RECONNAISSANCE ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY REPORT CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH prepared by FRAZIER AsSOCIATES July 1992 CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH RECONNAISSANCE LEVEL PHASE I ARCHITECTURAL SURVEY REPORP prepared by FRAZIER ASSOCIATES JULY 1992 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS City of Virginia Beach Department of Planning Robert J. Scott, Director of Planning Robert Davis, Comprehensive Planner and Project Director Stephen White, AICP, Comprehensive Planning SupelVisor Mac Rawls, Director of Museums Marcy Sims, Director of Libraries Historic Sites Survey Advisory Committee Members Tom Ackiss Michael Barret Eileen Davis James Fletcher Barbara Henley Anne Henry David Hill Toni Lohman Stephen Mansfield Elizabeth McClane Glenn Payne Oliver Peny Mark Reed Eleanor Stanton Joan Wright Project Consultants Frazier Associates 121 South Augusta Street Staunton, Virginia 24401 William T. Frazier, Principal Ann McCleary, Project Editor Lisa Tucker, Project Manager Randy Skeirik, Smveyor This publication is sponsored by the City of Virginia Beach. It is funded in part by a grant from the Virginia Department of-Historic Resources. TABLE OF CONTENTS SURVEY METHODOLOGY BACKGROUND TO SURVEY l SURVEY OBJECTIVES l SURVEY METHODS~ RESEARCH DESIGN l SUMMARY OF SURVEY FINDINGS 3 mSTORIC CONTEXT AND ARCmTECTURAL ANALYSIS 4 SETTLEMENT PATTERNS Historic Context 4 SUIVeyed Resources 11 ETHNICITY AND IMMIGRATION Historic Context 12 SUIVeyed Resources 13 GOVERNMENT, LAW, POLITICS Historic Context 14 SUIVeyed Resources 16 MD.,ITARY Historic Context 19 Suiveyed Resources 20 SUBSISTENCE/AGRICULTURE Historic Context 20 Suiveyed Resources 23 DOMESTIC Historic Context 24 SU1Veyed Resources 27 ARCHITECTURE, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, AND COMMUNITY PLANNING Historic Context 61 Suiveyed Resources 63 EDUCATION Historic Context 63 Suiveyed Resources 66 LANDSCAPE Historic Context 66 Suiveyed Resources 67 FUNERARY Historic Context 67 Suiveyed Resources 67 HEALTH CARE AND MEDICINE Historic Context 67 Suiveyed Resources 68 TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION Historic Context 72 SU1Veyed Resources 75 RELIGION Historic Context 78 Suiveyed Resources 83 COMMERCE AND TRADE Historic Context 83 Suiveyed Resources 84 RECREATION/ARTS Historic Context 88 Smveyed Resources 92 SOCIAL Historic Context 95 Suiveyed Resources 98 INDUSTRY, PROCESSING, AND EXTRACTION Historic Context 98 Suiveyed Resources 99 ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY Suiveyed Resources 99 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL REGISTER AND SURVEY 100 POTENTIAL INDIVIDUAL NOMINATIONS 100 POTENTIAL HISTORIC DISTRICTS 103 POTENTIAL HISTORIC MULTIPLE RESOURCE NOMINATIONS 103 FUTURE SURVEY RECOMMENDATIONS 103 RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CITY 104 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION 105 DISTRIBUTION OF SURVEY FORMS TO PROPERTY OWNERS 105 TECHNICAL REHAB INFORMATION FOR PROPERTY OWNERS 105 TOUR BROCHURES AND AUDIO TOUR TAPE 105 AUDIO-VISUAL PRESENTATIONS ON HISTORIC RESOURCES 105 LOCAL AWARDS 105 NEWSPAPER ARTICLE SERIES 105 CABLE TELEVISION INFORMATION SERIES 106 LOCAL REAL ESTATE COMMUNITY AWARENESS 106 MEASURED DRAWINGS BY LOCAL EDUCATIONAL. INSTITUTIONS 106 HERITAGE EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOLS 106 LmRARY ARCHIVES 106 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PLANNING 107 NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATIONS 107 ZONING STUDY OF HISTORIC SITES FOR IMPACT 107 LOCAL HISTORIC ZONING ORDINANCE 107 EASEMENT PROGRAM 107 HISTORIC SITE DATA ENTRY INTO CITY INFORMATION BASE (GIS) 107 PUBLIC PROPERTIES ACQmSITION 108 CONDITIONAL ZONING FOR HISTORIC SITES 108 TAX INCENTIVES FOR PRESERVATION 108 PRESERVATION STRATEGIES IN THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 108 RESOURCES FOR PRESERVATION 109 NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 109 STATE ORGANIZATIONS 109 LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS 109 BIBLIOGRAPHY 111 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: Alphabetical Listing of Surveyed Sites 113 APPENDIX B: Numerical Usting of Surveyed Sites 118 SURVEY METHODOLOGY Sandbridge Beach. All land belonging to the United States military and state properties were not included in the current BACKGROUND TO SURVEY survey; these include Camp Pendleton, Seashore State Park, Oceana Naval Air The City of Virginia Beach is a community Station, Dam Neck Fleet Combat Training which has experienced a rapid period of Center, Little Creek Amphibious Base, and growth since the 1950s. As a result, many Fort Story. historic structures have been lost. In the late 1980s, the City of Virginia Beach The objectives of the City of Virginia Beach undertook a survey to identify the surviving Survey were as follows: historic structures. This particular survey ( 1) Complete individual survey reports for: was divided into two parts, one (a) All pre-Civil War buildings and encompassing the northern one-half of the structures; City (the highly developed area of Virginia (b) Selected representative examples of Beach) and the other including the cultural resources over fifty years southern third of the City or the more rural old; and area below the "Green Line." Neither of (c) Special attention given to these previous surveys met all of the 1. The early_outbuildings and farm criteria established by the Virginia structures: Department of Historic Resources (VDHR). 2. Significant buildings that are in Des:ir:lng to improve its historic resource _poor condition or are threatened by data, the City of Virginia Beach applied in imminent destruction; the spring of 1991 for a grant through the 3. Resources related to African­ State of Virginia to expand and complete .American history and culture. the survey that had been started locally. (2) Complete intensive level survey forms for all buildings deemed eligible for the The City of Virginia Beach Planning National Register ofHistoric Places. Department administered the survey grant. (3) In areas of potential historic districts, Robert Davis, of the City planning office, if the district contained fewer than ten was the project director. In November of buildings, a reconnaissance level form 1991, the City of Virginia Beach contracted should be done on each contributing with Frazier Associates to conduct the building. survey of the City. Robert Davis organized (4) Attention in all survey efforts was to be a group of local citizens interested in the given to VDOT Planning Areas. project to serve on the Historic Sites Survey Advisory Committee and to The survey includes buildings from the provide direction throughout the process. eighteen different themes proposed by the VDHR . This final survey report is organized according to these themes, SURVEY OBJECTIVES beginning with a historic context for each theme, followed by an architectural The purpose of this survey was to expand analysis of the sutveyed buildings within the survey work that the VDHR had that theme. completed in the City of Virginia Beach in the 1960s and 1970s and to build on the SURVEY METHODS AND City's survey undertaken in the late 1980s. RESEARCH DESIGN This new survey area included the northern half of the City of Virginia Beach bounded Frazier Associates commenced the research by Indian River Road, North Landing Road phase of the project and provided a draft of and stretching across to the oceanfront at 1 the historic context to all of the Advisory toured for historic properties and all Committee members for their comments. representative examples and locally These suggestions were incorporated into s:lgn:lftcant structures were surveyed. The the final report along with any comments other half of the survey arose out of lists and additional research recommended by provided by local residents in conjunction the VDHR. with the two windshield surveys. Prior to beginning any smvey work, Frazier When the reconnaissance level of the Associates met with the same committee to survey had been completed, Frazier determine sites of particular interest to the Associates met with the committee to select local community. To further refine the the thirty properties to be surveyed at the resources to be surveyed, two windshield intensive level. The resulting list was then swveys were conducted. The first tour agreed upon by the City of Virginia Beach, included Bill Frazier and Lisa Tucker from the Virginia Department of Historic Frazier Associates, Jeff O'Dell of the Resources, and Frazier Associates. Of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, thirty-two properties identified, access was and Robert Davis of the City of Virginia gained to the interior of twenty properties. Beach. The second tour included members Five additional properties were extensively from the Advisory Committee. At various photographed on the exterior and points during the smvey process, Frazier measured. Five property owners denied Associates met with the committee to access and prohibited exterior photography. determine and redefine the specific properties and general types of properties Other ~as where resources were located to be smveyed. but not surveyed have been identified for future surveys. When the project began, the City of Virginia Beach had eleven locally designated In summary, most of the original resort historic overlay areas and twelve National area of Virginia Beach was surveyed and Register properties. Additionally, the VDHR the remaining smveyed properties were had recorded 417 properties throughout scattered throughout the northern half of the City. Approximately eighty of these had the City. been done in the 1960s and 1970s. Of these eighty, eleven were resurveyed in this effort. Many of the previously smveyed buildings have been demolished. Several of the other earlier surveyed sites were part of an environmental impact· study conducted by MAAR Associates for the City of Virginia Beach