THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605020132
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JANIE BRYANT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
For years, it's been a run-down duplex that stands at the entrance to Olde Towne, a ragged reminder that not everything in the historic neighborhood has been restored and preserved.
A patch of grass grows in the gutter of the porch roof, and the house sags here and there while its exterior begs for a coat of paint.
``Many people would probably say tear it down and build something else,'' says Dr. Sidney W. Tiesenga after squeezing from behind a boarded-up door and walking cheerfully down porch steps that squeak and creak.
``Before it's over,'' he laughs, ``we may agree with them.''
But Tiesenga wouldn't put money on that. Neither would the other members of the Olde Towne Civic League.
In fact, they've put their money on their belief that this 19th century duplex will once again be an asset to the neighborhood and another fine example of the past.
Most of these civic league members are used to the horrified look of doubt on the face of someone who has never seen the ``before'' of an old house.
It didn't stop them from buying their own homes. And it didn't stop them from shelling out a dollar to Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority to buy this property so they could try their hand at a communitywide renovation project.
Of course, the price tag on their endeavor will be a lot more than that first dollar.
The civic league has devoted $25,000 from its treasury toward the cost of the renovations and will borrow another $25,000 at favorable terms from PRHA.
``There have been many people that have doubted the sanity of the Olde Towne Civic League,'' quips Tiesenga, who heads the committee overseeing the project.
But there are just as many who would love to be able to buy a rundown property in their community and bring it back to life.
Of course, the Olde Towne Civic League had some unique help.
Today's residents can't forget the help they got from yesteryear's residents. It was all those years of phenomenally successful Olde Towne Ghost Walks that helped build the league's enviable treasury.
The renovation project is another way to put some of that money back into the community.
Already the civic league gives about $3,500 a year to the community, ranging from donations to downtown churches to the Oasis ministry, according to league President Leslie French.
The house project, he says, is ``something that various members have wanted to do for a long time. We've worked 16 years to accumulate that money.''
If it doesn't work, it will be the league's first and last renovation project.
``If the project is successful, it will become a revolving fund,'' Tiesenga says. ``We'll pick up a house every two or three years, salvage it and turn it over to somebody else.''
Tiesenga seems confident.
Civic league members look at the run-down duplex and see the unique detail work and ornate trim, while other people are looking at the flaws.
``It has very unique features only found on one or two structures in Olde Towne,'' French says. ``It's a gem of a house.''
The civic league will contract out the major renovation work. That includes restoring a solid foundation and replacing a standing-seam roof.
Members will do a lot of the ``junk work,'' including pulling down interior wall plaster.
What prospective buyers will see is a renovated exterior, a ``stable shell'' to an interior that they can look at and say, ``I can make this building whatever I want it to be,'' Tiesenga says.
The civic league plans to have the work done and the building sold in two years, which is when it would have to start paying on the PRHA loan. There are favorable tax incentives that would go with the building.
Tiesenga says there already has been ``casual interest'' from potential buyers.
This kind of project has already been done in places like Savannah and Charleston, Tiesenga says.
And Portsmouth's oldest neighborhood has its own unique blend of history, the project chairman points out.
For one thing, Portsmouth has never been a wealthy town - a few homes got built each time things were good, Tiesenga says.
``You've got 200 years of architecture - it's bits and snatches of everything.
``It's a living museum.'' MEMO: Related stories on pages 14-16.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Dr. Sidney Tiesenga heads the committee overseeing the renovation
of a vacant house.
by CNB