It’s big, very old, and sits on a large wooded parcel. Now the non-profit that rescued it from demolition is asking for a little help from the community at large.
Most of the projects that Restoration Housing has undertaken under the guidance of executive director Isabel Thornton have been dilapidated, century old (or older) residential properties that with the help of tax credits and grants have been transformed into affordable duplexes with reasonable rents. Southeast Roanoke, where Thornton says about twenty percent of the homes in that quadrant of the city are vacant, has been a particular area of focus recently.
One project of the half dozen or so undertaken to date was the 200 year old former mansion in northwest Roanoke known as Villa Heights. Close to demolition, instead Restoration Housing undertook a $900,000 remake that included fixing a hole in the roof that led to significant water damage. Since cutting the ribbon in 2019 it has housed a number of non-profits. Kingdom Life Ministries is the current tenant and sublets some of the space to other non-profit organizations. LEAP, the group that runs farmer’s markets and promotes healthy, locally grown foods, was a tenant before purchasing and rehabbing their own building on Patterson Avenue SW, where Restoration Housing also transformed another residential property.
Roanoke City used it as a recreation and community center for a while before leaving the property in 2007. It then sat empty for ten years and was heavily damaged by a fire. In 2017, Villa Heights was awarded to Restoration Housing and after a successful nomination to both the National and State Historic Registers, an 11-month restoration commenced.
Villa Heights was originally constructed circa 1820 for War of 1812 veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Elijah McClanahan and his wife Agatha Strother Lewis as a two story, one room deep home in the Federal style. The McClanahan’s were a prominent family with Elijah helping to establish the Presbyterian Church in the Roanoke Valley and serving as representative for Botetourt County in Virginia’s General Assembly.
Now Restoration Housing has launched a short term fundraising campaign through the end of May, looking for donations totaling at least $12,000 and as much as $55,000, to create a property maintenance fund that Thornton says should suffice for a number of years. The non-profit owns the properties it renovates and then becomes the landlord. 100% of gifts made to Restoration Housing between now and May 31 “will go to this significant piece of Roanoke’s history.” Thornton says they may have underestimated the funding needed for upkeep when first applying for grants to help cover the property’s makeover. This campaign will help make up the difference.
The fundraising campaign “was something we started to focus on a year ago,” says Thornton, and is separate from other efforts to raise donations for their work. All donations made this spring will go towards keeping the Villa Heights property in tip-top shape. “We want [Villa Heights] to be able to operate [independently] from our non-profit.” That will also keep her organization from having to lend money for upkeep to the tenants every year. Donations of $500 or more will be celebrated on a recognition plaque installed in the grand entrance hall at Villa Heights with all donors receiving a ‘Villa Heights Steward’ decal. Complete campaign details including a before and after video may be found at www.restorationhousing.org/villaheights. A 5000 square feet mansion with more than three acres of park land around it does require some upkeep she notes: “it’s a 200 year old house.” Raising that maintenance fund will also “help keep rents really low.”
Meanwhile Isabel Thornton’s husband Lucas and Hist:RE Partners are focused on creating additional more upscale living spaces in downtown Roanoke, at the former Campbell Court bus depot, and at another property on Campbell Avenue. “We always want to keep as part of our mission the affordability component,” says Isabel Thornton of Restoration Housing, but [Villa Heights] does require a lot of upkeep and maintenance. It’s a big, beautiful building.” If they can hit the $55,000 fundraising target by the end of this month, “we anticipate this will get us through many years of operating this house.”
Published May 2023 in Valley Business Front by Gene Marrano.
