Hilltop Hotel and Yellow House

Mills Group served as the historic preservation consultant for the Hill Top Hotel Redevelopment project in Harpers Ferry, WV. The Hill Top House Hotel was constructed on an overlook at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers in 1888 by Thomas and Lavinia Lovett, who continued operation of the hotel through two fires until they sold the property in 1926. Six “Armory Houses,” residences either constructed or acquired by the United States government in the 1830s for use as worker housing for the local Federal armory, are located adjacent to the Hotel property and are part of the comprehensive redevelopment and rehabilitation plan for the site.

In preparation for the redevelopment of the historic property, the team conducted thorough investigations of the Hill Top Hotel, a c. 1919 Lodge building, and six Armory Houses located on the property. Using 3D point cloud scanning technology and on-the-ground survey, the team developed as-built drawings of the Lodge and Armory Houses. The final historic resources plan included an overview of past survey work, new survey of the existing grounds and landscaping, an assessment of historic integrity and identification of significant historic resources, and recommendations for rehabilitation work for all structures in the project area. These recommendations allowed for the sensitive reuse of the historic property as a world-class hotel while adhering to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. Mills Group also served as a consultant for the property’s application for Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits at the State and Federal levels.