A quick rundown of what the staff in DHR's Preservation Incentives Division have been up to in the past year, from working with stakeholders to record preservation easements that protect Virginia's historic sites to administering tax credits for the rehabilitation of historic buildings for the public good.

By Megan Melinat | DHR Preservation Incentives Director

The services of DHR’s Division of Preservation Incentives remain in very high demand as staff assist property owners with the rehabilitation and stewardship of important historic resources throughout the Commonwealth. In the last year, DHR Easement staff have recorded ten new easements protecting more than 500 acres. The largest of these new easements protects property that comprises the Culpeper Battlefields State Park, one of Virginia’s newest state parks. Read more about the June 2024 dedication here.

Recent Highlights

The easement protecting Star Fort II in Frederick County ensures that land significant to the Second Winchester Battlefield and Third Winchester (Opequon) Battlefields remains undeveloped. Conveyed by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the property is entirely under wooded cover and will augment interpretation of the adjacent Star Fort, as well as enhance the protection of these fragmented Winchester battlefields.

Also protected in the last year was the Ellen Glasgow House, following the donation of a historic preservation and open-space easement by John W. Pearsall III and Patricia R. Pearsall. While primarily known as the home of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ellen Glasgow, the National Historic Landmark–designated dwelling is also a notable example of Greek Revival style architecture in Richmond. Built in 1841 for tobacco merchant David M. Branch, the Ellen Glasgow House is located on Main Street in the City of Richmond. Glasgow lived at the home from 1887 until her death in 1945. The house remains relatively unchanged since the time of Glasgow’s residency.

The Virginia Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit (HRTC) program continues to see strong participation from property owners and remains an important economic tool for developers. The program sees extensive use from all regions of the Commonwealth. Since the program’s inception in 1997, more than 3,600 projects have been certified, reflecting more than $7 billion dollars of investment in Virginia communities.

The rehabilitation of The Professional Building in the City of Portsmouth converted a historic office building into mixed use commercial/residential space, bringing 42 market-rate apartment units the downtown. The Professional Building is a seven-story, Art Deco skyscraper with a glamorous cornice. The rehabilitation restored the historic canopy and installed contemporary and compatible storefronts. The canopy and storefront windows were previously encased with a modern exterior insulation finishing system. The completed exterior rehabilitation brings visual interest back to the street level on this prominent corner in downtown Portsmouth.

Interior work restored the building's historic entrance lobby, where modern acoustic tile ceilings were covering a decorative arched plaster ceiling. The historic terrazzo flooring was refinished and the building's eight historic commercial spaces restored, which, in turn, engages pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the Downtown Portsmouth Historic District.

The Hafleigh & Co. Warehouse Complex was constructed ca. 1903 and originally used as a bone button factory. The two warehouses had fallen into disuse and disrepair in recent decades. Using the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit program, the new owners replaced the deteriorated roofs, undertook structural repairs, and restored the historic windows. The former office/manufacturing building was converted to apartments, and the new work preserved the historic concrete floors, exposed truss structure, and painted brick walls. The former storage warehouse was converted into a brewery. The resulting rehabilitation has returned a vacant historic property to the tax rolls and provided quality housing and a local gathering spot and destination in the Town of Buchanan.

DHR’s Preservation Incentives Division staff are proud to support the preservation of historic buildings and battlefield cultural landscapes. The Easement and Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs provide tangible benefits to communities of all sizes through the promotion of Virginia’s heritage.