At last Tuesday evening’s Annual Membership Meeting, the Foundation added a new category alongside its annual Historic Preservation Award. For the first time, we presented an award recognizing new construction that is appropriately sensitive to its historic neighborhood.
The inaugural award went to Laurel Ziemianski for her new 1,700 -square-foot home at 1150 West Ridge Street in Harpers Ferry.
Because Laurel has been a member of the community working with the Hill Top House Hotel project for several years, she is well aware of the town’s natural beauty and historic significance. “It is obviously a great place to invest in building a home,” she said. In late 2019 she purchased one of only a few lots available in town, a property that had been part of the Craven Estate.
For the house, she chose a Southern Living design by the Moser Design Group, called Sugarberry Cottage. “I’ve always had an affinity for cottage-style architecture,” she said. “It has a lot of character.”
The design fit nicely into the tight envelope of the lot and left room for a detached garage behind the house, she added. Its dormers, roof lines, and spacious wraparound front porch create an effect that complements the overall harmony of the neighborhood in the west-end Historic District. She chose low-maintenance, sustainable exterior materials like hardy plank siding and standing-seam metal roofing that are compatible with the town’s Appendix A Standards and Guidelines.
Since occupancy in late 2024, Laurel has enjoyed enough time in the home to confirm that she is completely happy with the results. Her favorite luxury in the house is the outdoor-facing fireplace that is enjoyed from the east-side porch outside. It was built by local stonemason Mark Cullinane. Her most surprising discovery came while excavating the property: She unearthed a Civil War cannonball, which she surmises was shot from Maryland Heights.
