Order Could Silence a Tradition

Round Hill Facility Must Meet Fire Code to Continue Monthly Concerts

By Arianne Aryanpur (Contact)

Sunday, March 30, 2008

It's been a monthly ritual for the past five years. On the last Friday night of the month, the Round Hill Arts Center hosts a folk and bluegrass jam session that draws about 200 people to the converted 1880s furniture factory.

The event is the nonprofit center's biggest moneymaker, bringing in about $2,000 a month in donations and food sales.

But last week, a visit by the Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office put the jam's future in jeopardy. Chief Fire Marshal Keith Brower determined after an inspection Monday that the building has a maximum occupancy of 49 people. Tuesday, three days before the next scheduled music session, Brower told center officials that they would need major improvements to let more people inside.

Organizers scrambled to make changes so they would not have to cancel Friday's show. They closed the second story of the building and removed doors that did not comply with fire regulations. Several tents were donated and set up in the back yard to accommodate the overflow crowd.

These were only temporary solutions, Brower said. To continue hosting the monthly jam, center officials will have to work with county building officials to bring the structure up to code. No one is sure how long that process will take, but the onset of warmer weather gives the center time to sort things out. The musicians and audience usually move outside in the late spring, summer and early fall.

After its days as a furniture factory, the two-story building on West Loudoun Street was an elementary school and then home to a succession of small businesses. Wally Johnson, 63, the building's owner, opened a woodworking business with a partner at the site in 1985. In 2001, he handed the building over to his daughter, Hope Hanes, the art center's founding director.

Brower, who declined to say what triggered his inspection last week, said the building was never retrofitted to handle crowds. He said that with scores of people packing into the center for the Friday night music, safety is a major concern.

"We've had a number of fires in the United States in places that were being used with inadequate fire suppression, and hundreds of people have been killed," Brower said. "As much as I like the arts center and think it's a great thing for the community, the excitement would be 100 times the other way if we had a fire there."

Johnson said an architect familiar with county building codes has been retained by the arts center. Plans are being drafted for review by county officials in coming weeks. He said the changes will include the addition of firewalls, doors that swing out rather than in, a sprinkler system and a new staircase, among other improvements. The total cost could be $50,000 to $100,000, he said.

To cover some costs, the center will seek community donations.

Given the jam session's popularity and the money it raises, organizers said the last thing they want to do is turn people away.

"This is one of the few venues where people can come and learn new tunes and get to know other musicians," Hanes said. "If we were not able to have it, we would be crippled as an organization."

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