Toward a More Stately Mansion

Preservationists Hopeful That Selma Can Be Saved

By Jonathan Mummolo (Contact)

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

From a distance, the 107-year-old Leesburg area mansion known as Selma retains much of its grandeur and charm.

With its three stucco-covered stories nestled against Catoctin Mountain and a portico entrance with Roman Doric columns, it is a pristine picture of the Old South.

But preservationists say the far-off view of the mansion, which was added this week to a list of endangered historic sites in Virginia, belies what sits inside: the ravages of time.

"The biggest threat to it is neglect," said Lori Kimball, first vice president of the Loudoun Preservation Society, which has been working with a coalition of groups to save Selma. "Loudoun's been a very fast-growing county, and we've lost a lot of our historic buildings over the years. . . . It's a structure that is worthy and is worth saving."

Photo Gallery

Selma Mansion Added to Endangered-Sites List

Photo: 0/1

« Previous | Next »

Larger Version

Selma Mansion, a historic site just north of Leesburg, was recently added to Preservation Virginia's 2009 "Most Endangered Historic Sites" list. (Jim Hanna Photography)

Larger Version

A view from the grand staircase gives a sense of the architectural splendor of Loudoun's historic Selma Mansion, which is currently undergoing renovations. The organization Preservation Virginia has listed the mansion on its 2009 list of the commonwealth's "Most Endangered Historic Sites." (Jim Hanna Photography)

Larger Version

The interior of Selma Mansion is currently being renovated. (Jim Hanna Photography)

Larger Version

A look inside one of Selma Mansion's bathrooms shows the extent of its dilapidation. (Jim Hanna Photography)

Larger Version

Concerned residents and representatives from area preservation organizations assembled at Selma Mansion to show their support for its restoration. (Erica Garman)

Larger Version

Sarah Cooleen announces Preservation Virginia's 2009 List of the Most Endangered Historic Sites in the state in front of Selma Mansion. (Erica Garman)

Larger Version

Virginia Collins, Benji Ellen Collins, the Rev. Elijah White and Ruth Epperson, from left to right, each have a close association with Selma Mansion. (Erica Garman)

View all thumbnails

The nonprofit group Preservation Virginia announced Monday that Selma had been placed on its Historic Endangered Sites List, which, according to the group's Web site, is "issued annually to raise awareness of Virginia's historic sites at risk from neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance" and other threats.

Although the listing is largely symbolic — it does not protect the home from demolition or further deterioration — conservationists are hoping that it will raise the profile of the estate and that a generous benefactor will come to its rescue.

"Ideally, we would like to see a preservation-minded buyer acquire it and stabilize it and restore it," Kimball said. "The bones of the house are good."

The mansion is the former home of E.B. White — no relation to the author of "Charlotte's Web" — who, at various times, was a state senator, bank president, farmer, horse enthusiast and newspaper man. The property's recorded history dates to the 1700s, and it passed through many hands, including the brother of American revolutionary George Mason, according to a history compiled by the Loudoun Preservation Society.

No one has lived in the house for 10 years, and it has been allowed to slowly decay, Kimball said. Last summer, a falling tree damaged the roof, and water has crept in, she said. Treasures such as a marble fireplace in the parlor have been chipped at by vandals over the years, and paint is peeling from the walls.

The listed owner of the house is Selma Estates, a development company that filed for bankruptcy last year, according to court records. Calls to Edgemoore Homes, which owns Selma Estates, were not returned.

No buyers have emerged since preservationists took up the mansion's cause in spring 2007, Kimball said. The house is on a 50-acre conservancy lot, which means it can't be subdivided, but there is no protection for the structure, she said. Loudoun County assessed the property and structure at about $3.5 million this year, according to county records.

White's grandson, Elijah B. White III, pastor of Church of Our Saviour in Oatlands, has fond memories of visiting the house as a child, admiring the animal heads that decorated its walls and the grand foyer with its elegant staircases.

"I think [saving the house] would be a great thing if anyone wanted to do it," White said. "It'd be very expensive. It needs a lot of work."

Tagged: history, Leesburg, Loudoun Preservation Society, Preservation Virginia

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?