The Roanoke City Council has agreed to sell its historic Compton-Bateman House and surrounding 3.4 acres to a small nonprofit that wants to lease the building to a program that serves youth.

Isabel Thorntons Restoration Housing will buy the house for $1 but will be required to spend $868,000 on renovations. Thornton said the money will come from $234,000 in insurance proceeds the city received after a 2011 fire at the house, tax credits from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and various grants for which she has yet to apply.

The circa-1827 house, off Lafayette Boulevard in northwest Roanoke, for decades served as the Villa Heights recreation center but was seriously damaged in the 2011 fire and has been on the market for several years. The council is partial to Thorntons idea to lease the house to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest Virginia, benefiting the community while preserving the houses history.

This is a true win, win, win for everybody, council member John Garland said. Its a win for the old house, its a win for the users of the house and its a win for the community.

While Thornton is still in preliminary discussions with the Boys and Girls Clubs, she said theyve discussed working together with the architect so the house meets the groups needs.

Were both optimistic and hopeful that the partnership will work, Thornton said. Theyre an ideal tenant for the use of the building. They want to serve the community around Villa Heights.

Roanoke Councilwoman Michelle Dykstra is the Boys and Girls Clubs executive director, so she recused herself from participating in the citys vote.

Under the contract, Thornton must begin construction within 12 months of closing, but she said she wont know until March whether she will receive the tax credits.

Construction ideally would begin next summer, according to Thornton, who said she is thankful for how supportive the council has been through the process.

Historic property in northwest Roanoke is just as deserving of preservation and restoration as historic property in any other part of Roanoke, council member Bill Bestpitch said.

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Roanoke City Council agrees to sell historic home to nonprofit - Roanoke Times

By CLIFF HIGHTOWER

The Franklin Board of Mayor and Aldermen are still mulling over three proposals for a 54-acre plot of land along Mack Hatcher Parkway near Spencer Creek Road.

Weve got a difficult choice, said Alderman Clyde Barnhill.

The city accepted letters of interest from potential developers on the property located along the Harpeth River and three developers responded.

Cheekwood Golf Course wants to expand its golf course across Mack Hatcher Parkway, the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro wants to build a childrens museum and the Franklin Housing Commission wants to build affordable or workforce housing on the site.

A month ago, all three parties presented plans to the board; over the weekend, they met with the board on site to hear once again about proposals.

City staff put together a chart listing all the different selling points of the proposals.

We recognize the board has three very well-thought-out, good proposals, said City Administrator Eric Stuckey.

One key point was the staff presented potential costs and revenues about each property, as well as if the city sold the property or if the city kept it.

Creekwood Golf Course had agreed to pay $72,900 a month for the lease, the Discovery Center proposed a $1 a year lease and the Franklin Housing Commission proposed not paying. But, the housing commission has proposed that property taxes would be assessed on the houses, not the land because it is city owned.

According to the city, the golf course would bring in $2.6 million in revenue, while the city is projected to lose about $2 million if the childrens museum were developed and it could lose anywhere from $1.7 million to $3.6 million with housing.

Bob Ries, a Franklin resident, pointed that out.

When you go to the bottom line, you only have one paying you any money, he said.

But, Stuckey, and other city staff warned not to only look at city revenue. It did not take into consideration any other potential economic development that could happen because of those other properties.

Lets be careful about painting it as a picture of anything, he said.

The board is expected to vote on the proposals within the upcoming months.

Barnhill said it may end up being two of the three get to share the property, or as he called it one-and-half.

It wont be everyone satisfied with our decision, he said.

HIRAM LODGE UPDATES

Representatives of Hiram Masonic Lodge #7, located at115 2nd Ave South,appeared before the board Tuesday during its work session to talk about upcoming restoration on the property.

Jim Patterson, chairman of the lodges board, told the Franklin board they are in the midst of diversifying their board and getting more community involvement.

We are a part of this community, Patterson said.

He said right now there has been a protective barrier put on the building and they hope to start doing a restoration within months.

The building was constructed in 1823 and is the oldest public building in Franklin. In 1830, President Andrew Jackson met with leaders of the Chickasaw nation to negotiate the Treaty of Franklin at the site.

Its been underused and underexposed as a historic place in our city, said Alderman Pearl Bransford.

Alderman Mike Skinner asked about specifics.

Do you know how far out before you do the restoration? he asked.

The next three weeks well have a better understanding, Guil Ezell, president of the lodges board, replied.

Patterson told the Franklin board the building is still in pretty good condition.

Theres no deterioration, he said.

Cliff Hightower can be reached at cliff.hightower@franklinhomepage or follow him on Twitter @FranklinHomePage.

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Franklin board hears more on Mack Hatcher proposals - Franklin Home Page

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Mr. Veevers-Carter does not intend to return the kitchen to the look of the 1950s, when Mrs. Child cooked on an industrial-sized stove she bought from Sherman Kent, a friend and towering figure at the C.I.A. (The stove is now featured in the Smithsonians National Museum of American History.) When she talked of Washington, she would always mention the stove, said Alex Prudhomme, who helped Mrs. Child his great-aunt write her memoir.

The Olive Street kitchen, last redesigned by the architect Hugh Newell Jacobsen in the 1960s, will be modern, Mr. Veevers-Carter said. Julia Child had all the latest gadgets in her kitchen, the latest conveniences, he said. (Including her garbage disposal, which she lovingly called her electric pig.) Why wouldnt you have that today?

The story of the house begins in the years after the Civil War, when it was built by a black carpenter. At the time, the black population of Georgetown had swelled to more than 3,000 in a city of 100,000. By the turn of the century, signs of change were afoot: A police record in The Washington Post on Nov. 16, 1913, noted that the owner of the home at 2706 Olive Street was riding a horse and wagon when he collided with an automobile at 1st and F Streets.

The Childs, who had met in what was then Ceylon when both worked for the O.S.S., bought the house in May 1948, after they returned to Washington from overseas. In their first year on Olive Street, Mrs. Child struggled to impress her new husband with a limited culinary repertoire, and toiled in the kitchen late at night. Id usually plop something on the table by 10 p.m., have a few bites, and collapse into bed, she wrote in her memoir, My Life in France.

The two soon left for France, where Mrs. Child discovered the wonders of French cuisine, and returned to Olive Street eight years later. What fun to feather our own little nest, the only nest we actually owned, she wrote. By then she had become a classically trained chef and was well into her work on her masterpiece.

Most of my time was spent revising and retyping our now dog-eared, note-filled, butter-and-food-stained manuscript, Mrs. Child wrote of her time in the home. It would be years before a pared down version of these early drafts of Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published, in 1961.

In 1956 on Olive Street, American cooking was almost foreign to her. As she wrote in her memoir, the veal was less tender than in France, the herbs harder to find, the turkeys much bigger.

In retesting certain dishes in my American kitchen-laboratory, I discovered that hardly anyone used fresh herbs here, she wrote in My Life in France. She complained to her co-author, Simone Beck, that my beloved crme frache was nearly impossible to find in America.

See the article here:
Mastering the Art of Home Restoration: A Julia Child Sequel - New York Times

A number of automakers have launched in-house restoration services for their models, and they will soon be joined by Mazda, which has announced a restoration program for the first-generation MX-5 Miata.

Starting in 2018, the Hiroshima-based automaker will offer complete restorations as well as a parts support program for the NA-generation Miata, known as the Eunos Roadster (it's a long story) back home. The automaker has already performed a test restoration and is currently accepting applications for customer restorations scheduled to start next year. Each restoration will be tailored to the requirements of each car and customer, which will open up some customization options, but we suspect that applicants will be those seeking to keep their cars stock or return them to stock condition.

For now this service will apply only to the first-gen Miatas and will only be offered to customers in Japan, but rereleased parts such as the Nardi steering wheel, the convertible top and Bridgestone SF-325 tires (for those who demand originally supplied tires) should be available worldwide via mail order. Of course, if you're already shelling out some yen for a factory restoration for your Miata, the cost of the car's round trip to Japan is a pretty modest expense, so we expect to see some Miatas from other countries make the pilgrimage back to Japan.

Along with restoration, the factory program will produce some spare parts that are now in short supply.

The NA-generation MX-5 Miata (as if it needs any introduction) debuted in the U.S. in May 1989; its 1.6-liter and later, 1.8-liter engines complimented a short wheelbase, compact exterior dimensions and a choice of five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. The pocket-size roadster was a hit from the outset, ruling its segment with little to no direct competition and offering plenty of thrills despite the relatively modest horsepower output. The Miata was about driving dynamics rather than sheer power, which were slowly coming back into vogue in the early 1990s, but with a curb weight of just over 2,000 pounds, the roadster didn't need much zoom-zoom underhood to game the traffic.

For a car approaching its 30th birthday, the Miata's design has aged remarkably well, but it's still the roadster's driving dynamics that attract new fans. The first-gen models now have a cult following, so it makes perfect sense that Mazda wants to preserve the legacy of the debut model.

H/T: Japanese Nostalgic Car

Excerpt from:
Mazda is starting Miata factory restoration program to celebrate the roadster's 30th birthday - Autoweek

Luxury Portfolio International, the luxury face of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE), is hosting the 2017 Affluence Forum this August in Chicago, Ill., the network recently announced. The two-day Forum, be held August 22-23 at The Merchandise Mart, is open to staff members at Luxury Portfolio member companies and select invited guests.

Having The Merchandise Mart so near our Chicago office is a real opportunity to do something special, says Paul Boomsma, president of Luxury Portfolio International. We are excited to be joined by many luxury brands and speakers that work with the high-net worth, who will offer education on a myriad of trends in the home/shelter industry and more.

Former CEO of Dwell Media Michela OConnor Abrams, a noted lifestyle expert, will be on hand at the Forum to speak to the growing trend of experiencing marketing, and how brands can use it as a differentiator for their customers.

Luxury Portfolio is committed to providing actionable research and information for their members, says OConnor Abrams. Ive attended their annual conference and been impressed by the variety of speakers they bring together, creating a comprehensive view of the way real estate touches all aspects of our lives.

The agenda additionally includes the latest research on the affluent consumer from YouGov and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Chief Economist Dr. Marci Rossell, who will share an analysis of the global economic landscape. The Forum will also bring together representatives to speak about the latest trends in home technology, customization, restoration and wealth management, from companies such as Barretts Technology Solutions, The Lord Companies, Fraser Builders and UBS Wealth Management.

Attendees will also have enrichment opportunities, including an architecture cruise which will showcase some of Chicagos innovative local buildings and visits to some of The Merchandise Marts showrooms to view the latest in home renovation.

We are always challenging ourselves to do something different, Boomsma says. This Forum will deliver real value for attendees who need to be conversant with the latest trends in luxury.

For more information, please visit http://www.luxuryportfolio.com.

For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmarkRISMedia.com.

Link:
Luxury Portfolio International to Host 2017 Affluence Forum - RisMedia.com (press release)

By Andrea Rose

Most people who are searching for a home are looking to find something that fits their family's needs, whether it be more bedrooms, a bigger kitchen or a safer community, and they need the home to fit their price range.

But Dwaine Gipe is on a different kind of house hunt. He isn't looking to buy.

Gipe, 81, is searching for homes in this area that were built by his father, Edgar "Murphy" Gipe.

Building a family home

Gipe was born and raised in Franklin County, spending his early life in the Marion area before his parents moved to 606 S. Washington St., Greencastle.

His dad built the stone home over the course of a couple years. The homestead began with a garage. "We lived above dad's workshop and garage from 1945 when I entered seventh grade until the home was finished in 1947," Gipe, 81, recalled. "It was the first home east of Mississippi River with radiant heat in ceiling plaster, installed by Howard Cook, a plumber in Marion."

Gipe said the house was built with local materials. "The beautiful blue limestone came for a mine in West Virginia," he said. "It was my father's dream home.As most examples go, this dream home didn't come without a cost.

"This home, when registered, became one of the highest taxed homes in the county," Gipe said. "Contrary to much of today's thinking, my dad was proud to be paying the fiddler."

The elder Gipe built homes and barns, updated businesses, made bridge repairs and completed church renovations throughout Franklin County, including Marion, Greencastle and Chambersburg, as well as Halfway, Maryland, from probably 1925 through 1970.

"The part of Chambersburg most interesting was a group of properties covering about three blocks from the square to a Waffle House. Dad worked long-term in the late 1930s updating the right-hand side of old U.S. 11 south. The properties were owned by a Jerry B. Hanks or Henks by my memory and guess at his last name. He was a single poor farmer who owned a beautiful farm near New Franklin. I never saw this person wearing anything but coveralls," Gipe recalled. "The faces of the buildings were upgraded, but in keeping with design of the times. On occasion Jerry paid in hams, beef or other farm-raised foods. We ate well when Jerry came up a little short," Gipe said with a chuckle.

"In Fort Loudon, Dad turned a bank barn into the retail and mail-order business, home of the worldwide known Hawbaker's Trappers Supply."

Beyond his childhood home and a few places in Chambersburg he can recall his father working on, Gipe can't identify other properties his dad built or worked on.

He knows the accomplished craftsman sent somewhere in Virginia, working for Civilian Conservations Corps for several years in the 1930s.

His lack of knowledge clearly has nothing to do with lack of memory.

Gipe was just a boy when his dad was zig-zagging across the county working to feed his family. The young man was focused on things beyond his father's construction business.

Quest for knowledge

Gipe, who now lives in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, area, kept busy as a young man.

When he moved to Greencastle from Marion, he had a paper route for the Echo Pilot and Grit.

During high school he participated in Fred Kaley's gym circus, played varsity basketball and became a Troop 13 Eagle Scout, working seven years at the Boy Scout's Camp Sinoquipe in Fort Littleton.

He was also a junior Rescue Hose Co. fireman under Chief Dave Warren.

Gipe went on to become recognized as a top amateur Pennsylvania archer at the Greencastle Sportsman's Association's Archery Club and shot in his first Professional Archers Indoor Tournament in Chicago earning 37th among the nations best tournament archers.

He went on to marry his high-school sweetheart, Elizabeth Ziegler, and the couple raised two boys, Daniel, now a dentist in Portland, Oregon, and Douglas, a retiring professional fireman.

He graduated from Shippensburg State College in 1959 and taught for three years in the Waynesboro Area School District at Clayton Avenue and Hooverville elementary schools, before taking a job as principal of a county-run school for children with special needs in Pond Bank.

Gipe then took a job with Boy Scouts of America as a district scout executive in Williamsport, before working a variety of other jobs, including salesman, boiler restoration, tool franchise operator and doll restoration doctor.

Having worked most of his life, Gipe wasn't about to rest on his laurels in retirement. He focuses on his work with a camera as a freelance photographer and is hoping to combine his passion for photography with his desire to document some family history.

Anyone who has knowledge of homes or businesses built or worked on by Edgar "Murphy" Gipe can email Gipe at dolldoc4@comcast.net.

"I'd like to see some of the stuff my dad built," he said.

If he can find the properties, he plans to photograph them. "Hopefully, our children and grandchildren will enjoy the photo scrapbook of our family interests," he said.

Contact Andrea Rose at arose@therecordherald.com or 717-762-2151 or on Twitter@AndreaCiccociop.

See the article here:
Area native seeks homes his father built - Waynesboro Record Herald

Most of approximately 1,000 displaced Bedford County residents were allowed to return to their homes this weekend after a train derailed last week and caught fire.

Tests on air quality led the railroad companyCSX, an incident management team and environmental specialists to decide that it was safe to reduce the evacuation zone to a limited area immediately surrounding the derailment site in Hyndman, about 100 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, a CSX spokesman said Saturday.

The remaining evacuation zone affecting about 30 homes is intended only to protect residents from the impact of site restoration activity, which would involve "heavy truck traffic, movement of derailed cars and other noisy, disruptive activity 24 hours per day," the company said.

Thirty-two cars, some containing hazardous materials, derailed Wednesday morning as a train with five locomotives and 178 rail cars was heading from Chicago to Selkirk, New York. Cars containing liquefied petroleum gas and sulfur caught fire. One house was sheared in half and a garage caught fire. No injuries were reported. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

CSX said liquefied petroleum gas, molten sulfur and asphalt spilled from derailed tank cars and caught fire, and nonhazardous soybean mill and calcium phosphate also spilled but weren't affected by the fire. The company said examination of "a highly sensitive air-quality sample" analyzed by an American Industrial Hygiene Association-accredited lab and other tests prompted officials to decide it was safe for residents to return home.

"It is highly unlikely that there will be any long-term health effects from this event," CSX said. The company said, however, that people with asthma, heart disease, lung disease and those who are elderly, pregnant or infants might be more sensitive and should consult with doctors if necessary. There was no indication that city or well water was affected, CSX said.

CSX said it would be setting up an outreach center at the HOPE for Hyndman Charter School to allow compensation for affected residents and reimbursement of related expenses such as lost earnings. Residents were asked to bring driver's license or other identification, proof of residency, receipts for expenses and proof of lost earnings.

Gov. Tom Wolf said his administration would work closely with CSX and federal and local officials "to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents in the days ahead.

"I want to thank the residents of Hyndman Borough for their patience as CSX worked to resolve this incident with assistance from many first responders and officials from various agencies," he said in a statement.

See the rest here:
Residents Allowed Home After Hyndman Train Derailment - 90.5 WESA

Kim Hasty Sunday Life editor @hastykim

Gallons of fresh paint, solid new floors, gleaming appliances, state-of-the-art technological touches. So much thought and effort went into updating this stately two-story Colonial which sits in amazingly tranquil fashion just off busy Bragg Boulevard.

And yet, the real key to making this extensive renovation sing is the blue-eyed, curly-haired little pixie bouncing, twirling and dancing from one room to the next.

Four-year-old Remy Barrington's perpetual exuberance even manages to outshine all the new stainless, granite and mood lighting.

You have to think her late great-grandparents would approve.

Carl Adam Barrington Sr. built this home on Barrington Circle in 1946 after returning from serving in the Navy in World War II and opening a law practice that would endure for 25 years. He and his wife Pat went on to serve as the welcoming hosts for years of Christmas Eve dinners, Easter egg hunts and energetic grandchildren.

"My best childhood memories were of coming to this house for holidays,'' said Fayetteville lawyer Adam Barrington.

Adam shared the stories of the Norman Rockwell-worthy gatherings with his wife of 10 years, Beth, including how his grandfather would gather the grandchildren around the fireplace on Christmas Eve, then rap on the mantel to call forth the imaginary character "Ragbag.''

"Ragbag lived in the attic,'' Adam Barrington said. "He was as big as a horse, but lived in a peanut shell. Anything we grandchildren would ask he would discount by saying, 'Aw, horse feathers.' I loved it.''

The elder Barrington died in 1994. Pat Barrington continued to live in the home until she died in 2009. An uncle lived here until his death in 2014, but the house sat vacant for over three years.

By then, it had fallen into disrepair. Yet, the young family was game.

"I knew it had a lot of potential,'' said Beth Barrington, a mental health counselor. "It had good bones.''

And all those good memories.

"Obviously, there was the sentimental factor,'' Adam said.

But bringing the home back to life would take 15 months of work for the family and Johnny Cain Builders, including knocking down walls to create an open floor plan that flows from kitchen to living area.

"We love to entertain, so we wanted a big island in the kitchen,'' Adam Barrington said. "But people didn't have big kitchens back then. They had formal dining rooms and living rooms.''

The house, originally 2,200 square feet, is now about 2,500 square feet and sits on about an acre lot. Mature hardwood trees remain, along with new sod, but gone are the 14 pine trees that were threatening to fall. A red door with frosted glass welcomes visitors, as do the gas fixtures that frame the door with soft lighting.

Inside, a 14-foot granite-top island spans nearly the length of the kitchen and includes a commercial-grade gas stove and open cooking surface. Lights underneath the new kitchen cabinets not only add soft illumination, but also delight Remy in their ability to be changed to a rainbow of colors on a whim. The walls are painted a soft neutral gray throughout the home, and the floors are constructed of engineered, hand-scraped birch. The Barringtons added technological touches that include a refrigerator that offers recipes and a daily planner, and a voice-activated device that allows for everything from music to turning the lights off and on.

A gas fire pit is the center of the covered outdoor living space out back, where the Barringtons opted to put their well-loved leather pieces to good use instead of typical outdoor furniture.

They were finally able to move into the home in June, where they are now able to start making memories of their own with their little girl.

"God willing, she'll get married and have kids of her own and bring her kids here,'' Adam Barrington said. "And I'm sure there'll be a Ragbag sighting or two.''

Go here to see the original:
Restoration of 1946 two-story Colonial a labor of love - Fayetteville Observer

Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

Restoration Hardware unveils teen design gallery

GREENWICH Many a selfie has been taken from the furry orb chair near the entrance of Restoration Hardwares recently opened gallery for teenagers.

That might as well serve as a seal of approval for the new space, according to Restoration Hardwares Greenwich galleries leader Heather Knox.

This summer, Restoration Hardware's Baby and Child gallery located at 264 Greenwich Ave., partially revamped the store to include designs for teens. Within a few weeks, the Baby & Child section was consolidated so it fills just half of the space, while RH Teen was rolled out in the other half.

Like all of Restoration Hardwares galleries, RH Teen in Greenwich is meant to serve as design inspiration, Knox said. So teenagers interacting with the new space by encouraging their parents to visit with them and snapping photos of themselves inside prove the gallery is fulfilling its mission, she said.

It made sense to make Greenwich an early adopter of RH Teen, Knox said, as many customers have said theyre happy to have a teen-specific design gallery. The layout of RH Teen is important to inspiring creativity, she added while guiding visitors through pocket rooms showing vignettes of girls bedrooms and study areas. They represent an eclectic mix of items from Tibetan and Mongolian furs to faux antler decor and sparkling white orb chandeliers.

Teenage girls drawn to these styles are glamorous but understated, Knox said, describing the style as Bohemian and beachy with distinct natural elements.

The girls spaces flow into pocket rooms showing off boys bedrooms and studies. Given Greenwichs reputation for producing athletes, its sporty style appeal to many customers, she said.

On a recent weekday afternoon, several mothers browsed catalogs and bedding swatches at the back of the store in its design atelier while several boys and girls roamed the rooms nooks. One visitor told his mom that he wanted one of Restoration Hardwares bunkbeds, and it would fit perfectly in his room. Since its opening, both male and female teenagers have visited the gallery in roughly equal proportions, Knox said.

Greenwich joins a handful of locations around the county to incorporate the brands teen offerings. Others include Atlanta, Chicago and Denver, but this is the only one within the tri-state area for now.

RH Teen marks a relatively new venture for the brand, and its expected to help with its growth, Restoration Hardwares chairman and CEO Gary Friedman said in statement announcing its first quarter results in June.

Last year was, the first full year of many new business initiatives such as RH Modern, RH Teen, RH Hospitality, the redesign of our RH Interiors Source Book, the roll out of Design Ateliers across our retail Galleries, and the addition of Waterworks, Friedman said in the statement. All of these new initiatives are expected to contribute to growth in 2017 and beyond. ...While 2016 was a year of transformation and transition, 2017 will be a year of execution, architecture, and cash.

Contact the writer at mbennett@greenwichtime.com; Twitter @Macaela_

Link:
Restoration Hardware unveils teen design gallery - GreenwichTime - Greenwich Time