Fairfax Hall

Growing up in the city of Waynesboro, I attended, and still do when I am in town, Westminster Presbyterian Church. As a part of this church experience, my mother was insistent that my siblings and I participate in various community service events including Meals on Wheels, a service provided by the Waynesboro senior center to deliver meals to the elderly. It was a task that I grew to enjoy, knowing that I would receive at least 5 compliments, likely a piece of candy, the opportunity to pet a dog, and a chance to go inside Fairfax Hall.

As a child, I knew nothing of the history of the building. I didn’t know architectural terms, its connection to the town, or how long it had been standing there. I simply knew it was beautiful.

The halls had wooden accents and the rooms were divided into apartments of all styles and sizes to accommodate for their resident. There was even a lookout tower that my mother would allow me to go to when we finished out rounds. I remember commenting to others that it was like Hogwarts for old people. It wasn’t until later when I looked at the history section of the Fairfax Hall website that I found out the facility only began housing elderly residents in February of 2001.

Fairfax Hall originally opened as the Brandon Hotel on Thanksgiving Day in 1890.  Back in that day, there had been high hopes that Waynesboro, specifically the Basic City area, would become a great industrial center with Basic City Mining, Manufacturing, and Land Company leading the boom. If the town was to accommodate for all visitors and business, they would need their very own “Railroad Hotel” – similar to other resorts of the railroad era in the Valley. This one would have what the others lacked, including the capability for electricity, central heat, and even indoor plumbing. Unfortunately, Basic City never quite met its potential and the Brandon was only economically successful for a few years.

Retrieved from http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Waynesboro/FairfaxHall_photo.htm

The following decades saw several ownerships of the building. The property took on a new identity in 1913 when Elmer Hoenshel started the Brandon Institute, a music school that only lasted a few years. Then, in 1920, Professor John Noble Maxwell founded Fairfax Hall, a finishing school for young ladies. This school was then purchased by W.B. Gates, the former president of Blackstone College.

The Gates family put the property up for sale in 1996. The three principal buildings, containing 57,000 square feet with an estimation of $100 per foot for renovations, were purchased in 1997 by the Waynesboro Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The idea, created by Bill Hausrath, was to restore the property and utilize it as an affordable housing project using tax credit to fund the project. Construction began in December of 1999 with the help of Mathers Construction.

Today the property has 54 apartments and modern furnishings – even more than the Brandon could boast. However, the structure is one that has not lost its charm. If it can capture the attention span of a 7-year-old girl, its architecture is well worth talking about.

Retrieved from http://www.fairfaxhall.com/

More information on Fairfax Hall can be found by visiting http://www.fairfaxhall.net/