What’s Old is New Again: The Draw of Architectural Heritage at Homestead Preserve

Hot Springs, Virginia – June 23, 2009. . . Despite the slowdown in real estate sales and home construction nationwide, the mountain resort community of Hot Springs, Virginia, continues to draw well-to-do vacation home seekers, many of who have recently completed or are building second or third homes at the resort residential community of Homestead Preserve. Located adjacent to the landmark Homestead resort, Homestead Preserve has garnered much attention in recent years for its unusual commitment not just to environmental stewardship but to preserving the architectural legacy of the famed Warm Springs Valley, a centuries-old healing and health escape centered on natural mineral springs.

After more than two years of intensive architectural research, the developers of Homestead Preserve, all of whom were involved in the creation of the award-winning community of Celebration, Florida, began work on a 450-home community in Bath County, Virginia, designed to reflect the native historic architecture and landscaping of the Allegheny Mountains. Situated on 2,300 scenic acres surrounding the villages of Hot Springs and Warm Springs, the development’s homes feature four distinct styles of historic architecture, which include Highland Classical, Highlands Farmhouse, English Romantic, and Highlands Arts and Crafts.

“I believe we have risen to the occasion of a challenging opportunity to create neighborhoods that blend seamlessly into the already existing community of Bath County,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “The homes we are building today reflect the architecture that is already here and which has developed naturally over the course of the last two centuries. Not many developers take that kind of care when creating communities to blend the new right in with the old.”

To date, there are more than two dozen completed homes at Homestead Preserve, and seven more are currently under construction. All Homestead Preserve residences have met strict historic architecture guidelines that ensure they blend into or complement the natural landscape. Working closely with Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates, Homestead Preserve has developed a Pattern Book that details the area’s rich architectural history, settlement patterns, and even native plants and trees appropriate for landscaping. Architectural firms who contributed to the Pattern Book included Versaci Neumann + Partners, Middleburg, VA; Robert Adam Architects, London, England; John Reagan Architects, Columbus, OH; Frazier Associates, Staunton, VA; Jim Samsel Architects, Asheville, NC; and Commonwealth Associates, Norfolk, VA.

Homestead Preserve has won numerous accolades for its commitment to both historic preservation and environmental and cultural heritage stewardship. Among them are the 2009 Valley Conservation Council Better Models for Development Award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation,” the 2009 Palladio Adaptive Reuse and/or Sympathetic Addition Award for its restoration of a 1920s agricultural complex into a community center, and the 2008 Outstanding Adaptive Use Award from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.

Situated on sites ranging in size from ½ to 13 acres, Homestead Preserve “historic” residences range in value from $1 million to over $4 million. They have been constructed of natural materials including wood siding, stone, brick, timber, and stucco. All homes have been served by underground utilities to maintain the historic character of the landscape yet still feature state-of-the-art advances, including new “fiber-to-the-home” technology.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC, is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com

Homestead Preserve Receives 2009 Valley Conservation Council Better Models Award

Hot Springs, Virginia – May 25, 2009. . . The Valley Conservation Council recently awarded Homestead Preserve the 2009 Better Models for Development Award for “Excellence in Historic Preservation” in recognition of its restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Old Dairy in Warm Springs, Virginia.

“This is a beautiful and comprehensive rehabilitation of a rural agricultural complex,” says Sara Hollberg, Valley Conservation Council (VCC) Planner. “The dairy barns and silos have been an iconic part of the Bath County landscape for generations, and it is wonderful to see their future secured.”

Homestead Preserve completed restoration of the seven historic structures that now make up the Old Dairy Community Center in 2007, at the cost of about $6 million.  Today Old Dairy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a designated Virginia Historic Landmark.  The restored agricultural complex has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions over the past two years, including an award for Outstanding Adaptive Use from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA) last year and receipt of the 2009 Palladio Award for historic restoration.

“We are incredibly honored by this award,” says Don Killoren, Co-General Manager of Homestead Preserve.  “To receive recognition from such a respected conservation group as the VCC for our thoughtful development approach and restoration efforts in Bath County means a great deal to us.”

VCC recognized ten projects this year that serve as models for development in the Shenandoah Valley region. All represent ways to grow that respect local character, create livable communities, complement historic resources, and conserve natural assets. The awards include projects from Winchester, Berryville, Woodstock, and New Market as well as Warren, Augusta, Rockbridge, Bath, and Botetourt counties.

1. “The issue is not whether we will continue to grow, but where and how we want to grow,” says John Eckman, VCC’s Executive Director. “These projects prove that development not only can fit the character of our traditional communities but also add to it.”

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records.  Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire.  Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida.  Crosland, LLC, is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491.  For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

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Homestead Preserve Receives 2009 “Best of the Mountains” Award

Hot Springs, Virginia – April 14, 2009. . . Homestead Preserve was one of six communities receiving “Best Preservation Practices” honors in Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes magazine’s 2009 Best of the Mountains Awards. The magazine cited Homestead Preserve’s conservation of more than 10,000 acres of land with The Nature Conservancy and Virginia Outdoors Foundation as well as its strict architectural guidelines as primary reasons for the award.

Pinnacle Living Mountain Homes also praised Homestead Preserve’s restoration and adaptive reuse of the Old Dairy Community Center in Warm Springs. In 2007, Homestead Preserve developers completed a $6 million restoration of the 1920s agricultural complex and community icon. Old Dairy is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Virginia Historic Landmark.

“We are honored to be recognized for the fourth year running in Mountain Homes’ ‘Best of the Mountains’ awards,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “The fact that we make the list year after year attests to our ongoing commitment to the environment and the community of Bath County.”

The five other communities honored for “Best Preservation Practices” this year include Balsam Mountain Preserve in Sylva, NC; Cold Mountain in Asheville, NC; Red Wolf Run in Asheville, NC; The Cliffs Communities in NC and SC; and The Preserve at English Mountain in Sevierville, TN.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC, is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Homestead Preserve Old Dairy Receives Palladio Award for Adaptive Reuse

Warm Springs, Virginia – March 17, 2009. . . Homestead Preserve’s Old Dairy Community Center received recognition last month from the Palladio Awards Program for the restoration and adaptive reuse of the structure completed in 2007. The Palladio Awards are sponsored by Restore Media, publisher of Period Homes and Traditional Building magazines. Urban Design Associates (UDI), Old Dairy’s project architect, won the 2009 Palladio Adaptive Reuse and/or Sympathetic Addition Award for its restoration of the 1920s agricultural complex and its renovation of the buildings to meet the modern needs of a community and recreation center for the conservation community of Homestead Preserve.

Homestead Preserve’s Old Dairy Community Center consists of seven historic structures dating to the late 1920s. Those structures include a three-story Main Barn, Herdsman’s Cottage, as well as a Ham House, Calving Barn, Bottling Building, and Bull Barn. Built in 1928, Old Dairy served The Homestead in Hot Springs for more than 50 years, supplying all of the resort’s dairy and beef needs.

Homestead Preserve, which purchased Old Dairy from The Homestead in 2002, spent $6 million to restore the long abandoned historic agricultural complex in 2007. In the last two years, Old Dairy has received numerous recognitions including listing on the National Register of Historic Places, designation as a Virginia Historic Landmark, and an award for Outstanding Adaptive Use from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA).

The Palladio Awards Program is designed to honor outstanding achievement in traditional design. The Palladio Awards are named in honor of Andrea Palladio, the Renaissance architect who created modern architecture for his time while using models from the past for inspiration and guidance. The awards are sponsored by Period Homes and Traditional Building magazines. Old Dairy will be featured in the June issue of Traditional Building.

UDA is a group of architects headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who design cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Their goal is to create beautiful places with lasting value for the communities they serve. UDA has won repeated awards from the Congress for New Urbanism, Urban Land Institute, and the National Association of Home Builders for their pattern books, urban site plans, and urban redevelopment plans.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, LLC. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. For media information, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

Homestead Preserve Receives 2008 Scenic Virginia Award

Hot Springs, Virginia – November 4, 2008. . . Last month Homestead Preserve received the 2008 Scenic Virginia Award for Scenic Viewshed Preservation. The award honors the Bath County, Virginia conservation community for its efforts to maintain scenic viewsheds, preserve open space and forestland, and protect natural landscapes during the course of development.

When Homestead Preserve developer Celebration Associates purchased the Virginia Hot Springs Company in 2002, they sold 9,250 acres of their original 11,500-acre purchase on and around Warm Springs Mountain and the Cascades Gorge to The Nature Conservancy. In October 2004, they placed an additional 935 acres into permanent conservation easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to ensure the protection of the area’s mountain ridges and pastoral landscape for future generations.

One of the major distinguishing factors of Homestead Preserve’s environmental commitment, which caught the attention of the Scenic Virginia Awards committee, is the intensive field work that went into creating Homestead Preserve’s master plan. In 2002, Celebration Associates established an aerial map of the property to allow the planning team to study topography, forest cover, streams, and watersheds. Then, on the ground, planners evaluated the landscape to determine which areas would be suitable for development and which should be preserved.

“Our planning team also studied the views from each home site as well as the views into the development from local roads and highways to make sure home sites would blend into the natural surroundings and not be intrusive on the viewshed,” explains Homestead Preserve’s Co-General Manager Don Killoren. “We are honored to have these conservation efforts recognized by Scenic Virginia.”

Scenic Virginia, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the scenic beauty of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The organization’s primary purpose is to encourage and support public and private actions that enrich the Commonwealth’s scenic beauty, particularly along Virginia’s highways and byways.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-213-6491. To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.

The Homestead Engages Celebration Associates to Undertake a Study on Restoration of the Jefferson Pools

Hot Springs, Virginia – September 11, 2008. . . The Homestead recently engaged Celebration Associates, the developers of Homestead Preserve, to perform a study on possible options for restoring the historic Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs. The mineral pools, which have been used for their healing properties for centuries, are owned by The Homestead, the landmark resort in Hot Springs.

The two pools are enclosed by men’s and women’s bathhouses, constructed in 1761 and 1836, respectively. “It’s very important to us and our guests that we preserve the historic attributes of these structures for future generations while still allowing visitors to take advantage of their use,” says Sean Maddock, Vice President and General Manager for The Homestead.

The Homestead approached Celebration Associates several months ago and asked for the developers’ advice and assistance in restoring the Jefferson Pools. “Celebration Associates has a history of preserving special landscapes and historic places,” explains Maddock, “so we decided to take advantage of their expertise and The Homestead’s close working relationship with Homestead Preserve to see if we could work together to preserve the pools while still keeping them open to our guests.”

In 2007, Homestead Preserve completed restoration of the 1920s Old Dairy complex in Warm Springs, which is across the road from the Jefferson Pools. The restoration earned Old Dairy a listing on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the 2008 Outstanding Adaptive Use Award from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA).

“Given the experience we already have in restoring local historic structures, we were more than happy to serve in an advisory role to The Homestead as they explore options the Jefferson Pools,” says Homestead Preserve Co-General Manager and Celebration Associates Partner Don Killoren.

Once Celebration Associates has completed its study of the pools, The Homestead will announce more concrete restoration plans.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration, Florida, near Orlando, which was hailed as the “Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Celebration Associates has for the past ten years been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire. Crosland, Inc. of Charlotte, NC is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland’s President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida. Crosland, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s leading and most diversified real estate companies.

For more information on Homestead Preserve sales, call 877-224-9477. To schedule media interviews with Celebration Associates developers, call Deborah Huso at (540) 474-5147, or e-mail drhuso@writewellmedia.com.