Annaburg Manor, Manassas, VA

The Durable Restoration Company completed a highly-anticipated four-month restoration of Annaburg Manor, Manassas, Virginia. The City of Manassas purchased the land in 2019 with the plan to restore the historic structure and turn the property into a recreational park. 

Annaburg Manor was built in 1892 by entrepreneur Robert Portner. Since being built, Annaburg Manor has gone through innumerable exterior changes, some less durable than others, each reflecting the different styles of the occupants living there through the years. The Durable Restoration Company (DRC) worked to restore the historic building back to its original façade. Led by DRC’s historic preservationist, Julie Butler, the work was completed using accepted historic preservation practices and materials. 

Our first step in the historic restoration process was to replace the asphalt shingle roof with Vermont Black slate. 

Below the roof, the formerly pink brick and brownstone façade – now a bright and peeling white – was fully restored to its original warm hue, but only after rigorous testing. DRC conservators used carefully fabricated mock-ups, evaluating different combinations of paint and removal techniques, to determine the closest possible match for the paint used and the least invasive method for removing it. The previous paint coatings led to deterioration of the stone below and were not historically appropriate. 

Completed, Annaburg Manor’s distinctive colors and ornate details are a crowning achievement for DRC and a beautiful new social center for the city of Manassas, Virginia. 

On December 9th, 2021 Annaburg Manor was placed on the Virginia Department of Historic Places registry and has been recommended for the National Registry of Historic Places.