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I spent my high school years in Loudoun County, Virginia where historic old houses are plentiful and some are downright impressive. When I had occasion to travel down Route 7 towards Tysons Corner and Washington, D.C., I used to pass a well kept up estate surrounded by wood fencing and what appeared to be hundreds of acres of trimmed pastures. Off in the distance I was able to see a large plantation type home with a long tree lined drive leading up from an intricate entryway. There was a historical marker nearby that mentioned the property was called Belmont Plantation and that it had served as President Madison’s refuge when the British invaded Washington during the War of 1812.
- Historic Belmont Manor–photo from ashburnweb.com
Many years later when I was back in the area I happened to drive by the property, and all I saw were new houses where there were once open fields dotted with steeplechase jumps. IBM had owned the estate for many years and used the old house as a corporate retreat while leasing out the pastures, but evidently at some point they decided to sell the entire plantation to a developer.
Development and preservation don’t have to be mutually exclusive
Toll Brothers is a national home-builder based in Pennsylvania that underwent a major expansion during the recent housing boom. I don’t know that their houses were the first to be referred to with the derogatory “McMansion” term, but I know they qualify to be a charter member of that select group. When I saw all the houses in the former pastures of Belmont Plantation I thought the manor home must be abandoned or possibly even gone, but then I heard Toll Brothers might be one of those developers who prefer to preserve history whenever possible.
- Preservation and Development Working Together–photo from delconnewsnetwork.com
Much like the developer who planned to incorporate an old house into their condo project that I wrote about previously, Toll Brothers made the historic home a part of their development. The old house that President Madison once called home now serves as a clubhouse for the community, and from what I understand, the home-builder did an outstanding job with the restoration. Evidently Toll Brothers is going into the preservation business as I just read they plan to save another old house at one of their new developments in Pennsylvania. The historic 241-year-old Henry Pierce Home outside of Philadelphia will be restored by the home-builder and incorporated into the housing development.I realize the home-builder is probably agreeing to restore these old houses in return for receiving approvals for their projects from the local jurisdictions, but it’s still nice to see a developer willing to preserve history rather than tear it down. It’s also another example of how old houses and buildings can be saved and successfully incorporated into present day use.
