Historic Structures Report for Huntley Historic Site

Shaffer, Wilson, Sarver and Grey, PC

From "Purpose of this Report": " Previous historical research and scholarly analysis of the surviving physical resources at Huntley have been compiled with only limited access to the architectural fabric, building systems and material substrates. Many of the theories and concepts pertaining to the evolution of the plan and form of these resources have merit and were useful in the initial assessment of the house. However, they lack closure in the form of physical evidence and some may have been purely speculative. When acquired by the Fairfax County Park Authority Q]CPA), the buildings were undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation by private owners, resulting in the removal of many layers of modem finishes and modifications, such as kitchens and bathrooms. As was later determined, this process also led to the removal and destruction of physical evidence of the original construction and early evolutionary changes to the structures. Little, if any, of this evidence was known to have been documented or retained by the property owners, but the shell and structure of the buildings were opened, and remain so, to an unprecedented level of access. As a fundamental step prior to developing Historic Huntley as a public site, the FCPA has established a priority objective of completing the architectural history and analysis of the buildings to the greatest extent possible. This effort is intended to review thoroughly all previous documentary and research sources for clues and indicators to the physical history of the buildings and to integrate the results of an intensive analysis of the building fabric and systems into a coherent description of the original appearance of the buildings and documentation of subsequent changes and alterations. This paper summarizes those findings and will 'serve as a guide for the long term objectives of preserving the 19th century structure at Huntley,' as defined by the FCPA in the request for proposals. The secondary purpose for this report is to provide guidance for interpretation of the architectural history of the buildings, with primary emphasis on the main house." Funding for this project was provided in part through a Historic Preservation Fund grant to Fairfax County administered by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Historic Structures Report for Huntley Historic Site

Collections