County presents stabilization plan for Workhouse Arts Center buildings; board asks for material and matching details

Fairfax County Public Works presented a package of immediate stabilization and weatherproofing repairs for several unoccupied buildings at the Workhouse Arts Center during the Architectural Review Board’s March 12 workshop.

Frank Roberts (Fairfax County Public Works) and Candace Hoskins (HGA) outlined safety and stabilization work for buildings W1, W12, W17, W18 and WBO1. Scope items included removal of failing infill roofs and damaged interior finishes, selective slate and built‑up roof repairs, temporary gutters and downspouts to direct water away from foundations, window coverings and replacement doors with functioning hardware, masonry repointing and terracotta parapet coping repairs.

Board members welcomed the focus on making the buildings weatherproof but requested more detail in the application materials: notes on how new window coverings will be attached without damaging historic brick, specification that masonry repairs match historic mortar and tooling, sample terracotta coping profiles for the interim work, and descriptions of ventilation and mothballing strategies to avoid trapped moisture in unoccupied structures.

County staff said they anticipate returning with an action package in the May meeting cycle and target bid advertisement in August with construction work continuing into next spring. The ARB asked the applicant to document prioritization decisions and provide clearer justification for why some adjacent buildings (for example, the barn and powerhouse on the site) were not included in the current stabilization scope.

No vote was required at the workshop stage; the ARB indicated general support but stressed the need for specification-level materials when the work returns for action review.