Manassas staff detail discovery, stabilization and proposed relocation of 1914 Manassas Industrial School cottage; 1948 vocational building found historically‑s

City staff on Monday told the City Council and School Board that a previously unreported 1914 cottage from the Manassas Industrial School (MIS) has been documented, stabilized and donated to the city, and that staff plan to relocate and restore the building pending site work and funding.

"The cottage is now in the City of Manassas," said Matt Arcieri, who introduced the two-part presentation. Arcieri said staff found a 1948 site plan at Virginia Tech Libraries, identified remnants of the original foundation and, after securing the donation from Dominion, stabilized the structure. He said the city owns the building itself but not necessarily the parcel beneath it.

The staff plan targets 2027 for building the new foundation and moving the cottage back toward its original setback from the Carnegie Building, Arcieri said. He added the interior finishes are mostly modern and that removing finishes before relocation would complicate moving the structure; staff intend to do interior exploration after the building is relocated.

Benjamin Walker, the city’s historic preservation planner, summarized a limited‑scope historic‑structures report for a circa‑1948 vocational building adjacent to the MIS site. "They determined that it does have significance under criterion A of the National Register of Historic Places, for the themes of education and industry and social and ethnic history," Walker said, while noting 1959 additions and interior partitioning have reduced the building’s material integrity.

Staff said archaeological work at the site produced artifacts and photographs related to African American schools in Manassas, and that any artifacts used in interpretation would be labeled to reflect their source. Arcieri said the choice of final use — museum interpretation, classroom space, or other public benefit — will require deliberation by the School Board because much of the land and building sit on school property.

Arcieri cautioned the cost of a faithful historic restoration could be substantial and that staff have not yet prepared cost estimates. "We wanted to stop here and leave it to the two bodies to continue their discussions," he said.

Mayor Michelle Davis Younger praised the discovery and urged continued collaboration. School Board members voiced support for preserving the site as an educational asset: several noted the vocational programs formerly taught there provided valuable trade skills to African American students in an era before full desegregation.

Next steps outlined by staff include finalizing a site plan that avoids an existing large water main, completing interior investigation after relocation, securing council funding and fundraising, and School Board deliberation on an acceptable use. No formal funding decision or preservation vote was taken during the meeting.

The historic-structures report and staff presentation will be available to both bodies as they consider preservation options and any necessary formal actions.