Leesburg Board of Architectural Review Work Session – November 2, 2026

The Leesburg Board of Architectural Review (BAR) met in a work session on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. The transcript covers two deferred cases: a window-replacement application at 105 Rivanna Terrace and the proposed deconstruction and reconstruction of the historic bank barn at 1221 S. King Street. The agenda also listed TLHPBR2026-0038 (18 E. Market – Loudoun County Courthouse – Bollards – critical action date extension request), but no discussion or action on that item appears in the transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dory O’Brien, homeowner at 105 Rivanna Terrace, stated the Palladian window was installed with contoured mullions before she purchased the property. She argued the BAR should approve it because it was an existing condition, because the contoured mullions make the window appear to have external muntins, and because she said even BAR members had thought the muntins were external when viewing a photograph.
• Later, speaking as an HOA board member, O’Brien asked the BAR to consider that other homes in the 88-home community may seek replacement Palladian windows with vinyl internal contoured muntins. She said the HOA had updated its guidelines and that the community was built in 1999 as an internal, separate part of the historic district with limited visibility from outside.

Discussion Items

• 105 Rivanna Terrace (TLHPBR2026-0043). Staff said its current position was to allow articulated, three-part contoured muntins between the glass for this specific neighborhood. Staff cited findings that the community has private streets, contemporary construction, individual lots, 88 homes, and limited visibility and impact on the historic district; staff also said the 2009 guidelines generally disfavor grills between glass but that context and intent can be considered. Staff clarified that the HOA was proposing to allow contoured muntins between the glass but not flat grills, and that each property would still need its own certificate of appropriateness.
  • Rick said he struggled with the request because the BAR is supposed to uphold the Old and Historic District guidelines and should not weaken them; he said changing the district map would be outside the BAR’s purview.
  • Don said the guidelines should guide the decision and questioned whether snap-in external grills would be reasonable for a fan-light window with unusual geometry.
  • JP said he was leaning toward finding that the intent was met for a non-contributing, modern townhouse, because the internal contours read similarly to external muntins even if they are primarily aesthetic.
  • Julie said she was concerned about consistency but could support limited findings, while noting that HOA restrictions may be stricter than the BAR’s.
  • Tom said a neighboring house’s divided-light wood windows looked better and warned that approving grills between the glass would make a visible difference; he later advocated extremely specific findings to avoid setting a broad precedent.
• 1221 S. King Street historic barn (TLHPBR2026-0023). Staff recapped that the BAR had deferred the application because the deconstruction plan lacked detail. Staff said the applicant had updated the plan, but the Town was still trying to hire an independent qualified consultant; staff requested detailed documentation of each course of brick, how materials would be removed, cleaned, stored, tracked, and reused, and how reconstruction would relate to the approved addition.
  • Applicant Greg Wigfield and builder Joe Matthews of TMG Construction described a brick-by-brick deconstruction and reconstruction. They said a 40-by-70-foot fabric tent would be used to sort and catalog materials; approximately 18,000 bricks would need to be removed; timber would be harvested and reused; and the building had been laser-scanned inside and out.
  • Matthews proposed an 8-by-8-foot or 6-by-6-foot mock-up wall as a condition of approval. He said a masonry restoration contractor referred to in the transcript as Gen Co-Masonry had advised that the brick could be salvaged, while acknowledging that some interior brick had deteriorated. He also said the revised drawings removed the word veneer, but the discussion characterized the proposed wall as CMU backup with a brick veneer; Matthews agreed that description was accurate.
  • Don asked how materials would be cataloged, photographed, verified, and judged unsuitable for reuse, and what minimum salvage percentage would trigger a return to the BAR. Staff said the deconstruction plan should require documentation of each brick course from exterior to interior.
  • Julie asked whether deconstruction was necessary to preserve the barn’s overall integrity. The applicant said the east wall had moved five to six inches since a 2017 stabilization attempt, the north wall was leaning somewhere between four and five inches on the lower level, and the change of use to an A1 performing-arts theater required a higher standard. The applicant also said the ground floor would go two feet deeper, requiring underpinning, and committed not to deconstruct until the building permit for the entire project was issued.
  • Tom asked for complete documentation of the timber frame so future researchers could understand how the barn was built. The applicant said the structure had been laser-scanned and timber could be tagged and numbered.
  • Staff and board members repeatedly emphasized that the plan must specify how bricks would be tracked by wall, location, and color, how they would be stored and protected, and how the reconstruction would preserve historic character rather than create a purely cosmetic replica. Staff also said aggressive cleaning or pressure washing should be avoided.

Key Outcomes

• The BAR approved TLHPBR2026-0043 for the window replacement at 105 Rivanna Terrace, based on the staff report findings as revised during the meeting, with a condition that any alterations resulting from HOA review or site plan, zoning, or building permit review require a revised application, including changes to footprint, height, attachment, scale, or materials. The motion as read also referenced garage door and window replacements, while the agenda described the case as a window replacement. The motion passed 6-0-1.
• The BAR deferred TLHPBR2026-0023 for the deconstruction, repairs, replacements, and reconstruction of the historic barn at 1221 S. King Street to the BAR meeting on December 16, 2026. The motion passed 6-0-1. Staff noted the critical action date was December 17, 2026.
• Staff was directed to continue pursuing an independent historic-masonry and deconstruction consultant and a documentation template, and to arrange a site visit with the consultant. The applicant was encouraged to work on site plans concurrently.
• Staff announced that the Town Council had ruled on the appeal concerning 7 Royal Street and upheld the BAR’s approval and findings from August; a further appeal to circuit court remained possible. Staff also reminded members to respond to FOIA requests, noted the January 4 work session, and discussed reappointment applications and quorum planning. The meeting was adjourned.