Alleghany County, Va
Following recommendations from a recent Façade Assessment Report and Downtown Vision Plan, the Alleghany County commissioned Frazier Associates to create Façade Guidelines for Downtown Covington and Clifton Forge. The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure that the historic architectural character of individual buildings, and each historic district as a whole, is retained as change occurs over time. Additionally, the goal is to improve the overall appearance of the districts and to encourage downtown revitalization for the benefit of the entire community.
Both Covington, the County seat, and Clifton Forge were settled in the mid-late 1700s. However the biggest phase of growth for both communities was in the late 1890s through the early 1900s when the presence of the railroad spurred industrial and economic growth. The majority of buildings in downtown Clifton Forge and Covington are of the traditional Main Street mercantile form and contain a ground floor retail space that typically has display windows and an entrance door; but both have a rich variety of styles and types of commercial building facades.
The guidelines provide advice for property owners on how to approach a façade improvement project, addressing major building features such as storefronts, windows, cornices, paint, and signs. They offer recommendations on appropriate repair of materials and references for local, state, and federal technical resources.
