Nicodemus National Historic Site Historic Structures Report

Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects, Ltd.; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.

The Historic Structures Report addresses five structures within the National Historic Site, all of which are located within the Nicodemus Townsite. The five structures include the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, the Old First Baptist Church, the St. Francis Hotel/Fletcher-Switzer House, the Nicodemus District No. 1 School Building, and the Nicodemus Township Hall. In 1996, the five buildings discussed in this Historic Structures Report were established as a National Historic Site to be administered by the National Park Service, which is presently developing a General Management Plan (GMP) for the site. Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects, Ltd., in association with OCULUS, is presently preparing a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for the National Park Service to provide background information in support of the GMP as well as a treatment plan to supplement the GMP management alternatives. The Cultural Landscape Report has identified an appropriate period of national significance for the community to be 1877-1888, the "boom" years of Nicodemus. Two of the five National Historic Site structures-the A.M.E. Church and the St. Francis Hotel/Fletcher-Switzer residence-survive from this period. The Schoolhouse, First Baptist Church, and Township Hall, which postdate the period of national significance, are significant for their association with important themes in the history and development of Nicodemus as well as of other African-American communities during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: home, church, school, business, traditions of mutual assistance, and local government. The five buildings in this study are also of interest as examples of vernacular architecture using local building materials. In addition, although all of the buildings have changed over time, and some of their materials and features have deteriorated, each building retains enough integrity to illustrate its historic character. In addition to the period of national significance discussed above, the Cultural Landscape Report suggests that the property be assessed for significance as a Traditional Cultural Property, with a period of significance extending from 1877 through the present. The conditions represented by the five buildings in the study are widely varied. The A.M.E . Church is in a deteriorated condition but has recently received structural stabilization and roofing replacement by the National Park Service. The Fletcher/Switzer House and Old First Baptist Church are in need of repair and maintenance. The Schoolhouse has been repaired by the National Park Service but requires maintenance. The Township Hall, which is the only one of the five buildings stiff in use, is in good condition and is well maintained. Although each of the five buildings is different from the others in some materials uses, architectural features, and structural systems, all have many materials and conditions in common. The Historic Structures Report identifies a recommended scope of repairs to address existing deterioration and future maintenance needs of the buildings. All recommendations have been developed in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, and in accordance with the general treatment preservation. Recommended work, including preliminary measures to protect and stabilize the property, focuses upon the ongoing maintenance and repair of historic materials and features rather than extensive replacement and new construction. Specific treatment recommendations are provided for structural stabilization, weatherproofing, safety and protection of building fabric, interior repairs, cyclical inspection and maintenance. Recommendations for future research are also addressed, including structural analysis, ADA compliance, code compliance, termite inspection, and archaeological investigation.

Nicodemus National Historic Site Historic Structures Report

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