Fate of Leesburg’s ravaged Mote-Morris House uncertain
LEESBURG — When Glorianne Fahs rushed to the historic MoteMorris House after hearing it had caught fire, it didn’t look to her as if the flames had touched the home she tended for 10 years.
But then she saw the charred rear of Leesburg’s 126-year-old pride and joy as well as the fire damage inside and standing water from the hoses of firefighters who quickly put out the blaze that suddenly flared at 2:30 a.m. Feb. 20.
“It’s terrible. It’s a valuable piece of history,” said Fahs, manager of the Leesburg Heritage Museum who used to give tours of the house. “When it burned, we lost a lot of our artifacts.”
On Monday night, city commissioners will discuss ways to save the 126-year-old home, which features a four-story turret and eight gables and has an entire city block to itself. No one is sure if the building can be renovated or what the costs would be until a structural engineer com-
pletes an evaluation in the next several weeks.
“The answer is we don’t know,” City Manager Al Minner said.
In the end, he said, what happens depends on several factors: the insurance payout from the fire, the final cost for repairs and how much cash the city and residents are willing to pay to restore the home built in 1892 by Leesburg Mayor Edward H. Mote and his wife, Lucretia.
“It’s going to come to the gap of what the community wants versus what the finances are and how much could be generated publicly,” Minner said.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Queen-Anne style home is noted for its architecture and historical significance to the city. Its backyard features a large gazebo and massive live oaks that have spread shade for countless city events and weddings over the years.
“It is one of only a few original residences remaining,” according to a city historical account. “The house was built shortly after the town was platted.”
The State Fire Marshal’s office was unable to determine what started the blaze. A specially trained fire dog searched the house and found no trace of accelerants such as gasoline that would suggest arson.
Meanwhile, residents are looking to salvage the past in hopes that the house has a future.
“A couple of contractors have reached out, saying they’re interested” in helping, Minner said. Others, such as Fahs, have been busy working to preserve what fire hasn’t destroyed.
“Well, the grand piano still plays,” she said. Other items such as a sideboard that belonged to the city’s founder, Evander Lee, as well as historic pictures and paintings, a mantel and a lamp that’s “somehow still white” also survived.
As the city moves to secure the house, the artifacts are likely to be moved to the Leesburg Heritage Museum on Sixth Street downtown as part of a special display.
“We’ll keep it for future use,” she said.
The home was first sold in 1908 to Bishop Henry Clay Morrison. A decade later, the Morris family purchased it and kept it for 70 years.
Skellie Morris, 64, grew up in the home, which for the past year had served as headquarters for the Leesburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It was emotional for the first couple of days after the fire,” he said. “But still, I would love to see them save it … You can fix anything if you have enough money.”
Morrison United Methodist Church in Leesburg bought the home from the Morris family in 1988. At that point, the house was on Main Street and the church offered it to anyone who would pay the cost of moving it.
In response, Leesburg residents pooled $95,000 to move the 150-ton home one block south and two blocks west to its new location. More than 400 people came to watch it move.
Mayor Dan Robuck said the cost to repair the home depends on whether it remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
If it’s not, the home will have to comply with laws that mandate accessibility for the physically disabled, ramping up the cost.
“We had one contractor just look at it and he’s saying $2 million to rebuild,” said Robuck, emphasizing that the contractor’s estimate was not a comprehensive appraisal.
“Leesburg has gone through some good times and bad times,” he said. “And in the bad times you can look at that house and get a sense of pride of what Leesburg was and what we can still be.”