preservation awards

2007 Preservation Award

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum

Recipients

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum awarded three 2007 Preservation Awards this past Wednesday at their June 6th Board meeting.  Preservation Awards are presented to anyone within the Shepherdstown Magisterial District who have restored or renovated an historic structure respecting the historic integrity of the structure.  This is an especially fitting award for Historic Shepherdstown to be granting as it was the restoration of the Entler Hotel in the late 1970’s which encouraged many residents to restore or renovate their buildings.  Historic Shepherdstown was also the organization which spearheaded the effort to place Shepherdstown on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District.

The Press Room Restaurant 

located at 120 W. German St., Shepherdstown, was re-opened asa new business, to the public in September 2006 following five months of renovation by its owners, Mike & Deb Luksa.  Restoration was performed by Pettit Construction Company with a fair amount of “vision and supervision” provided by Mike, Deb and Mikes parents.

The original building was built in 1793 and has housed many and varied businesses over the years; but, perhaps the most memorable business to occupy the site was the “The Press Room at the Independent.”  The newspaper business began there sometime around 1906 and continued into the early 1970’s.  Three framed newspaper pages from 1937 adorn the wall leading to the restroom area. 

The top semi-circular windows on the exterior of the building are original and the wavy lead glass panes chronicle their age.  The lower portions of the windows have been replaced.  The exterior doors and door knobs were there when the Luksas bought the building; so, their originality is uncertain.  A weather room vestibule at the entrance was added during renovations.  The black color of the windows, doors, vestibule and the building exterior were Mike’s personal preference.  The archway leading into the main dining area was already there and leads to a drop ceiling, above which heating an air conditioning duct work is located.

The brick walls in the main dinning area are original and beautiful.  They were plastered over and had to be “gingerly” exposed.  The wood floors throughout are thought to be original and were discovered when the existing carpet was pulled up.  A solid wood beam, original and in excellent condition, spans the doorway leading into the bar area, which at one point in time had served as a Wells Fargo office.  An original brick fire place, located in the bar area and in excellent condition, was plastered over and had to be carefully stripped and rejuvenated.

The original proposed kitchen area was very small and, out of necessity for storage, its interior wall was extended towards the main dining area by approximately 4 feet.  A 6’by 12’ pit 4’ deep, in the center of the current kitchen area, had contained the printing press and had to be filled in.

The original red brick and yellow cream wall colors provide a very warm and comfortable setting.  The Susan Carney framed food pictures on the walls provide another warm and “appetizing” touch.  The entire renovation motif has been artistically, “tastefully, and professionally done.

Trinity Episcopal Church - Trinity House 

located at 210 W. German Street, Shepherdstown, was purchased from Sylvia Ellsworth in 2005.  Restoration began on October 1, 2005 and the restored offices and rooms became occupied by various officers and members of the Trinity Episcopal Church in January 2006.

The exterior of the building was not touched.  The house was built in 1884 by H.L. Snyder; editor of the Shepherdstown Register.  Mr. Snyder remodeled the home in 1904 adding the front porch & the projecting bay and added the exteriors stone work The house is built in the Italianate & Neocolonial influence with the somewhat unique greenish-colored exterior stone was quarried at the Baldwin Quarry in Chester, PA.  Subsequently, Ms. Hafer, and then the Johnson family, ran the house as a Bed & Breakfast for many years.

Inside the house, everything s original.  John Van Tol chaired the restoration committee and all the work was done by dedicated volunteers of the Trinity Episcopal congregation.  Tom McSwain oversaw the technical and somatic repairs; and, baseboards, door frames, door facings and floors were repaired where possible and pieces replaced only where necessary.  Shutters and roof moldings were restored where possible and new pieces were matched to the old as best they could be.   Bathrooms were reconfigured and numerous minor structural changes were implemented.  All of the original stained glass windows have been preserved.

An original apartment on the ground floor has been converted into the office of Rev. G.T. Schramm.  The original dining room in now the church office.  The original kitchen has been converted to a “utility” room where the copier and the coffee pots generate the majority of the activity!  The second floor is used for classrooms and other children and student activities.

The house has been restored and preserved with appropriated care, utility and attention to detail.  The pain colors throughout the house are subtle an appropriate and the work has been done in an artistic an professional manner.

Wild Goose Farm located on Shepherd Grade Road in Shepherdstown became the grand manor house for R. D. Shepherd, grandson of Shepherdstown founder Thomas Shepherd, when he returned from a successful business career in New Orleans in 1840.  After his death in 1865, the farm was operated by his family, the most famous of which was his nephew Shakespearean actor and silent film star R. D. Shepherd McLean.  In 1911 the farm was sold to Holland Tunnel engineer Edwin S. Jaret, who installed the central heating system.  He was succeeded by Bob Moss, a NASA engineer who continued the upgrades and whose wife operated a school on the property.  In 1998 Gat & Susan Caperton fell in love with Wild Goose Farm, bought and refinished it all over again, upgrading the plumbing, wiring, HVAC systems and rebuilding the tenant house and barn.

The Manor House is almost 10,000 square feet consisting of nine bedrooms, nine fireplaces, eight baths, five porches, a ballroom, library, billiard room, dining room, kitchen warming room,  a fireplace, dressing rooms, large steam shower and claw-foot bathtub.  There are five re-finished claw foot bathtubs in the main house.  A guest suite has a large sitting room bedroom and private bath, and there is a fully equipped laundry on the second floor.

The farm consists of 174 acres of pasture, woods and pond.  Ninety acres are reserved with the Manor House  In addition to the Manor House, there are wood, brick, and stone outbuildings, a refurbished two bedroom tenant house, and a 40X80 foot timber framed barn.  The Tenant House has two bedrooms, living room den, sun room, and 1.5 baths plus a broad front porch.

2006

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum
Preservation Awards

Historic Shepherdstown & Museum awarded three 2006 Preservation Awards this past Saturday at their May 27th Board meeting.  Preservation Awards are presented to anyone within the Shepherdstown Magisterial District who have restored or renovated an historic structure respecting the historic integrity of the structure.  This is an especially fitting award for Historic Shepherdstown to be granting as it was the restoration of the Entler Hotel in the late 1970’s which encouraged many residents to restore or renovate their buildings.  Historic Shepherdstown was also the organization which spearheaded the effort to place Shepherdstown on the National Register of Historic Places as a Historic District.

This year Preservation Award recipients were John & Teace Noel, John & Hope Snyder and Charles & Beth Printz.

John & Teace Noel spent the better part of two years renovating their home at   211 W. Washington Street which was built in 1792, one of the oldest structures in Shepherdstown.  Due to its many uses over the years it was impossible to restore to its original shape.  The Noel’s worked with the Division of Culture & History and received a grant for a portion of the work.  The Noels completely gutted the interior due to deterioration and in doing so found a log structure underneath.  It was common for the structure of a house to be built with logs and as money allowed the exterior was covered over and then the interior.  The Noels choose to leave some of the interior logs exposed but covered the outside with German Siding.  It was very evident that the Noels restoration was done with much research, planning and careful attention to detail.

John & Hope Snyder purchased the (former) Presbyterian Manse at 201 W. German Street four years ago and spent two of those years renovating it.  The Snyder’s worked with Nat Lawson on the renovation and were lucky to be able to preserve all the original fireplaces, floors and much of the architectural detailing.  They were quite surprised to find that the basic structure of the house was strong even though they found evidence of fire damage.  The Snyder’s home was built in 1810 with a Federal influence and housed Jefferson Security Bank in the rear wing of the structure in 1869.  Although the Snyder’s restored and renovated an historical home they have achieved a unique balance of retaining and preserving the historic character while bringing it into the 21st century filling it with a young energetic family.

Charles & Beth Printz received a special 25th Anniversary Award for the excellent restoration and renovation of Aspen Pool Farm off Trough Road.  The Printz’s purchased Aspen Pool Farm in 1971 and spent the next ten years restoring the 1824 native stone home not moving in until 1981.   When the Printz’s purchased the property they were concerned about the ability to save the home it was in such bad shape.  In addition to no pluming or heat a two story log section on the east side of the house was in such bad shape it did have to be torn down.  Just recently the logs from that section of house were used by Bruce Dahlin to help build the reproduction log home on West German St.   In working with an architect from Washington County, Md., Eleanor Lakin, designed a brick addition to replace the log wing of the house.  A pink brick was used to blend with the native limestone.  In addition, a two-story carriage house was also renovated in the project. 

Historic Shepherdstown Commission wishes to recognize these three families for their excellence in Historic Preservation in the renovation and restoration efforts on their homes.