THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 23, 1996 TAG: 9609230032
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LINDA MCNATT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: 108 lines
A sign on one of the main routes into downtown heralds the news: This is a Virginia Main Street Community.
But the boarded-up windows and closed shops on East Washington Street don't look much like a town in the midst of revitalization.
There's not much hope for the buildings on East Washington. Several are to be razed to make way for city parking once a new courthouse is completed.
But slowly, whether spurred by the courthouse construction or by the soon-to-be-restored train station on Main Street, things are beginning to happen.
Saws are buzzing; hammers are pounding. And - bit by bit - Suffolk's architectural past is being pulled into the future.
``When you hit rock bottom, there are only two ways to go - straight up and sideways,'' said Sue Woodward, laughing as she paraphrased a country song. ``I hope we're finally going up.''
Woodward, an active member of the Suffolk-Nansemond Historical Society, has lived in a restored home on Main Street for years and has been one of the leading proponents of efforts to save Suffolk's historic buildings. Woodward also was a leader in the drive for a federal grant to help restore the train station.
Society members know well the history behind many of the old homes, such as the stately Main Street house that has stood for nearly 150 years like a sentry at the entrance to Cedar Hill Cemetery.
``The original house here burned in the fire of 1837,'' said Barbara McPhail, vice president of the historical society. ``We think this house was built on that same foundation about 1850.''
McPhail, with her husband, Phil, and Tom and Betsy Brothers, recently purchased the house as part of the push to save Suffolk's history. It's known as the Julianna Wood house, after a former owner.
Although the house's name and history have been preserved, it was in disrepair when the couples purchased it. But they saw its underlying beauty. The Federal-style house features heart-pine floors, tongue-and-groove construction and its original doors. Cedar-shake shingles, covered now by tin, are still visible through rafters in the steep roof.
``I used to play in this basement,'' Betsy Brothers said. ``It's gone through many tenants. We've had our eyes on this property forever. I guess we appeared at the right time.''
The house saviors are doing much of the work themselves. A general contractor has been hired, however, to make certain that nothing detracts from the historic architecture.
``We want this house to look like an old home that has been lovingly cared for,'' Barbara McPhail said.
Neither the McPhails nor their partners plan to live in the house. They simply want to save it, with the idea that it would be perfect for offices or specialty shops.
Nor will Robert and Sandra Babb live in the old house they recently purchased opposite the Wood House, on the other side of the cemetery entrance.
``My husband loves Suffolk, and he loves history,'' Sandra Babb said.
Built in the late 1700s or early 1800s, the Babb house is known as ``The Old Post Office'' because a local postmaster once lived there. It was turned into three apartments during the 1940s, and the restorers will keep it that way, Sandra Babb said.
Meanwhile, her husband, along with their business partner, Russell Warren, has remodeled the apartments and is working on the outside to restore the original appearance.
``All of the apartments are rented,'' Babb said. ``And we're always getting calls from people inquiring about them. I think there's something special about living in an old home.''
That's how David and Pat Snyder feel, too. And soon, the Snyders could be razing a parking lot to make way for another old home.
The van Valkenburgh House, built around 1850, sits next to Suffolk Christian Church. The church has owned the two-story house for the last several years, but the Snyders recently reached an agreement with church officials to buy it.
``We want to rescue a house downtown,'' David Snyder said. ``We love old things.''
Unlike the others, the Snyders plan to live in their home. But first, they must move it about 50 feet. As the church expanded over the years, the space between house and church narrowed. Now, the church needs more room for expansion.
``We plan to jack up the house and move it to the end of what is now the church parking lot,'' Snyder said. ``Basically, we'll be tearing up a parking lot and building a yard. We've got a lot still to go through, and everything has to be approved. But the house is structurally sound. We know we can do it.''
Woodward is thrilled, she said.
``Moving houses is done all the time in other places,'' she said. ``People here just haven't done it much. It certainly opens new possibilities.''
Other possibilities line the streets of Suffolk's downtown, the movers and remodelers say. The train station may have been the pivotal point, Barbara McPhail said, or maybe the dust of courthouse construction is stirring things up.
``But things are beginning to happen,'' she said. ``It just takes people with an interest. It doesn't take buckets of money. It takes private enterprise, citizens willing to see it happen.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II, The Virginian-Pilot
Barbara and Phil McPhail, with another couple, are restoring an old
house on Main Street, planning to use it as an office or shop.
Color photo
An almost-restored train station may have started it, or maybe the
courthouse construction is stirring things up. Either way, Suffolk's
old houses are being pulled into the future.
JOHN H. SHEALLY II, The Virginian-Pilot
Betsy Brothers examines an old bathtub on the second floor of the
1850s Main Street house she's helping restore. ``I used to play in
this basement,'' she said.
KEYWORDS: HISTORIC PRESERVATION by CNB