THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 1994 TAG: 9407290453
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAIGE FLEMING, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 139 lines
A few steps from downtown Hampton, tucked away from the traffic of daily life, is a neighborhood almost frozen in time.
The community is known by various names - Acorn Point, Cedar Point and Little England among them. But many Hampton residents simply refer to the area as the city's historic district.
``One of the most special things about this neighborhood is the water,'' said C.O. Orand Seaman. ``Basically, we have water on three sides of us, so when people even just a little further inland are suffering from the heat, we're pretty comfortable.''
Orand and his wife, Claude, have lived in their three-story Victorian for 34 years. They have six bedrooms - including two on the third floor - along with two baths and two corner fireplaces. The Seamans are more than halfway through their renovations.
``The most interesting thing about this house,'' Seaman says, ``is that this was, for a long time, the parish house for St. John's Church. We bought it from the parish.''
St. John's claims to be the oldest Anglican parish in America. Established in 1610, the church seems to lend the nearby house some celebrity status.
Even so, this neighborhood, on the Virginia Register of Historic Places, has more than its share of notable homes.
Hampton's historic district is bounded roughly by Settlers Landing Road and Salters Creek on the north, Sunset Creek on the south, Hampton River on the east and Kecoughtan Road on the west.
Victoria Boulevard, the neighborhood's main thoroughfare, was once lined with elms so large they arched over the street, casting a wide swath of shade. One by one, they were cut down, victims of old age and disease.
Other than that, little else appears to have changed much over the years. The homes, many built between 1890 and 1920, wear their age well.
There's a mint-green three-story Queen Anne with cream trim that rules the corner of Wriothesly Street and Columbia Avenue. The second and third stories have turrets, and a bowed window of blue and black stained glass overlooks the street.
There are two-story brick colonials, nearly a century old, with copper gutters and large square yards filled with flowers and memories. An English Tudor stands on the corner near Victorians with three-sided porches. Giant oaks and lacy pines mark the streets.
Residents say a man named Darling is responsible for planning and establishing the neighborhood. Darling, who came South after the Civil War, made his money in the oyster business and bought the land around Cedar Point. It was then that development started.
One of Darling's descendants, Ann Tormey, lives at Cedar Point, where Sunset Creek and Hampton River meet. The family home, classical in design, overlooks Hampton University across the water.
``My great-grandfather and my grandfather started a street-car line,'' Tormey says. ``The first went down Victoria Boulevard some blocks. The second went all the way to Newport News. That's when people in Hampton could first get to Newport News.
``This meant they could go to work in the shipyards,'' she says. ``It also opened up this whole area, and that's when it started to grow as a neighborhood.''
On Victoria Boulevard, just a few houses down from the Seamans, is Susan Long's house. Like the Seamans', it is a three-story Victorian of clapboard and shingles.
Standard features for the Long house include a wide, three-sided porch, lined on one side by three old sycamores reaching far above the roof.
``I always feel safe in this house,'' Long says. ``I figure as long as those trees are there, this house will be here. And those trees have made it through a lot of bad weather, so I figure I will, too.''
Long's home was her mother's house before her. After her mother died, she returned with her husband to the dwelling.
``I grew up in this house, and before we moved (back) we lived in the house across the street. I know every inch of this house and every inch of this neighborhood. I absolutely would not want to live anywhere else.''
The Seamans agree. ``We bought a retirement home in California outside of San Francisco about 20 years ago,'' C.O. Seaman says, ``but when it came time to retire and move out there, my wife just didn't want to leave. There was too much here.''
For the Longs, the historic district is a family affair.
``My sister-in-law lives a couple of houses down, my grandmother lived in three houses her whole life, all on Victoria Boulevard blocks from here. This is just where we live,'' Long says.
Though many homes lack air conditioning, Seaman says, ``it's not a problem.''
``There's a good breeze off the water; there's the porch. You just open up the windows and get used to it.''
And if keeping in step with these period homes is important, Long says, ``there's something else you have to get used to.''
``We have six bedrooms and lots of space, but 1 1/2 baths,'' Long says. ``But I don't mind. Waiting in line for the bathroom is good practice. It prepares you for life.'' ILLUSTRATION: Black\white photos by Peter D. Sundberg
TOP PHOTO: Victorians and other vintage homes, many built between
1890 and 1920, line the streets of Hampton's historic district just
south of downtown. Three small rivers border the community, giving
many homeowners lots on the waterfront.
LEFT PHOTO: The neighborhood's turn-of-the-century character helped
earn it a spot on the Virginia Register of Historic Places.
Residents refer to sections of the historic district by more
traditional names, including Acorn Point, Cedar Point and Little
England.
A cannon commemorates the 1755 landing of Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock
in Hampton's historic district during the French and Indian War.
Nearby, a church traces its roots to 1610.
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Public schools: Assigned schools depend on the student's address
in the community.
Shopping areas: A grocery, restaurants and other stores are
nearby. Coliseum Mall is a few minutes by car on Mercury Boulevard.
Recreation: The Virginia Air and Space Center and Hampton Roads
History Center is nearby, as is the Hampton Yacht Club and Hampton
Carousel Park Plaza. Nearby rivers offer boating, fishing and
cribbing.
Assessments: The range is from roughly $70,000 to $350,000,
reported the Hampton city assessor's office.
FOR SALE
A sampling of current listings:
At 500 Bridge St., a 2,135-square-foot frame house is listed for
$249,900. The three-story waterfront home, built in 1932, has three
bedrooms and two baths.
At 2701 Victoria Blvd., a 1,272-square-foot frame house is listed
for $89,900. The two-story home has three bedrooms, two baths
At 813 Park Place, a 3,306-square-feet brick home is listed for
$239,900. The two-story house has three bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths.
SOLD
A sampling of recent sales:
At 2008 Victoria Blvd., a 1,460-square-foot two-story home with
four bedrooms and two baths sold for $68,000.
At 1304 Victoria Blvd., a 1,364-square-foot home with two
bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths sold for $74,000. The two-story frame house
was built in 1916.
by CNB