I write to you from aboard my not so big boat berthed at Fort Monroe, Virginia. Fort Monroe is and Architectural treasure which is going to be closed and subdivided [or so the process goes] due to the Military Brac Commissions.
I am not aware of Public familiarity with Fort Monroe, but it is the "T" in TND. It is a US army installation, historical significance in the Civil War Era ala the Monitor and Merrimac battle, as it is on the Chesapeake Bay. There is a Fort and a Mote, and facility housing from that era that has been preserved as only the Federal Govt can afford. In Short, it is awesome.
I think that the transition from Military to Private property is going to need some guidance. I believe it is important that the facility is treated with the reverence it deserves as an unstudied example of neighborhood design and architecture which was based not about theories, but on the practical realities of humans and humanism. It was an enlightened design, before people knew what enlightened was. I believe that both the "protector" and the "protected" would benefit from the experience of guidance towards a dignified transition.
I build production homes, and am aware of the TND movement, and the odd and sometimes freakish manifestations "TND" residential development produces. Sometimes TND is like a Coco Channel dress being mass produced by "Old Navy." I respect and believe in the origins of the initial design Fundementals.
I don't know the process, and I am not aware of what touch points must be pushed, but I hope that a grassroots effort lead by those with acknowledged purpose would ensure that Fort Monroe isn't devoured as "waterfront property" by development for profit interests, as it is so much more. I write premature of any need for immediate action, but I believe it would be worthwhile to study this jewel on the Hampton Roads to access for yourself the value in portions of the facility remaining pristine. The next purpose would be to determine the highest and best use of the property, the step after would be to set about conceiving of a plan to make this happen.
Fort Monroe was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960, with a period of significance of 1819 to 1946. The Army must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in its closure. A Programmatic Agreement among the Army, the Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and probably other consulting parties will be used to ensure that the Army meets its obligations under Section 106 of NHPA. Both NEPA and NHPA require the solicitation of input from the interested public. Public notices regarding the NEPA/NHPA processes will be placed in the local papers and on the Fort Monroe website when the BRAC decision is final.
