Closed bathhouses problematic for locals
Businesses, others push for reopening of popular Jefferson Pools in western Va.
HOT SPRINGS — The Vine Cottage Inn, with its white trim and idyllic wraparound porch, was a dream come true for Dave and Tammy Hahn.
She had aspired to run an inn since age 16. And two years ago, Tammy Hahn and her husband set their sights on the Hot Springs area and the 113-year-old inn, which they purchased in April.
Hot Springs was the perfect location for their new venture. The area drew thousands of tourists for golf, hiking, fishing and the opportunity to soak in the waters of the Jefferson Pools, the oldest bathhouses in the country built around natural hot springs.
“In our research we learned about 18,000 visitors came to the Jefferson Pools annually,” Hahn said. “Not everyone would need accommodations, but for a little property like us, that would be significant.”
Just as the Hahns were about to make an offer on the inn, Bath County building official Andy Seabolt sent a letter to the Omni Homestead Resort, a sprawling 483-room deluxe hotel, and the owners of the Jefferson Pools.
The letter was brief — only four paragraphs. It said the structural joists and framing of the historic buildings were rotting and the concrete holding the foundations had deteriorated. Soon, the doors were locked and access to the property chained off.
And so far, that’s how the pools have stayed. Since closing the bathhouses in October, Omni Hotels & Resorts, a national company, hasn’t made repairs. County residents are upset, preservationists worry the bathhouses could fall down at any moment and business owners have seen their numbers dip.
“If you take away a big draw, it’s a huge concern,” Hahn said. “It could potentially, based on how many people we’re turning away and how long it takes, mean the difference between us making or breaking it.”
The white, wooden structures have been decaying for years. The two bathhouses, one built in the 1830s and another in the 1870s, underwent only minimal repairs over the years to maintain their historic simplicity. Because of these small repairs, they have become a time capsule of spa resorts in the 19th century.
But the deferred maintenance has finally reached a tipping point — the buildings are no longer safe for bathers. In some places, the foundation has split away from the structure and rocks have been placed in between to stabilize them. The roof is missing entire sections and the gentlemen’s bath is leaning to the northwest.
Bathers have long complained to the Homestead and the county about the condition of the bathhouses. Chunks from the roof or walls would crumble and fall into the pools while bathers were inside.
Since 1925, the pools have been a part of the Homestead resort, an 800,000-square-foot hotel that dates to 1766. The main structure was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt in 1902. Omni purchased the property in 2013.
The Homestead resort has its own list of repairs: 100-year-old plumbing systems that need replacing, chipping paint and outdated mechanical systems, Managing Director Brett Schoenfield said.
The resort is the largest employer, largest economic engine and the biggest taxpayer to Bath County. It also has supported local businesses that have come to rely on the tourists it draws every year.
“The Homestead is at the epicenter of all things Bath County,” Schoenfield said. “It means a tremendous amount to the county’s viability.”
But visitors to the Jefferson Pools and the Homestead resort down the road six miles can quickly see the differences. While the bathhouses are crumbling and falling down, the hotel is known for its opulence. Crystal chandeliers decorate the dining room and the on-site serenity garden has its own natural hot spring for guests to use. Guest rooms and suites can run up to more than $500 per night.
“It’s a big hotel that owns the pools and yet they aren’t willing to take care of them or spend any money on them,” said Jarek Mika, who owns the Inn at Warm Springs across from the Jefferson Pools. “You can see they don’t understand the resource. There’s no respect for it. They only see it as a hole in the ground that’s going to cost money.”
Tourism is the No. 1 industry for Bath County and the pools alone brought an estimated 20,000 visitors each year.
The Hahns, who own the Vine Cottage Inn, said they receive on average one phone call a week inquiring to stay in their inn because of the pools. When they inform callers the pools are closed, they are no longer interested.
David Hahn said he estimates they’re going to lose up to 75 reservations a year if the pools remain closed. For the Hahns, who spent their lives savings for a downpayment on an inn, the effect could be life-changing.
“The Homestead, as important as they are to our community, they don’t feel the pain quite as much,” Hahn said. “Now, the concern is how long is it going to take to get these pools reopened.”
A representative from Omni’s headquarters in Dallas approached the county’s board of supervisors in November with a plan.
He asked the board to draft a resolution of support for legislation that would increase the transient occupancy tax by 5 percent for the Omni Homestead. Those funds could be given back to the company through performance incentive grants to make needed capital repairs.
The board voted in November to support the legislation and it was passed by the Virginia General Assembly earlier this year and signed into law.
The supervisors also approved a performance agreement with Omni that detailed how the funds would be dispersed and specified they could only be used for capital improvement projects.
Citizens at the meeting urged the board to be more specific and demand that Omni first prioritize the Jefferson Pools, instead of other capital needs at the hotel. The only stipulation in the agreement, which went into effect Sept. 1, is that the Jefferson Pools be included on a work plan submitted to the county in four months.
Board Chairman Richard Byrd said that’s all the county can do because it has no authority over a private company.
But Phil Deemer, president of the nonprofit Preservation Bath, said that’s not good enough. He worries the structures could fall down on a windy day and said they need immediate stabilization.
Deemer and his nonprofit group worked with Omni to bring in engineers and architects to determine what needed to be done to shore up the buildings. The report said the cost to stabilize the Jefferson Pools would be about $80,000. This would ensure the bathhouses don’t fall down while Omni works on a more detailed plan for their renovation.
Deemer delivered the report to Omni in February and said he hasn’t seen any work done.
“The whole ballgame changes if those bathhouses collapse,” Deemer said. “They can be properly restored as they are standing now. They don’t have to be taken down and totally reconstructed.”
Omni executives based in Dallas and the manager of the Homestead have said the Jefferson Pools are a priority, but that they will be considered alongside any capital needs at the hotel.