An old prison turned into a residential building

From 1910 to 2001, Liberty Crest apartments were known as Lorton Reportory, a prison in Lorton, Virginia included guests from Washington, DC,

It is widely known as the site where many polling scientists were detained after the Seild Sentinls sit -in in the White House in 1917. According to Congress LibraryNovember 14, 1917 is known as the “Night of Terrorism” due to how prisoners were mistreated in prison.

The estate of 2,324 acres, which included a farm, was closed in 2001. The following year, Ferfax bought the site for $ 4.2 million. Under the ownership of the province, the old prison, the land became a garden, a golf course, three schools and an art center.

In 2008, the boycott began to work with Alexander, a Weskonen developer with a history of historical preservation and adaptive reuse. The developer began to convert the campus into 165 apartments.

“The reformist LORTON was a good group of buildings that will be converted into residential because it was a prison in the era of reform,” said David Fos, director of the development project at Alexander, told CNBC Make.

“Therefore, unlike most prisons that tend to be large buildings of dark imprint without many windows, these actually had an abundance of light and had a lot of character, so she was very well put for apartments.”

Liberty Crest Apartments contain 165 units-44 of which are appointed at affordable and low-income prices. There are 84 apartments from one bedroom and 81 apartments from two bedrooms, and the monthly rent ranges from $ 1,372 to $ 2,700. Each apartment is equipped with a washing machine and dryer in the unit.

Renewal took nearly two years and about $ 64 million to complete.

The majority of the project financing came from historical tax credits, financing bonds, and low -income housing credits. Virginia housing Provided that the first mortgage of the project and payments are about $ 125,000 a month.

The apartments were opened in June 2017, and VOS says that all available units were rented in just months. The complex has been in full work since then.

“The community’s reaction was a little different. Many people really felt that it is important to maintain this date. However, there were people who really focused on the following years of prison when prisoners were subjected to ill -treatment,” he says.

“But from our point of view, we really felt that it is important to preserve history so that you can learn from the past so that you do not make these mistakes again in the future.”

Some remains of old prison include signs that tell visitors and prisoners how to act in the property.

“There are a number of reminders as you wander around the campus, which reminds you of the fact that this was a reform or a prison,” says Vos.

The name Liberty Crest Apartments is a tribute to the history of the property: “The reason we chose Liberty of the name is that we really felt that we were freed these buildings from their last dark past.”

The old prison cafeteria has been converted into a societal space for residents. Other amenities include yoga studio, gym, community swimming pool, and two stadiums.

There is also a field on campus with the original runway that the prisoners themselves made of bricks. Today, the area is used as a multi -purpose area for residents.

Plive Crest Property also also contains pre -school, dental and restaurant office.

The apartments have been open for nearly nine years, and the construction of the property was often completed. VOS and Alexander are currently focusing on converting the power station that is located on the site into 10 additional apartments. There are plans to convert the previous guard quarters as well.

“The community warmly embraced the Liberty project. Everyone is very proud of what we did here and were very happy with the results,” says Vos.

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