LEESBURG — It’s the news many in Leesburg have been waiting for.
After suffering from fire and water damage in 2018, the historic Mote-Morris house is complete.
But it’s been a long road.
Following back-and-forth with the city’s insurance company, delays from design challenges and construction investigations, the city green-lit Mote-Morris for construction last April.
Evergreen Construction has just completed restorations of the house, which will serve as an event space, and the city plans to celebrate its grand opening on June 1.
“The Mote-Morris house is a really important one for the city of Leesburg,” City Manager Al Minner said. “It really represents our historic fabric. It’s one of our last historic structures, so we felt it was very important to protect and rehabilitate after the fire. It was a big project, so I’m totally excited that it’s done.”
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The fire
The Queen Anne-style Victorian structure nearly succumbed to a fire on Feb. 20, 2018.
A burglar alarm sounded a little after 2 a.m. When firefighters arrived, the upstairs was “involved,” a battalion chief told the Commercial in 2018.
The blaze appeared to have started in the back porch, but the cause, to this day, is still unknown. A state fire marshal’s report was inconclusive.
At the time, the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce was leasing the home for its offices. No one was hurt in the fire, and the chamber’s records were all backed up.
“But it’s a sad day for a lot of people,” Sandi Moore, President and CEO of the Leesburg Chamber of Commerce, told the Commercial that day.
The fire ravaged the roof and the rear of the building. And the water damage was extensive. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the flames, which appeared to start in the southwest corner of the house.
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The repairs
Evergreen has worked to maintain the integrity of the house, while making the necessary repairs.
The company was tasked to save as much of the original house as possible, so other than the roof, all of the structural framing members are original.
Some had to be reinforced but they were able to save the main staircase with the hand rail, two bathtubs, two fireplaces, some windows and some of the flooring.
“It looks very good from the outside, so I’m very anxious to see the inside,” Sanna Henderson, president of the Leesburg Historical Society, said. “I’m sure they’ve done a wonderful job, and that it’ll be great. We’ll get it filled up with nice, Victorian-looking furniture.”
In total, the project cost $1.2 million. Insurance picked up the tab, but the process to get there was a long one.
Following the blaze, the historic house sat for months before a solid reconstruction cost estimate could be made. The house remained fenced off and wrapped up with tarps, while Evergreen Construction cleared debris and checked for structural damage.
At the time, the city’s insurance carrier agreed to pay up to $500,000 more than the home was insured for.
“This will immediately provide approximately $1,225,000 for repair,” Minner said in a memo to city commissioners in 2018.
In September 2018, the city’s insurance policy on the house was approved to cover the cost of repairing the historic building. In the months prior, city officials were concerned that the policy would be about $350,000 short of covering the damages.
‘We value our history’
The structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Homes in 1974.
At that time, the house sat on Main Street, next to Morrison United Methodist Church. It was later moved to the corner of 12th and Magnolia, as the church needed the space.
Over the years, the structure has served as a rental space for weddings, memorial services and other small events.
Soon, it’ll be open for them again.
“I think it speaks to the value of the city — that we don’t just discard stuff, that we value our history,” President and CEO of the Leesburg Chamber of Commerce Sandi Moore said. “I think it goes back to the values of the community. And now, the fire is a part of the story of the house.”
