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7/17/2009
Posted by Scott Kauffman 07/17/09 8:00 AM EST
Website: http://www.realestatechannel.com

Homestead Preserve - Old Dairy Complex
Homestead Preserve - Old Dairy Complex
What's Old is New Again: The Draw of Architectural Heritage at Homestead Preserve

(HOT SPRINGS, VA) -- Despite the slowdown in real estate sales and home construction nationwide, this well-known mountain resort community continues to draw well-to-do vacation home seekers, many of who have recently completed or are building second or third homes at the resort-style community of Homestead Preserve. Located adjacent to the landmark Homestead resort, Homestead Preserve has garnered much attention in recent years for its commitment not just to environmental stewardship but to preserving the architectural legacy of the famed Warm Springs Valley, a centuries-old healing and health escape centered on natural mineral springs.

After more than two years of intensive architectural research, the developers of Homestead Preserve, all of whom were involved in the creation of the award-winning community of Celebration, Fla., began work on a 450-home community in Bath County, Va., designed to reflect the native historic architecture and landscaping of the Allegheny Mountains.

Situated on 2,300 scenic acres surrounding the villages of Hot Springs and Warm Springs, the development's homes feature four distinct styles of historic architecture, which include Highland Classical, Highlands Farmhouse, English Romantic, and Highlands Arts and Crafts.

"I believe we have risen to the occasion of a challenging opportunity to create neighborhoods that blend seamlessly into the already existing community of Bath County," says Homestead Preserve co-General Manager Don Killoren.

"The homes we are building today reflect the architecture that is already here and which has developed naturally over the course of the last two centuries. Not many developers take that kind of care when creating communities to blend the new right in with the old."

As of June 23, there are more than two dozen completed homes at Homestead Preserve, and seven more are currently under construction. All Homestead Preserve residences have met strict historic architecture guidelines that ensure they blend into or complement the natural landscape.

Working closely with Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates, Homestead Preserve has developed a Pattern Book that details the area's rich architectural history, settlement patterns, and even native plants and trees appropriate for landscaping.

Homestead Preserve has won numerous accolades for its commitment to both historic preservation and environmental and cultural heritage stewardship. Among them are the 2009 Valley Conservation Council Better Models for Development Award for "Excellence in Historic Preservation," and the 2008 Outstanding Adaptive Use Award from the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.

When Homestead Preserve developers Celebration Associates first purchased this property, they set the tone for its future moves by immediately selling more than 9,000 acres to The Nature Conservancy and placing additional acreage in conservation easements to protect the viewsheds in perpetuity.

Today, Homestead Preserve homesites range in size from ½ to 13 acres, and "historic" residences range in value from $1 million to more than $4 million. They have been constructed of natural materials including wood siding, stone, brick, timber, and stucco. All homes have been served by underground utilities to maintain the historic character of the landscape yet still feature state-of-the-art advances, including new "fiber-to-the-home" technology.

Homestead Preserve developers and Celebration Associates partners Charles Adams and Don Killoren were instrumental in the design and development of Celebration outside Orlando, which was hailed as the "Most Advanced Community in the Country from 1996-1998" by The Guinness Book of World Records.

For the past 10 years, Celebration Associates has been a partner in developing the community of Baxter Village in South Carolina, and is also a partner leading the real estate development projects at Bundoran Farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mt. Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods in New Hampshire.

Crosland, LLC, of Charlotte, N.C., is a financial partner in Homestead Preserve, Bundoran Farm and Mount Washington Resort. Crosland's President and CEO Todd Mansfield was also directly involved in the development and success of Celebration, Florida.


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