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‘It is salvageable’
Hope rises for collapsed Taylor Hotel
By Stephanie Mangino
The Winchester Star
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Winchester — The former Taylor Hotel is far from dead following a partial roof collapse on Thursday.
A preliminary investigation indicated the cave-in may have resulted from an accumulation of rainwater on a flat roof, Winchester Fire and Rescue Capt. Gary Ganoe said on Thursday.
"It is salvageable," said R. Hunter Hurt, the local architect working for the landmark property’s new owner, Lafayette Plaza LLC.
Denver Quinnelly of Winchester and some partners make up Lafayette Plaza LLC, which purchased the 127 N. Loudoun St. property earlier this month from deed of trust holder SFC II LLC of Fairfax Station for $1.1 million, according to Winchester Circuit Court real estate records.
Lafayette Plaza was already in the process of creating a design to renovate the building before the collapse, and it intends to move forward, Quinnelly said early on Friday.
Structural engineers determined that the central and south portions of the building sustained significant damage, while the building’s west portion and back tower are structurally sound, according to a release issued on Friday on the city of Winchester’s Web site, www.winchesterva.gov.
A portion of the roof on the former Taylor Hotel in downtown Winchester collapsed on Thursday afternoon. Despite the extensive damage, the historic structure’s owners believe it can be restored.
(Scott Mason)
"The adjoining walkway between Indian Alley will remain closed until further notice," the release states.
The front of the building was also deemed sound, "with the exception of the porch which will be demolished next week," the release states. The porch roof is rotting, Hurt added.
"The engineers will submit a structural analysis plan and the construction crew will submit a plan for demolition of the areas designated to the city’s Building Department by Tuesday," the release states.
The damaged landmark will not put the brakes on trick or treating, however.
The Loudoun Street Mall is open for business and today’s Halloween event will begin, as scheduled, at 3:30 p.m., according to the release.
*****
Built in 1846 by Bushrod Taylor, the hotel has been depicted in art and the 2003 film, "Gods and Generals."
Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson temporarily stayed there in 1861, and the Taylor was used as a hospital following the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864.
Statesmen Henry Clay and Daniel Webster also were reportedly welcomed by the Taylor in the 1840s.
In the early 20th century, the McCrory’s dime store chain moved in, and the Colonial Theatre also operated within the building from 1923 until 1939. McCrory’s closed in 1993.
Another dime store lasted a couple of years at the former hotel, and the last major business there was the Telegate USA call center, which closed in 2002.
A former building owner, Waynesboro-based nTelos Communications Inc., still has telephone call-switching equipment inside the former hotel. Company spokesman Mike Minnis said the collapse did not affect any of that equipment and no service interruptions have occurred.
*****
Hurt said the collapse appeared to have occurred when a roof truss failed over an area that once housed the movie theater. The weight then pushed the structure to the south and moved on to another truss.
"The collapse landed on the theater floor and didn’t collapse to the main floor," Hurt said.
Plans had already envisioned the replacement of that roof, which can definitely be fixed, Hurt said. "It just makes our schedule a little more progressive."
While the roof over the former theater essentially imploded, the collapse also damaged a one-story wing of the building. The single-story section, which runs along the alley between the Loudoun Street Mall and Indian Alley, will probably have to be razed, Hurt said.
Hurt said it was already in the game plan to open up the area along the alleyway to create a community gathering, courtyard-like space.
*****
The former Taylor Hotel has not had an easy time of it in recent years.
In 2005, The Old Taylor Hotel LLC purchased the building from nTelos for $1.25 million. At the time, the former Taylor had been on the market for approximately two years.
Old Taylor Hotel LLC principals John and Cathy Partridge often talked of opening a theater or restaurant in the former hotel.
But by February of this year, The Old Taylor Hotel LLC had been placed on notice by the city of Winchester, which had declared the venerable hotel an unsafe structure "due to water damage caused by a frozen/broken fire sprinkler supply line inside the building and a non-operational fire suppression system," according to a copy of a letter sent to the company from the city’s Inspections Department.
In March, word of a reported bankruptcy filing by Old Taylor Hotel LLC held up a foreclosure sale of the 33,114-square-foot building.
Even though the historic structure has gone though a lot of hardships, Quinnelly said a viable market exists for renovated buildings.
He also has faith in the former Taylor. "It’s a great building and it will be nice to see it restored to its potential."
— Contact Stephanie Mangino at
smangino@winchesterstar.com
Hope rises for collapsed Taylor Hotel
By Stephanie Mangino
The Winchester Star
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Winchester — The former Taylor Hotel is far from dead following a partial roof collapse on Thursday.
A preliminary investigation indicated the cave-in may have resulted from an accumulation of rainwater on a flat roof, Winchester Fire and Rescue Capt. Gary Ganoe said on Thursday.
"It is salvageable," said R. Hunter Hurt, the local architect working for the landmark property’s new owner, Lafayette Plaza LLC.
Denver Quinnelly of Winchester and some partners make up Lafayette Plaza LLC, which purchased the 127 N. Loudoun St. property earlier this month from deed of trust holder SFC II LLC of Fairfax Station for $1.1 million, according to Winchester Circuit Court real estate records.
Lafayette Plaza was already in the process of creating a design to renovate the building before the collapse, and it intends to move forward, Quinnelly said early on Friday.
Structural engineers determined that the central and south portions of the building sustained significant damage, while the building’s west portion and back tower are structurally sound, according to a release issued on Friday on the city of Winchester’s Web site, www.winchesterva.gov.
A portion of the roof on the former Taylor Hotel in downtown Winchester collapsed on Thursday afternoon. Despite the extensive damage, the historic structure’s owners believe it can be restored.
(Scott Mason)
"The adjoining walkway between Indian Alley will remain closed until further notice," the release states.
The front of the building was also deemed sound, "with the exception of the porch which will be demolished next week," the release states. The porch roof is rotting, Hurt added.
"The engineers will submit a structural analysis plan and the construction crew will submit a plan for demolition of the areas designated to the city’s Building Department by Tuesday," the release states.
The damaged landmark will not put the brakes on trick or treating, however.
The Loudoun Street Mall is open for business and today’s Halloween event will begin, as scheduled, at 3:30 p.m., according to the release.
*****
Built in 1846 by Bushrod Taylor, the hotel has been depicted in art and the 2003 film, "Gods and Generals."
Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson temporarily stayed there in 1861, and the Taylor was used as a hospital following the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864.
Statesmen Henry Clay and Daniel Webster also were reportedly welcomed by the Taylor in the 1840s.
In the early 20th century, the McCrory’s dime store chain moved in, and the Colonial Theatre also operated within the building from 1923 until 1939. McCrory’s closed in 1993.
Another dime store lasted a couple of years at the former hotel, and the last major business there was the Telegate USA call center, which closed in 2002.
A former building owner, Waynesboro-based nTelos Communications Inc., still has telephone call-switching equipment inside the former hotel. Company spokesman Mike Minnis said the collapse did not affect any of that equipment and no service interruptions have occurred.
*****
Hurt said the collapse appeared to have occurred when a roof truss failed over an area that once housed the movie theater. The weight then pushed the structure to the south and moved on to another truss.
"The collapse landed on the theater floor and didn’t collapse to the main floor," Hurt said.
Plans had already envisioned the replacement of that roof, which can definitely be fixed, Hurt said. "It just makes our schedule a little more progressive."
While the roof over the former theater essentially imploded, the collapse also damaged a one-story wing of the building. The single-story section, which runs along the alley between the Loudoun Street Mall and Indian Alley, will probably have to be razed, Hurt said.
Hurt said it was already in the game plan to open up the area along the alleyway to create a community gathering, courtyard-like space.
*****
The former Taylor Hotel has not had an easy time of it in recent years.
In 2005, The Old Taylor Hotel LLC purchased the building from nTelos for $1.25 million. At the time, the former Taylor had been on the market for approximately two years.
Old Taylor Hotel LLC principals John and Cathy Partridge often talked of opening a theater or restaurant in the former hotel.
But by February of this year, The Old Taylor Hotel LLC had been placed on notice by the city of Winchester, which had declared the venerable hotel an unsafe structure "due to water damage caused by a frozen/broken fire sprinkler supply line inside the building and a non-operational fire suppression system," according to a copy of a letter sent to the company from the city’s Inspections Department.
In March, word of a reported bankruptcy filing by Old Taylor Hotel LLC held up a foreclosure sale of the 33,114-square-foot building.
Even though the historic structure has gone though a lot of hardships, Quinnelly said a viable market exists for renovated buildings.
He also has faith in the former Taylor. "It’s a great building and it will be nice to see it restored to its potential."
— Contact Stephanie Mangino at
smangino@winchesterstar.com