THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 8, 1995 TAG: 9507060298
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MELANIE BEROTH, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Hidden behind the hustle of busy shopping plazas and fast-food stops on Virginia Beach Boulevard is the tranquil community of Thalia.
That hectic thoroughfare, less than a block from Thalia's entrance, doesn't affect the Virginia Beach neighborhood's peaceful ambience or the habitat of the many Canada geese, mallards and swans that have made the subdivision their home.
Two brick columns with black iron accents and a small stand of oak trees greet visitors at the Thalia Road entrance beside the Willis Wayside furniture store.
The area, which contains 420 dwellings, is rich in history and legend. During World War II, the land housed German prisoners of war in Camp Ashby.
The furniture store, which was built in 1937 as a tuberculosis hospital, became part of the POW camp in 1942. The barbed wire, guarded towers and 20-by-100-foot barracks have long since been replaced by brick ranch and colonial homes, azalea bushes and dogwood trees.
A bit of history remains at the dead end of Thalia Road. Steinhilber's Thalia Acres Inn, one of Virginia Beach's venerable dining traditions, was opened in 1939 by Robert and Marion Steinhilber on the foundation of the burned-out Lynnhaven Golf and Country Club clubhouse. Jeanne and Steve Steinhilber have overseen the restaurant on the riverfront since Robert's death in 1986.
Dan and Mary Arris have lived in Thalia for 34 years and enjoy the stability of the neighborhood. Their two-story brick home at the tip of Thalia Point Road overlooks the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River, and their son, who also lives in Thalia, built an osprey platform in the waterway outside their back door.
The platform is now home to an entire family of the once endangered birds. The Arris clan loves to watch the parent ospreys swoop feet first into the river to catch fish for their chicks.
The Arris family and their neighbors dock speedboats, pontoons and jet skis in the quiet water that surrounds their small island. In May, the City Council approved a dredging project for the river branch so boats can traverse the river smoothly during low tide. The city plans to begin the project next summer.
George Secor Jr. left New York State six years ago to live in his white colonial home surrounded by 80- and 90-foot-tall pine trees and azalea shrubs that bring so much color to springtime.
``I knew I wanted to buy the house before I went inside,'' Secor says, ``and I moved here two weeks after I looked at it. I love being close to the ocean and I love this area. There hasn't been one incident of crime since I've been here.''
Fran Hildreth, who is active in the Thalia Civic League, has lived in the subdivision for 18 years. ``It is a safe neighborhood,'' she says, ``with good schools and beautiful homes.''
The civic league meets regularly to listen to speakers and discuss ways to better the community. The Thalia Garden Club also is active planting the neighborhood's flowers.
The average home in Thalia costs from $165,000 to $180,000. While most residents have made the area their permanent home, Bob Schultz, a real estate agent and Thalia resident, moved into the community last year and sees opportunities for others to come aboard.
``There are not many lots left,'' Schultz says, ``but the ones that are open are big, 3/4 acres deep and wide. I moved here because it was quiet and private and because it only takes 10 minutes to get to the beach. Thalia is a little city by itself.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by Motoya Nakamura
Dan and Mary Arris have lived in the neighborhood for 34 years, at
the tip of Thalia Point Road overlooking the river.
The Lynnhaven River
Color graphic with map
About the Neighborhood
by CNB