ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602090062
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY BISHOP STAFF WRITER
FOR ONCE, city government, developers, architects and preservationists are raving about each other's good will in ending an architectural dispute in Old Southwest Roanoke. They hope it will be a model for disputes to come.
A decade of arguments between Episcopalians and the Old Southwest neighborhood organization over the fate of two old houses ended Thursday with the Architectural Review Board's approval of plans to move the buildings to nearby lots.
David Helscher, attorney for the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, said employees of Parsell & Zeigler Construction Co. "rode in on their white horse" and settled the dispute in a way that pleased all parties.
Thanks to them, he said, the houses will be saved, Old Southwest will keep its historic character, empty corner lots will be filled and the diocese can get on with expansion plans.
The diocese long has wanted to get rid of a Queen Anne-style house and another it owns next to its headquarters at 1000 First St. S.W. and replace them with buildings better suited to its needs. But Old Southwest, having witnessed demolitions of old homes by other churches in recent years, stood firm against further destruction.
The diocese offered to give the buildings to Old Southwest and contribute toward moving fees, but that offer would have covered less than one-third of Old Southwest's expenses.
Now both houses will be moved to separate lots less than a block away on First Street. The blue, turreted Queen Anne house at 1010 First St., known as the Bishop Marmion Resource Center, is expected to become Parsell & Zeigler's new offices. The Moore House at 1014 First St. will be renovated and probably will become offices.
The diocese is giving the two large houses to Parsell & Zeigler and donating $36,000 toward the moves - roughly the amount it would have paid for demolition. Company owners Dianne Zeigler and Terry Parsell estimate it will cost an additional $110,000 to $135,000 to prepare the new lots and stabilize the houses. Renovations will cost even more.
Carilion Health System sold Parsell & Zeigler two parking lots at a fair price, Zeigler said, and American Electric Power agreed to move power lines at about half the usual price.
The Architectural Review Board - often the site of arguments over signs, shingles and other features in the historic district - hasn't seen so much harmony in awhile. Thursday, the company praised city officials, Old Southwest praised the Episcopalians, and everybody went home happy.
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART/Staff. The decision to move these old housesby CNBinstead of razing them seems to please everyone involved in Old
Southwest in Roanoke. color.