Accessibility and Preservation at the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg

As Habalis completes the elevator installation at the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg, I find myself interested in the relationship between accessibility and historic preservation. Writing this post gives me the opportunity to look into an aspect of preservation I’m not familiar with and highlight a recent Habalis project that focused on accessibility.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prompted discussion among preservationists about how to promote accessibility at historic properties. It takes careful planning to make sure neither historic fabric nor accessibility is compromised in the alteration of a historic property. Preservation Brief 32 by the National Park Service (NPS) is a helpful guide to making historic structures and landscapes more accessible. The NPS recommends a three-step approach when considering accessibility at a historic property:

1. Review the historical significance and identify character-defining features. (There’s a Preservation Brief for this, too!)

2. Assess the property’s existing and required level of accessibility. State and local codes must be considered in addition to federal law, and alterations should be planned to meet the strictest applicable code.

3. Identify and evaluate accessibility options within a preservation context, using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Ultimately, the NPS wants to see a balance between preserving character and creating access for those with disabilities. The ADA Accessibility Guidelines make this possible by allowing “qualified historic buildings” (those listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places or designated as historic at the state or local level) to meet more lenient minimum requirements when compliance with the standard minimum requirements threatens historic significance and fabric.

At the Presbyterian Church of Fredericksburg, Habalis converted one of two stairwells located on either side of the sanctuary into an elevator shaft. The elevator takes members from its vestibule entrance to either the choir room below or the sanctuary above. The door into the vestibule entrance was designed to resemble the window it replaced and blend in with the other windows along the side of the church. Part of the staircase in the converted stairwell was retained and can still be seen through the window above the vestibule door.

The elevator was carefully designed by BRW Architects of Charlottesville, Virginia. Throughout installation, a wheelchair was used to test dimensions and materials. All doors associated with the elevator are automatic and timed to give someone in a wheelchair time to enter and exit comfortably. To compliment the new elevator, Habalis created wheelchair access to one of the pews in the sanctuary by replacing a skinny door with a wider one. All historic fabric removed during the project was labeled and is now stored at the church, making future reversibility a viable option.

Brief History of the Barnes House

Though once quoted as saying, “I'd be more than happy to be the historic preservationist who lives in a glass box," it seems that Jay Holloway will be living in a restored 18^th century structure, Falmouth’s historic Barnes House.

The Barnes House, its oldest part dating to 1780-1790, has served as a caretaker’s home and guesthouse for the historic Belmont Estate, a school for black children (according to oral histories), and a field laboratory for UMW Historic Preservation classes. The Barnes House is one of the oldest structures in Falmouth and is the only gambrel roof structure in the area, making it potentially eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places for it distinctive characteristics and workmanship.

The builder and original owner of the Barnes House are unknown. The earliest known owner was businessman Joseph B. Ficklen, who owned both Belmont and the Barnes House. Ficklen, who sold Belmont to Gari and Corinne Melchers, sold the Barnes House to Harrison B. Barnes in 1850. Barnes and his sisters lived there for many years, ultimately leaving the structure to Annie Duncan Lucas and her husband until their deaths. There is speculation that Annie Lucas was one of several black children taken in by the Barnes sisters and taught in the basement when it served as a school.  Barnes heirs sold the structure to Gari and Corinne Melchers in 1920, once again reuniting the Barnes House with the Belmont Estate.

Ten years after the death of her husband, Corinne Melchers gave the Belmont Estate, including the Barnes House, to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1942. The Payne family, friends to whom the Melchers rented the house, occupied the house as life tenants from 1942 into the late 1980s. The state sold the Barnes House in 1994 to private owner Geoffrey Nesbitt, who stabilized the structure but never started restoration. The Revolving Fund Program of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA), whose “goal is to save endangered historic properties across Virginia from demolition and severe neglect,” purchased the Barnes House and sold it to Jay Holloway in 2006.

Since purchasing the house, Jay has collected much research on the history and fabric of the Barnes House, explored restoration and addition options, and undertaken archaeology. (The archaeology report should be done by the end of the month, so stay tuned for a summary of the findings!) The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has a protective easement on the Barnes House, so the DHR must approve all work done to the structure. As the Barnes House is a contributing structure in the Falmouth Historic District, which was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1969 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, the Stafford County Architectural Review Board must also approve any work done to the structure. This will be an exciting project for Habalis Construction to undertake in the near future. I think everyone is excited to see the restoration of this awesome structure!