HAMPTON — The brick homes along Pratt Street could be plucked from any block in nearby Wythe, Buckroe and Phoebus.
These homes at Fort Monroe include quirks unlike any neighborhood on the Peninsula. A water tower emblazon with the Army insignia shades the street and yards on sunny days and the Virginia Department of Fire Programs offices nearby remind residents that first responders (or people with direct access to them) are close by.
Fort Monroe’s transformation into a civilian community within Hampton is just 18 months old, and both residential and commercial tenants are showing interest.
Not every home and office has been filled though, and many places are being set aside while planners decide what to do with the more than 500-acre property.
A brick walkway lined by crape myrtle leads up to the two-story building at 9 Pratt Street (there is also another Pratt Street in Wythe). The home would have been used by non-commissioned officers when Fort Monroe was still used by the Army. Now, the Fort Monroe Authority is leasing it for $1,512 a month, including utilities.
“This is one that I think feels most like a home,” said Angela Henery, an asset manager with the authority. “With the quiet street and the open porches, I really like this particular home.”
Henery said she fields frequent questions about schools and safety during tours.
“A lot of people want to know when the homes are built,” she said.
Close to 120 homes on Fort Monroe are now occupied, and the Fort Monroe Authority is processing four more applications, Executive Director Glenn Oder said.
There are about 40 units yet to be leased, he said.
Among those homes is Building 101, a home once reserved for military colonels.
The five-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath duplex includes tin ceilings, wood floors and a square spiral staircase.
The 3,604-square-foot home comes with a substantial rent: $2,250 per month, although the bill includes basic utilities.
Both Building 101 and Building 100 were both designed by German-American architect Paul J. Pelz, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
Unlike the home down the street, Building 100 was retrofitted from a bachelor’s quarters into an expansive office space by the Army.
The exterior brick, gable-roofed dormers and central porch give the building a historic feel. Inside, long hallways are filled with movable office dividers and communications conduit.
“All of our commercial buildings are unique, and many of them can be outfitted to meet the needs of our clients,” said Sanford “Sandy” Cohen, chief operating officer of Divaris Real Estate.
Oder said that while some of the homes and commercial spaces are being filled, the authority is intentionally keeping some buildings off of the market because the planning process is not yet complete.
“People are coming back to live and work here,” Oder said. “People love the historic homes, and they feel like there’s nothing else like it in the region.”
Residential listings are available at: http://www.fmauthority.com/residential-housing/living-at-fort-monroe.
Commercial listing are here: http://www.divaris.com/.
Fort Monroe homes
Address: 9 Pratt Street
Build date: 1934
Stories: 2
Features: The building is a rectangular block building with brick end sleeping porches and rear porches. Significant interior features include original windows and doors, casings, and moldings; fireplace mantels, stairs; and wood flooring.
Address: Ingalls Road (Building 101)
Build date: 1906
Stories: 2.5
Features: This building designed by architect Paul J. Pelz includes original window and door casings, built-in sideboard, fireplace mantel with mirrors, original window and door moldings, stairs with bracketed stringers and original wood flooring.
Address: 18 Harrison Street
Build date: 1906
Stories: 2
Features: The building includes original windows and doors; stairs with open stringers; living room mantel; wood flooring. There is a one-story, full width porch with chamfered, square wood columns with a standing seam metal roof.
Source: National Register of Historic Places
