HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201300023 NarrativeSpecial Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS:
A. Concept Plan for Proposed Addition to the Existing Facility
B. Front Elevation of Existing Church Facility and Proposed Deese Hall Addition
C. Artist Rendering of the Existing Church Facility and Proposed Deese Hall Addition
D. Virginia Historic Landmark documents
E. "How Old is the Buck Mountain Church Building ?"
1. Property Description
The Buck Mountain Church's 3.753 acre site is located on Tax Map 31, Parcels 35 and 35A1 in the
White Hall District. The physical address is 4133 Earlysville Road, Earlysville, VA., 22936. The
property is zoned AIA and VR with setbacks of Front: 25 ft.; Side: 15 ft.; and Rear: 20 ft.
Buck Mountain Church has a long history of serving the Earlysville area. The original church was
constructed in 1747 and moved to its present site in 1859. A small sacristy was added to the rear of the
church around 1900. The church remains on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register, which is an
important listing but creates "no obligations, limitations, or restrictions made to the church." An
additional building for church use, the Parish Hall, was moved to the northwest side of the property in
1936. It has been a valuable resource for church social gatherings and fund- raising activities for our
Church's outreach missions. The Parish Hall also houses the Buck Mountain Food Pantry, AA
meetings and other important community services. In addition, the parking area adjacent to the Parish
Hall provides space for the Earlysville Farmers Market. We consider providing the Buck Mountain
Food Pantry services, which are funded by Buck Mountain and generous donations from our Earlysville
neighbors as well as hosting the Farmer's Market to be important functions of our Church's social
services and health/wellness outreach activities.
As noted above, the BMEC Parish Hall, with its somewhat multi - functional layout, provides a wide
variety outreach services to the surrounding community and it is envisioned that it will continue in this
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
capacity. However, given its distance from church santuary, the Parish Hall is therefore less functional
for regular Sunday church activities and as a result the Deese Hall addition was built in 1997.
2. Project Proposal
The proposed addition would expand the facility adjacent to the church sanctuary called Deese Hall,
which was built in 1997. The usage of facility would remain unchanged with the expanded space
providing for church growth that has occurred, especially in the past five years. The total square
footage of the addition is 3,854 sq. ft., with 2,629 sq. ft. on the same level as and extending from the
current Deese Hall. Below part of the new addition would be a 1,225 sq. ft. undeveloped but finished
basement for future use. All facilities would be handicap accessible and handicap parking is provided-
in front of the current building.
The 1,227 square ft. Deese Hall provided much needed space next to the church for Sunday School
rooms, offices, meetings, social gatherings, and minimal amenities. In recent years, however, church
membership has grown with the happy addition of many young families and children. The active
congregation has felt the need for larger facilities, evidenced by a rigorous survey which indicated that
75 percent of the respondents gave highest priority to expanding Deese Hall. A capital campaign has
been launched by the Parish to finance the proposed addition. In addition, a building and planning
committee has developed plans that have identified the scope of the proposed addition as shown in the
provided Conceptual Plan (Attachment A -Sheet C2.0). The building design for the proposed addition
was based on the Deese Hall design originally prepared by Sam Darnell, now deceased architect. Our
concept in preparing the proposed building addition was to maintain the same architectural appearance
of the existing church building addition (known as "Deese Hall ") in order to limit the overall visual
impact on the historic nature of the existing Sanctuary building. The plan to maintain the same basic
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
architectural concept of the original Deese Hall structure is illustrated in Attachment B (Front Elevation)
and Attachment C (Artist Rendering). We believe this approach is consistent with the intent with the
original Virginia Historic Landmark designation and also with discussion that addressed the orginal
Deese Hall addition in 1996. (Please refer to Attachment D which provides Virginia Historic
Landmark comminications and Attachment E which provides a discussion of the historic background of
the original Sanctuary building.)
The parcel is located in the Rural Areas of the Comprehensive Plan; but the property is zoned VR as it
was in the area formerly known as the Village of Earlysville. It is not believed that any specific
supplementary regulations from Section 5 of the Zoning Ordinance are applicable to the proposed
addition; specifically, existing parking areas will remain unchanged, no private school, day care, or
nursery school services will be provided, and no new exterior lighting is planned. However, the
proposed addition associated with this Special Use Permit submittal will maintain the scale and balance
that will enhance the simple beauty of the historic church and fit harmoniously into the wooded setting.
3. CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Regarding the proposed project's compliance with Comprehensive Plan goals, it does not negatively
influence the agricultural use of any nearby property, it does not increase the need for services delivered
by the County, and it is designed to respect the historic nature of the existing church sanctuary.
4. IMPACTS ON PUBLIC FACILITIES & PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
Because the proposed addition primarily addresses growth in numbers and activities that has already
occurred, there should be no new impacts to traffic on Earlysville Road or to the neighboring
landowners. Hours of use for church services and other church activities will not change as a result of
the proposed addition. The property is not in the Albemarle County Service Authority jurisdictional
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
area, so the church maintains its own well and septic system and thus there will be no impacts to public
infrastructure.
5. IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES
It is expected that the construction of the addition would require minimal grading, but would involve
some excavation for the basement and relocating the existing septic system. Because of its proximity
to the addition, we have been advised by tree experts that one large oak tree should be removed. This is
expected to be the only significant tree affected on the property by this proposed addition; however,
several additional trees will be removed for grading and/or construction of the building on the east side
of the building. See sheets C2.0 for trees proposed to be removed. There are no streams,
watercourses, or wetlands associated with the site, and environmental conditions existing now on the
Buck Mountain Church site are essentially unchanged since the Special Use Permit approved for the
1997 addition.
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
ATTACHMENT A.
Concept Plan for Proposed Addition to the Existing Facility -Sheet C2.0
(1 Page)
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
ATTACHMENT B
Front Elevation of Existing Church Facility and
Proposed Deese Hall Addition
(1 Page)
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
ATTACHMENT C
Artist Rendering of the Existing Church Facility and
Proposed Deese Hall Addition
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
ATTACHMENT A
Virginia Historic Landmark Documents
( 2 Pages)
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
M86R8
EOERIC H. COX, JR., AIA, CHAIRMAN !
S. NELLIE WHITE OUNOY, VICE CHAIRMAN
Y EUGENE GRAHAM, AIA ,
VIO A. HARRISON, !II '
NALO HAYNEs COMMONWEALTH /� /ry H. BRYAN MITCHELL
S. KENNETH R. HOLE or VIRGINIA INIA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
E OE RICK D. NICHOLS i �.V
ED W. WALKER
S. T. EUGENE WORRE&L Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission
221 GOVERNOR STREET 1,( , a
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23219 '��� "'t•
TELEPHONE: (604) 788.3143
8 July 1982 1iUG 2 2 5996
Res Buck Iftntain'Episcopal Church
Albemarle Co.
I
W. James Boeckel, Vestryman
Buck !fountain Church
Chestnut Jrove, Box 5A _.4
Earlysville, Va. 22936
Dear Mr. Boec'kel,
Your letter of June 22, 1982 has been referred to me. The Buck
Mountain Episcopal �hurch in Zarlysville is indeed on the Virginia Historic
Landmarks +register. As such, there are no obligations, limitations, or
restrictions made to the church. The building or any part of its land may be .
sold and adjacent property may be purchased.. Any remodeling of the church
that is judged to seriously comprise its integrity will result in the building's
reraoval from the register. By a serious remodeling, it is understood, the
removal of walls., the interior, .etc.
In other %..ords, registration is totally honorific with no restrictions
placed on the building's use or area surrounding it. We have no documents that
you should maintain in perpetuity. A new copy of the Virginia Landmarks negister
is currently in preparation and will.be available for purchase by late 1)83. i
Your interest in our program is most appreciated.
►Siin,ceerrell�y, f
d A
• Richard C. Cote 4 i
Architectural Historian
I
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
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a ATTACHMENT C
COMMO NWEALTH o f VIRGINIA
lugh C. Wier. OirW& Deparlazeni of Histaric ,Reso!lrces TOE (mi; Ye&inj
2.1 GUVprnO[ Sheet ':rlenhone 1W 1) -, A- V
rnk• (604) 2.15.41p+
Richmond. Virginia 23219
May 18, x,994
- �Oq 3 0
Charles M. Johnson, 111, MD
senior Warden, Buck Mountain Church
1000 Last High Street
Charlottesville, VA 22901
RE: Buck mountain Episcopal Church, Albemarle Co.
Dear Dr. Johnson:
As I am sure you are aware, Buck Mountain Church is part of
the Commonwealth's highly significant collection of colonial.
churches. Indeed, it is one of only three known Anglican churches
of the colonial period in the state. Because of its many special
qualities, the Board of Historic Resources officially placei the
church on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1972.
This office recently received a copy of plans for a provosad
addition the church. I am concerned that the plans photo the
addition directly attached to the church facade, affecting i' s
historic outline. While I can appreciate the necessity for this new
facility, its placement could have an impact on the historic and
architectural integrity of this landmark building.
Landmark designation places no restrictions on private
property, however, we hope the designation will be taken n�r+
consideration when changes are required. This office rout._,* -I,y
offers technical assistance to owners of historic landmarks ah, I
would be glad to most with representatives of the church to disanor
our respective interests in this project. please feel free to
contact me at your convenience.
si.nc rely, eb
alder moth
Senior Architectural Historian
cc The Right Reverend Peter J. Lee
In
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Special Use Permit Narrative for:
Buck Mountain Episcopal Church Addition June 16, 2014
ATTACHMENT E
"How Old is the Buck Mountain Church Building ?"
(4 Pages)
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ATTACHMENT E
How Old is the Buck Mountain Church Building?
1747 -1750 vs. 1858 -1865
by Geoffrey Mattocks
In 1744Albemarle County gained its own autonomy from Gouchland County and
became an independent political entity. Just as counties existed for civil purpose,
parishes existed for ecclesiastical reasons and both were extensions of the state and
tax supported. The Vestry, originally elected as freeholders of the parish, were
responsible for church buildings, selection of the rector and the care of the poor.'
Albemarle was divided into two parishes- St. Anne's in the south and
Fredericksville Parish in the north. The line of separation was approximately where
Route 250 is today.2
In what is the Albemarle County of today two churches were built within
Fredericksville Parish; one on either side of the South West Mountains. The
church in the eastern section was originally known as Belvoir Church, commonly
known as Walker's, and now known as Grace. The second church was to be built
in the west along the Buck Mountain Road near what is now Earlysville.3
The exact date of construction of the Buckmountain Church (one word originally)
is not clearly established. Although an active congregation is known to be in
existence in 1747 it appears that there were construction problem between 1747 and
1750 which was the date the church was accepted as finished a
The American Revolution had a profound effect on the Church of Virginia (Church
of England) which by October 1789 had become part of The Protestant Episcopal
Church in the United States of America. The Church of Virginia had been state
property and many rectories, churches and glebes were sold. Episcopal services
were not held on a regular basis in Albemarle County and on occasions an itinerant
clergyman would hold a service at the Court House in Charlottesville. Buck
Mountain Church was either abandoned or in disuse by 1794.5 The movement for
religious freedom had prompted the dissolution of state ties and the
Disestablishment process had begun in 1776.6 By the tum of the nineteenth century
the building was used by Baptists. In fact, the Buck Mountain congregation sent a
1 Rev. Edgar Wood, History of Albemarle County in Virginia. (Charlottesville, VA, The Michie Company,
1900) p. 24.
2 Merlinda B. Frierson, he Study of Five Episcopal Churches in Albemarle Count Virginia,
(Charlottesville, VA, University of Virginia, Research in Regional Architecture, December 13, 1983) p. 2.
3 Wood, op. cit, p. 126.
4 Jim Eddins, A Changeable Chapel, (Earlysville, VA, Buck Mountain NEWSLETTER, June -July 1994) p. 7.
5 William Newman and Camille Wells, Buck Mountain Church. (Charlottesville, VA, Studies in
Vernacular Architecture, University of Virginia, January 13, 1983) p. 6.
6 George M. Brydon, Virginia's Mother Church. (Philadelphia, PA, Church Historical Society, 1932) p. 401.
OA
ATTACHMENT E
congratulatory letter to Thomas Jefferson upon his retirement as the third President
and upon his return to Albemarle. Mr. Jefferson responded with a "thank you" letter
addressed to the Buck Mountain Baptist Church.
In his History of Albemarle County in Virginia, Edgar Wood reviews the
family histories of many of the early residents of this area. When outlining
the achievements of James Michie (Sheriff and Magistrate of Albemarle) in
the 1840's he states that he worked hard to save "the ruins of the Buck
Mountain Church." The church building would have been about one
hundred years old by that time and had been through periods of great neglect, disuse
and abuse.
A description of the building, written in 1857, but referencing a period of time thirty
years before goes like this: "When I first saw it, more than thirty years
age, it was - though said to be repaired - a mere shell, with many an opening
in the clapboard walls, through which the wind might freely pass. The inward
repairs consisted of removing the old pews into the gallery, where they were
pilled up, and in their room putting benches made of the outside slabs from
the sawmill, with legs as rude thrust through, and of course no backs. The old
pulpit was left standing, but by its side was a platform made by laying a few
planks across the backs of two pews, which the preacher preferred to the old -
fashion pulpit. "8
There is a preponderance of written testimony which clearly establishes the fact that
the old church building was in a sad state of affairs by the middle of the 18OO1s.
Certainly its condition had to have been factored into the decision to relocate the
church.
In 1975, under the direction of Dr. K. Edward Lay, Associate Professor of Architecture,
University of Virginia, a study was undertaken by William
Newman and Camille Wells in vernacular architecture. Their paper is
entitled Buck Mountain Church and in it they provide some interesting historical
facts as well as a detailed study of the architecture of the present building. They
concluded that "...although the present structure of Buck
Mountain Church, with its Greek Revival detailing, cannot conclusively be
dated any earlier than the 186O's, the organized congregation can indeed be
traced to the eighteenth century, and to an original church building which was
structurally very similar to the present one."
Thomas Jefferson, Thank You Letter to Buck Mountain Baptist Church, (Alabama Department of
Archives and History) April 13, 1809.
8 William Meade, Old Churches. Ministers. and Families of Virginia, (Philadelphia, PA, J.B. Lippincott,
1857) p.47.
9 Newman and Wells, op. cit. • p. 1.
3
ATTACHMENT E
Greek Revival Architecture has, as its genesis, the classic book by James Stuart
and Nichols Revett Antiquities of-4thens. Stuart and Revett began writing the
works in 1762 and it was years before the Greek Revival movement found
fruition in Germany, England and America. It was the rise of Jacksonian democracy'0
that saw this country abandon English sources of architecture in
favor of Greek Revival. The Lee Mansion, Alexandria, Virginia, typifies this
period." Any Greek Revival characteristics of the present Buck Mountain
Church building post date the original building by about one hundred years
and are indicative of a different era and time.
The Rev. F. L. Robinson, Rector of Buck Mountain, interviewed Dr. Edward
Birckhead in 1902. Dr. Birckhead was, at that time, a surviving Trustee and Vestryman
from the old church. Generally accepted oral tradition and some secondary sources
agree that the Buck Mountain Church building was torn
down and the material moved to its present site in 1865. There is no
numbering system of the component parts to indicate a logical reconstruction
plan. There are indications that some of the support members have been used before,
but in a different configuration. In all probability, as the old church
was torn down, sound pieces were salvaged and reused. Additional material, new
in the 1860's, became new braces and supports. New windows and doors
were installed. 12 Other sources claim that the present building was
constructed in 1858. The year 1865 does lead to some question since that is the year
the Civil War (1861 -1865) ended and the rebuilding of devastation and people's lives
must have had a high priority.
The old building was 30 X 60 feet, the new 26 X 52 feet; the old had a gallery,
the new, none; high back pews for the socially placed versus democratically
hard, uncomfortable ones; the interior of the old was whitewashed, now the building
is plastered, probably for the first time in 1903;13 a chancel was added
in the 1930's; a wooden roof then, a tin roof now; formerly a canopy pulpit, at present
a lectern - to mention a few major reconfigured details.
Recently, a friend of mine purchased the ruins of an authenticated 1844 log
building. Many of the timbers in this building were serviceable and he
disassembled it and brought the material to his mountain retreat here in
Albemarle County. There, he reconfigured these materials into a delightful
log cabin. Here too, he had to augment his material supply with such things
as windows, doors and some additional wood. Is this an 1844 building or is it a
10 Andrew Jackson, President 1829 -1837.
11 Everard M. Upjohn, Architecture. (Collier's Encyclopedia, Crowell - Collier Educational
Corporation, 1968) Vol. 2, pp. 528 -534.
12 Newman and Wells, op. cit. pp. 8 -10.
13 ItL p. 16.
El
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ATTACHMENT E
1994 one? Obviously, it is a1994 building made, in part, with material from an
older similar structure.
It is conclusive that the present Buck Mountain Church building, located on
Route 743 in Earlysville, is not the earlier 1747 -1750 building located at a
different site. There is evidence that some of the material from the old
building was used in the construction of the new. However, these materials
were augmented with new materials, doors, windows, pews and flooring.
Although the church has the same rectangular pattern to it, it is a smaller
building and built in a style that was not used when the original building was
constructed.
The above discussion is not entered into in any way to diminish the historical
significance of the Buck Mountain community. Rather, it is an honest
attempt to look at the historical record of the church building and put it into perspective
based upon solid evidence and sound research. A building built in
the 1860's has a life and identity of its very own and does not need to be
shrouded in myth.
Earlysville, Virginia
May 31, 1994
Wi