Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 16, 1993 TAG: 9302160138
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREGORY J. GILLIGAN RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
DATELINE: HANOVER (AP) LENGTH: Medium
RESCUING A SHINGLE OF VA. HISTORY
It was a dreary, rainy afternoon nearly 40 years ago when Murial McAuley, David Kilgore and four of their theater friends first set foot in a dilapidated tavern in Hanover.As the six young thespians walked through the tavern, they stood in utter amazement.
It wasn't because the tavern was rich with history - Patrick Henry had tended bar and lived there, and George Washington once slept in an upper room - but because the three-story building was about ready to fall down.
"It was just a wreck," McAuley, now 62, remembered. "It had been neglected for years."
Every door was locked on the day the real estate agent showed the building to the group. "We figured it was because when you unlocked the doors, they fell off their hinges," she chuckled.
Neighbors even figured the building was destined to be destroyed - if it didn't first topple down or catch fire. There were holes in the floorboards. There was no heat or plumbing. Plaster from the ceilings and walls was scattered all over the floor.
The group wanted a place big enough for them to live, and also where they could perform. But buying the tavern quickly turned them into historic preservationists.
Over the years, rotted wood from the tavern was replaced, walls were replastered, wood sidings were repainted, and shutters were changed.
But since mid-1953, when the group bought the tavern and founded the Barksdale Theatre there, there has not been a major renovation. The theater portion of the building, however, was remodeled in 1974.
"We did the essential things to keep [the building] going," McAuley said. "We just never had the money to do anything more."
While things are far better today than they were in 1953, McAuley said steps need to be taken to preserve the tavern even further.
The building now is owned by the Hanover Tavern Foundation, and the nonprofit organization is trying to raise $3.5 million for a major renovation of the historic tavern. Nearly $500,000 has been raised so far.
"This building is full of history that needs to be protected," foundation president Linda H. Marks said. "If we don't protect it now, it might not be here for future generations to learn from, to enjoy and to use."
In fact, Marks fears parts of the tavern are deteriorating so rapidly that she sees the noticeable changes in the building from week to week.
The Barksdale Theatre, which will celebrate its 40th season in 1993, still uses the basement for its performances and pre-show dinners. The theater, a separate entity, pays $1 rent to the foundation annually.
McAuley, Kilgore and his wife, Nancy, continue to live on parts of the second floor and all of the third floor. They sold the tavern in December 1990 to the foundation for $330,000.
Marks said the foundation, with the blessing of the trio, has used money it has raised so far to further stabilize and renovate the tavern.
Just a month ago, for instance, workers from Virginia Sprinkler Co. Inc. began installing a $77,000 fire prevention system. The sprinkler system should be fully installed by next month.
"One of the top priorities was to make sure we had something there to preserve," said Donna P. Dowling, the foundation's office manager. "The greatest threat to the building is fire."
And the renovations won't stop there, Marks said. By spring, plans call for work to begin on replacing the shingle roof.
Other renovations are also planned, especially to replace the exterior sidings, doors and windows.
Of the $3.5 million being raised, $1 million is targeted for an endowment fund and $330,000 for the purchase of the tavern.
After decades of piecemeal renovations, McAuley said, she and the Kilgores are happy to finally see progress being made on what she called one of Hanover's prized treasures.
But, they admit, the foundation has its work cut out for itself.
"We're thrilled with what they're doing," she said. "They're starting on the essential things, but right now everything is essential."
Looking back to nearly 40 years ago, McAuley said she never figured she still would be living in that dilapidated tavern.
"We were all too young and too stupid to know what we were getting into," McAuley said. "But we fell in love with the tavern, and we're still here."