THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9504040489
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
ADMIRAL'S ROW HOUSES on the Norfolk Naval Base are big. How big? In the living room of the New Hampshire house - not the grandest in the row - there are four sofas, four wing-back chairs, four side tables, a coffee table and three chests. Not to mention the numerous lamps, candlesticks, floral arrangements, art and other accessories.
And it's not crowded. ``In fact, it's sparse,'' says Mary Charles Moses, who currently occupies the home with her husband, Rear Adm. Paul D. Moses, commander of the naval base.
If it weren't for the furnishings supplied by the Navy, she says they'd just be rattling around. Few families - much less Navy families that move frequently - could acquire enough to fill the grand old houses.
So the Navy steps in and furnishes a few basics - like the four sofas, an entertaining-sized dining room set and numerous occasional tables, chests and chairs.
To give taxpayers a chance to see these impressive structures, built in 1907 for the Jamestown Exposition and now used to house Navy brass, the Tidewater Officers' Wives Club is presenting its Spring Tour of the Historic Jamestown Exposition Homes from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday.
Seven homes along Dillingham Boulevard, also known as Admiral's Row, will be open to the public for a $10 fee, which will be donated to the Wives Club charities fund.
The tour will highlight the exterior and interior architectural features, their histories, Navy collections and personal collections of the residents, according to Martha Gorman, president of the Tidewater Officers' Wives Club.
Although the Jamestown Exposition, held to celebrate the tercentennial of the English colonists' landing at Jamestown, was not a financial success, suffering from lack of organization and support and a run of bad weather, its architectural legacy is worth seeing.
The Navy has modified the houses for its use - some now house multiple families or serve as bachelor's officers quarters - but much has been done to preserve the architectural treasures.
The history of the New Hampshire house is evident in the foyer. There are two framed photographs, one showing it as a private residence in 1917, located on Old Chambers Field. At that time, it had a breezeway to an out-building and livestock grazed around it. The house was moved by the Navy in 1934 and renovated. A 1989 picture shows it at its current location.
Also just inside the door is a plaque listing the house's Navy residents, starting with its use as an aviation warrant officer's quarters in 1918. It became an admiral's quarters in 1962.
The Navy has allowed some remodeling through the years, including a recent bathroom and kitchen refurbishing on the Moses' ground floor. ``We tried to keep the traditional feel of it and add modern conveniences,'' Mary Charles Moses said of the kitchen, which still has some old glass-front cabinets.
``I thoroughly enjoy it,'' she says of her spacious, well-appointed dwelling. And, on Thursday, the public is welcome to enjoy it with her. ILLUSTRATION: JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff color photos
The New Hampshire House, at left and above, is so large that the
Navy provides the base commander some furnishings for the living
areas.
Photo
JOSEPH JOHN KOTLOWSKI/Staff
The New Hampshire House foyer retains the pattern of the original
floor covering, though the material have changed.
Graphic
SPRING TOUR
The Tidewater Officers' Wives Club Spring Tour of the Historic
Jamestown Exposition Homes features the following homes:
Virginia House - 465 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Marine Gen. and
Mrs. John J. Sheehan, commander in chief of the U.S. Atlantic
Command and the Supreme Allied Command Atlantic.
Missouri House - 437 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Adm. and Mrs.
William J. Flanagan, commander in chief of the Atlantic Fleet.
New Hampshire House - 529 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Rear Adm. and
Mrs. Paul D. Moses, Norfolk Naval Base commander.
Connecticut House - 521 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Vice Adm. and
Mrs. Richard C. Allen, commander of Atlantic Naval Air Forces.
Georgia House - 1677 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Vice Adm. and Mrs.
Jay Johnson, commander of the 2nd Fleet.
Ohio House - 433 Dillingham Blvd.; home of Rear Adm. and Mrs.
Jack Zerr, commander of the Atlantic Operational Test and Evaluation
Forces.
Delaware House - 405 Dillingham Blvd., home of Vice Adm. and Mrs.
George Emery, commander of Atlantic Submarine Forces.
Tickets, which cost $10, are available Thursday at the North
Carolina House, at the corner of Dillingham Boulevard and Farragutt
Street. Tour participants also can pick up reserved tickets, tour
guides and refreshments there.
Because the houses are used as private residences, the club
issues the following guidelines:
No photography on the tour.
Children will be admitted for the same fee as adults, but
strollers are prohibited in the homes.
Comfortable shoes recommended.
by CNB