Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Windows Without Historic Integrity - Loudoun County High School

Loudoun County High under renovation
(Yes, as predicted, that bunting is still up in the half-circle window)

I heard that Loudoun County High School was getting a renovation of various areas. I decided to go by and look at how things were going.

NJROTC/Former LCHS Bus Annex Building renovating to
make the space better equipped for classroom usage

I noticed the front section of the building was getting new windows. That's all dandy. Then I saw what the windows were going to look like:

Boarded-over window holes, and new windows.

I left fuming. Those are the windows they chose??

Let me rewind and give a lot of background: In 1954, the school's front facade was built with a Georgian-style center section. Extending from the ends were these 1950's-Modern-style classroom wings (That is how the original building was built, I'm not exactly sure why, but at this point I just chalk it up to a bygone-era's character and charm). The windows in each section reflect their section's chosen style.

Lord Loudoun 1959 yearbook

Lord Loudoun 1962 yearbook
Each window pane unit could open separately!

In 1976, the windows on the end sections were replaced. The top third of the windows were now covered. The bottom 2/3's of the windows matched the previous design. Covering the tops of tall windows in old school buildings was a common practice at the time. You can still see traces of this practice at many other older schools (i.e. Catoctin ES, Hillsboro ES, Leesburg High School before its Senior Center renovation, etc). I didn't like these windows either, but at least 2/3's of them kept the original style.

Lord Loudoun 1977 yearbook

In 2005, Loudoun County HS received its last major renovation. One of the mandates of the renovation was that the front facade would not be aesthetically altered. "Great care was taken to restore the classic central façade, down to the detail of replicating the original wood windows and preserving the original cupola and slate roof," reads a LCHS renovation overview powerpoint from 2008. The 1976 window style remained (to my knowledge, only the central Georgian windows were replaced)

New 2017 window (left) next to 1976 window (right)

Which brings us to today. On one hand, the full window space will be a window once again. That's a positive, I'm really happy about that. We now have the window technology to have huge windows again! On the other hand, the windows are imitating the Georgian section's windows. That is not okay. It takes away the power of the 1950's architecture and revises the building's visual narrative. It's taking away the building's historic integrity. This could have been an opportunity to fix a wrong from the 70's, but instead it's been mishandled and now the building will be stuck with these windows for the next 40+ years.

Is this really a big deal?

I can hear you saying, 'Oh, they're just windows. Wait until the project is over, I bet they will make the front look aesthetically cohesive and pleasing.' 1) Mount Vernon does not have a symmetrical window arrangement. Are you going to move those windows around to make it aesthetically cohesive and pleasing? Of course not, you don't mess with its historic integrity. 2) The new windows don't even match the Georgian windows that well. Didn't I say those windows were just replaced in 2005/2006? And no one can find matching ones? I'm calling a lack of caring.

This is the iconic, picture-perfect entrance. This front entry has been the background for picnics, prom pictures, graduations, and one 2012 presidential campaign rally. The flagship school of Loudoun County Public Schools, the 7th oldest school in the county still operating as a school, a school over 62 years old... and these new windows tell me they didn't hire a historic consultant for this project. That is a huge mishandling of an important LCPS asset, and more evidence of a lack of caring.

While I'm at it... This is not the only thing on the front facade that's gone downhill recently. Many of the snowbirds on one side of the Georgian section's gable roof are missing. It's been like that for over a year now.

Missing snowbirds on one side

No missing snowbirds on the other side

One of the original c.1954 lamp posts had to be replaced. At night, this new lamp is incredibly bright. It bleeds so much more light than any of the other lamp posts, and casts a terrible yellow/orange light on the school. I'm all for greater security and intentional uplighting (This school would look great with a modern lighting package), but this is unintentional and caused from a lack of attention to detail.

New Lamp Post (old base to the left)

Example of one of the original lamp posts
(still operating)

Shot at 1/60 second (so not over-exposed)
1954 light (L), 2016 light (R)

Shot at 1/60 second (so not over-exposed)
1954 light (L), 2016 light (R)

And here's a night shot example from 9/2015, before the
new lamp post (not the best comparison, but it's what I got)

I could rattle off a couple more observations....

Should the foundation be doing that...?
This is at the corner of the building, in plain sight.

... But I'll save those for another time. Maintenance and care is always going to be an issue with older schools. But by doing things right the first time, with care and with respect to the past, it will always cost less than doing it wrong and having to fix it again.

I am frustrated at the lack of historical understanding when LCPS has blueprints and photographs of the school at their disposal. I am angry there aren't protections in place for older school buildings like Loudoun County HS. I am regretful for the missed opportunity, and that my favorite school is stuck with incorrect windows for the next few decades. I am disappointed in LCPS.


"No doubt about it, the Loudoun County High School will be one of the finest school buildings in the state when it is completed next fall. ... the building is designed to give high school students the best physical facilities that can be provided. There is no reason why it shouldn't. After all, Loudoun is one of the wealthiest counties in Virginia. We can afford the best for our school children."
- The Loudoun Times-Mirror, [Editor Commentary Section], January 14, 1954

“Take pride in the way our school looks, especially to others. The cooperation of everyone is needed to keep our school building and grounds in excellent order.”
-LCHS SCA Student Handbook circa. 1974



 Sources Used:
Countless Lord Loudoun Yearbooks
"2008 Exhibition of School Planning and Architecture: Loudoun County High School" for CEFPI ESPA, used to be found on the LCPS website

LCHS Windows Saga:
Windows Without Narrative Integrity - Loudoun County High School
Windows Without Visual Integrity - Loudoun County High School
Windows Without Business Integrity - Loudoun County High School

Enjoy other LCHS Articles from the same author:

Couldn't fit in what I was writing, but wanted to include as well:
Am I against everything that has changed the front of the school? No way! The 2016 accessibility ramps added to the front portico are lovely. They were wonderfully integrated into the landscape and they make the front of the school accessible for all. These were a necessity and they minimally changed the front appearance. Unlike the new windows.

One accessibility ramp to LCHS's front portico. There is
another one on the other side, mirroring this one.

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Monday, June 5, 2017

Arcola School - 2017 Update

Arcola Elementary School (1939) in 2017

On the way to a wedding-eve rehearsal for one of my dear friends, I drove through the community of Arcola. Spying the backside of the 1970's Arcola Elementary School from the road, it reminded me that I hadn't visited its predecessor in a while. So I made a detour on my way home to the 1939 Arcola Elementary School.

Although Arcola is still vacant and its future still uncertain, its situation is a lot better. In 2013, with permission and support from Loudoun County's Board of Supervisors, the school became listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the third school in Loudoun to receive its own listing, the other two being the 1940 Douglass School in Leesburg and the 1913 Lucketts School in Lucketts. These things aren't handed out willy-nilly around here! (Some other schools are a part of Register-recognized Historic Districts) (Loudoun has 87 listings in total currently) (Anyway, I digress)

The Board again discussed in 2014 what to do with the school, and the community rallied the Board against considering a demolition option. For the next two years, the Board looked for a private-public partnership to reuse the school. The Windy Hill Foundation proposed converting the building into affordable living apartments. While the plan had a lot of community support, the Board axed the plan. The property sits close to Dulles Airport's runways and is in a future runway flight plan, so the Board has avoided putting residential properties in this area due to noise. Other factors, such as the Foundation's finances for the project, changing the property's zoning, how much of the school building would be preserved, and the increased residential density the project would create led the Board to reject the plan. So Arcola is still empty, but safe for now.

Arcola is still owned by Loudoun County Government, used as overflow storage for County General Services Administration.

Arcola Elementary School (1939) in 2017

I had a little trouble finding the school. Its address is officially listed at 24244 Gum Spring Road. The school is more accurately on Stone Springs Boulevard, disconnected from Gum Spring Road to the south. I believe I ran into this exact problem in 2011. There's a lot of development happening in the area, so I wouldn't find it hard to imagine the Boulevard was part of the Road in the past, but then construction necessitated that they split up.

Official address at Arcola. Google swears it's spelled "Gum
Spring," this sign is the only place that says "Gumsprings"

The school's windows have been boarded up since I last visited. With the grass cut and the working lights around the grounds, the property feels very secure and taken care of.

View from Arcola's front doors

Backside of Arcola (1939) in 2017

The fields and playground out back look like they are still available for use. The basketball court had a pile of dirt on its surface, I don't know what was going on there.

Baseball field behind Arcola School

Arcola has weathered its vacancy well on the exterior. The roof appears fine. There's a light amount of paint flaking off. I only found one rotting wood location:

Wood rot

Arcola's Colonial Revival architectural details

With similar timelines, it's interesting to watch Arcola and Sterling Annex's stories unfold. Both former schools, both former community centers, and now both vacant. Both schools were rated as not worth renovating by county inspectors, yet still remain with everyone scratching their heads as to what to do with them.

If I had to choose which one I thought would survive (if one does)... While I think Sterling is slightly more attractive and is located in a more economically-viable area (relatively), I think Arcola will remain. Its listing on the National Register of Historic Places is definitely a plus. Sterling could also seek nomination to be on the Register, but no one has stepped up. And there is the key difference between the schools: active community support. For years now, Arcola School supporters have rallied for its survival. This support is mentioned in many newspaper articles and in the school's Register write-up. I haven't read about that same kind of support in articles about Sterling. Arcola will survive because its community mandates that it will.

I typically look at Loudoun's motto "I Byde My Time" as a bad one, an acknowledgement that change/progress will take longer than expected here. In these instances, more time might be all these schools need to find their next use. As always, I wish both of them luck.


Sources Used:
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