After concluding that the removal of five structures from the Big Meadows area of Shenandoah National Park will have an adverse effect on a historic district, the park is taking input on a memorandum of agreement that requires the buildings to be documented and photographed before removal.
The cabins – known as the Big Meadows Cottages or the Maids Cabins – were built by the Virginia Sky-Line Company in the 1930s and located at Swift Run Gap, approximately 14 miles south of Big Meadows. In 1955, the company moved the cottages to their present location behind Crescent Rock Cottage, removed the original porches, and added a bathroom extension to the rear of each building. The park’s business partners at Big Meadows used these buildings as employee housing and, for the last 10 years, as storage. In 2013, the park reacquired control of the buildings.
The cottages are contributing structures in the Skyland Drive National Historic Landmark District. The National Park Service and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources State Historic Preservation Office jointly determined that the removal of the cottages will have an adverse effect on the Skyline Drive NHL. As required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the park and the preservation office have developed a draft memorandum of agreement to mitigate the adverse effect to the NHL.
The agreement requires the park to document the buildings according to the standards of the Historic American Buildings Survey, including taking photographs of the buildings, gathering drawings, and assembling a short history. In addition, the Park Service will document the location of the cabins as an archaeological site.
Last summer, the park solicited public input on the proposed removal and received 29 comments. Many suggested that the cabins be moved to a new location and repurposed into “tiny houses” for people in need. The park will determine if the cabins are fit for habitation as is required by Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Otherwise, the cabins will be demolished.
To comment
- Deadline: July 5, 2017
- Online: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/SHEN
- Mail: Superintendent, Shenandoah National Park, Attn: Big Meadows Cottages, 3655 U.S. Highway 211 East, Luray, VA 22835
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