.
This was a community wide endeavor and there was a great deal of support and hard work from Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and many property owners from the Old Town neighborhood,” said Sarah Edwards, founder and vice president for the Shenandoah Historic Restoration Alliance.
The Old Town District is located between Cantrell Avenue and Newman Avenue and then running between Mason Street and Ott Street.
Unlike the historic downtown district formed in 2005 that contains many of the commercial buildings in Harrisonburg, the Old Town District contains strictly residential houses.
When surveying the area and interacting with local residents, Edwards was impressed with the JMU students’ genuine interest in the preservation and restoration of the rental properties they live in.
“In my six years of working as a preservation consultant, I have never seen so much interest from the college age group,” Edwards said. “I think that is a good reflection of the students at JMU and how much they actually care about what is going on in Harrisonburg.”
JMU students and Harrisonburg residents alike wanted recognition.
“The fact that college students, young professionals, baby boomers, and senior citizens are all living harmoniously in the district helps to promote continued growth and development…while instilling interest in historic preservation in future generations,” Edwards said.
Eddie Bumbaugh, Executive Director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, said that all the houses have some form of similar architectural design and all the homes are at least 50 years old.
“They appear to have been constructed in a 100 year period from 1850-1950,” Bumbaugh said.
There is a wide range of architectural
designs of the homes ranging from Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Bungalow, Bauhaus, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, to the modern Ranch house.
Edwards added that many of the homes were created with local materials such as Virginia brickand bluestone, which adds a cohesive feature to the homes.
“The district is significant because it reflects how the Shenandoah Valley embraced the trends in architecture and styles from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,” Edwards said.
One of the biggest reasons for registering Old Town was for the economic benefits for residents because land value increases if the area is recognized as a National Historic District.
Even though property owners are free to remodel their property to their liking, there are significant tax incentives to keep the homes in the same historical architectural design.
Edwards said that with state and federal tax credits people could benefit from 45 percent in tax credits for significant rehabilitation to their homes.
“Many neighborhoods already have a strong community spirit and a desire to preserve the appearance of the district even before the district was listed.”
