Bill Would Preserve Historic VA Buildings
September 2002
WASHINGTON — A comprehensive plan to save
dozens of crumbling historic buildings that were part of a national
system to care for Civil War veterans was unveiled by Rep. Tony
P. Hall (D-Ohio). The Veterans National Heritage Preservation
Act of 2002 calls for spending $20 million a year to stabilize
the structures and to assist in reuse of the buildings for new
purposes.
“These buildings represent the first large-scale attempt
by the Federal government to care for veterans. They are an
important part of our national heritage as well as significant
contributors to the history and culture of the communities where
they are located,” Hall said.
According to a press release from Hall’s office, the legislation
follows a joint recommendation earlier this year by AMVETS,
Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and
Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The groups called on Congress to enact legislation to systematically
preserve the most important historic buildings owned by the
Veterans Affairs Department (VA) and to promote the reuse of
historic properties by local communities.
Most of the threatened buildings were part of the National Home
for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, created by one of the last
acts signed by President Abraham Lincoln and constructed between
1866 and 1930. The buildings are now owned by the VA.
The National Home evolved into planned communities with barracks,
mess halls, chapels, schools, hotels, libraries, bandstands,
amusements halls, theaters and shops. Many remain and include
outstanding examples of 19th and 20th century architecture.
The National Home had facilities in 11 communities: Togus, Maine
(1866); Milwaukee, Wis. (1867); Dayton, Ohio (1867); Hampton,
Va. (1870); Leavenworth, Kan. (1885); Santa Monica, Calif. (1888);
Marion, Ind. (1888); Danville, Ill. (1898); Johnson City, Tenn.
(1901); Hot Springs, S.D. (1902); and Bath, N.Y. (1929).
As the price of health care has increased, the VA has closed
buildings that were no longer directly connected with patient
care. Unless they are maintained, those buildings will eventually
deteriorate and require demolition.
The need quickly to preserve historic VA buildings escalated
in June when the VA announced an initiative to identify and
close more buildings that are considered outdated. The initiative,
part of a planning process called the Capital Asset Realignment
for Enhanced Services (CARES), is expected to be completed in
two years.
Congressman Hall said, “The National Home represents many
historical developments, including the nation’s first
non-religious planned communities, the first federal effort
to establish large-scale rehabilitation programs, a significant
expansion of federal benefits to citizen-veterans, a landmark
in the development of federal responsibility for the social
safety net, and the first permanent churches constructed by
the federal government.”
Before it was merged with the VA in 1930, the National Home
cared for more 10,000 Civil War and other veterans.
Hall’s proposal calls for an annual fund that can be used
to stabilize the most important threatened historic VA buildings
and for challenge grants to non-federal governments and non-profit
organizations that want to restore and reuse the buildings.
The VA’s historic resources include far more than the
National Home buildings. The VA owns 1,860 historic structures
in nearly every state, the largest number held by any federal
agency other than the Departments of Defense and Interior. Hall’s
bill covers all VA historic buildings.
Hall represents Dayton, Ohio, site of the National Home headquarters
and its largest branch. Hall has been nominated by President
Bush to serve as ambassador to the United Nations food and agriculture
agencies in Rome and is not running for reelection. For information
contact his office at (202) 225-6465; www.house.gov/tonyhall
