ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200075
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
THE DEVELOPERS plan to copy the dormers, columns, and color of the brick with white trim for the new construction.
A real estate developer who is returning from Charlotte, N.C., to live in Roanoke's Cherry Hill mansion, plans to build condominiums around the old house.
"It's the most exciting thing I've done in real estate in my life," said James E. Body, who is creating the development in partnership with Winter Hodges.
Both men live in Charlotte now, but they plan to move to Roanoke. Body, who grew up in Roanoke, moved to Charlotte in 1983, as he pursued a career in real estate. He plans to occupy the Cherry Hill mansion in two or three months.
"I think we have a debt to society to preserve our heritage," Body said Wednesday in announcing his plans. Cherry Hill, he said, "is part of Roanoke's heritage."
Cherry Hill sits on a five-acre tract between Carolina and Crystal Spring avenues, bounded by 22nd and 23rd streets, in South Roanoke.
Body and Hodges said the land is zoned for 86 living units.
In the first phase, they will build 24 units in what is now the property's parking lot facing Carolina Avenue. Construction will start in about 60 days, although they have not yet picked a contractor.
Body said the building is designed to match the architecture of Cherry Hill, a stately red brick house of Georgian-style architecture. He copied the dormers, the columns, and the color of the brick with white trim for the new construction.
The two-bedroom, two-bath condos will feature nine-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and fireplaces. They will contain about 1,200-square feet but are designed so that owners have the option of buying two units and merging them.
The units on the two lower floors will sell for $137,650. Those on the third floor, which will have cathedral ceilings and the best views, will sell for $139,150. The building will have an elevator and garages.
Body said every unit will be assigned one garage space and one outside parking space.
The developers plan to construct two similar buildings over the next two years, each with 30 units. The second building will face inward to the Cherry Hill property with garage access from an alley near Lipes Pharmacy on Crystal Spring Avenue. The third building will be constructed on the 22nd Street side of the property.
W. Chan Bolling and Bill Moody of MKB Realtors handled purchase of the property and will market the condos.
Body said the Cherry Hill condos are similar to another of his developments, in Charlotte. He said about half the units in that complex are occupied by retirees and the rest by young couples. There are no children in the Charlotte complex. He and Bolling expect the market to be similar in Roanoke.
One of the attractions, Body said, will be the proximity to the neighborhood shopping area along Crystal Spring Avenue.
The Cherry Hill land was purchased by the Funkhouser family from the McClanahan tract in 1922. The mansion was constructed between 1924 and 1925 with teak floors and bricks brought from New York.
The property was purchased by the Roanoke Fine Arts Center and the Junior League of Roanoke Valley in the 1960s and used as an art museum. When the museum moved downtown to Center in the Square, the property was sold to Carilion Health System.
Body bought the house and land from Carilion for $1.05 million on Oct.19. He began renovating the mansion that same day.
Body said he has spent more than $100,000 restoring the property to its original condition with the help of Roanoke designer Carol Fralin. The house boasts six bedrooms and six baths at the top of a large circular staircase, but Body built a master bedroom for himself downstairs.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. Charlotte, N.C., developersby CNBJames Body, owner of Cherry Hill, and his partner Winter Hodges
(kneeling) have restored the mansion close to its original state.
color. Graphic: Illustration. The condos will match the Georgian
style of Cherry Hill mansion, which is shown in the upper right
corner of this artist's rendition. color.