The Huntingdon Project
Project Status Update
Since our last update, the Huntingdon Project has reached an important milestone.
Working alongside our partner, Integrity Enterprises Group, we advocated for an outcome that prioritized local stewardship and historic preservation. The property has since been acquired by Moore Contracting LLC, a locally owned contractor led by Sullivan Moore, creating a new opportunity to preserve one of Roanoke's historic homes while exploring responsible redevelopment of the surrounding property.
Current discussions are focused on a preservation strategy that would restore the historic Huntingdon House while evaluating the feasibility of constructing townhomes along the street frontage. This approach has the potential to preserve an important piece of Roanoke's architectural history while thoughtfully increasing housing opportunities on the site.
The immediate priority is stabilization of the historic structure. Years of roof failure have allowed continued water intrusion, accelerating deterioration throughout the building. Installing a new roof is the first critical step in preventing additional damage and preserving the structure while restoration planning continues. Until the building is made weather-tight, every significant rain event increases restoration costs and places additional historic materials at risk.
Ironwood Policy & Risk and Integrity Enterprises Group remain engaged as advisors and advocates throughout this process. Our focus continues to be on providing objective research, restoration planning, and development analysis that supports both historic preservation and responsible community growth.
While significant work remains ahead, the project has transitioned from evaluating whether Huntingdon can be saved to determining the most practical path toward restoring the home and ensuring its long-term viability.
We will continue to publish updates as restoration planning progresses, additional assessments are completed, and major project milestones are reached.
Overview
Some places carry a weight heavier than brick. Huntingdon is one of them.
Built around 1819 on a frontier tract off Williamson Road, long before Big Lick became Roanoke, Huntingdon has stood for more than two centuries. Flemish-bond brickwork, Greek Revival porches, and the Betts family cemetery still beside it.
A two-room outbuilding, believed to have been slave quarters, stood on the property until sometime after 2020. It is now gone.
That is how quickly history disappears when no one is watching.
Huntingdon was previously considered for demolition due to vacancy and deterioration. A pause in action allowed community members, historians, and preservation advocates to examine what was at stake.
Dogwood & Deathcap joined that effort not to lead, but to support through research, analysis, and documentation.
Feasibility Findings (Summary)
In December 2025, Ironwood Policy & Risk completed a development feasibility study evaluating the Huntingdon parcel as a potential townhome site. The analysis assumed the most optimistic conditions reasonably possible for a private developer, including minimal infrastructure, compact attached housing, and aggressive cost controls.
Key conclusions included:
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Build-to-sell townhomes produced guaranteed losses ranging from hundreds of thousands to nearly two million dollars, depending on unit count and cost assumptions.
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Build-to-rent scenarios failed to meet basic lending standards, with debt service coverage ratios well below 1.0.
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Even an all-cash investor would realize sub-5% returns, far below acceptable risk-adjusted thresholds.
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The parcel’s interior acreage is largely non-buildable without costly new road construction, severely limiting yield.
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Any remaining premium value is tied to historic and cultural significance, not redevelopment potential.
In short, demolition-driven redevelopment was found to be structurally infeasible, even when evaluated generously.
Feasibility Report (Public Record)
For transparency and historical context, the full feasibility report is available below.
Independent Development Feasibility Report – Huntingdon House Parcel (2025)
This document reflects independent analysis conducted by Ironwood Policy & Risk prior to the property entering contract. It is provided for public awareness and historical record only. It does not represent the current owner, any buyer, or any binding redevelopment plans.
Download the full report:
320 Huntington Development Feas…
Ironwood Policy & Risk’s Role
Ironwood Policy & Risk does not own the property and does not control its future use.
Our involvement consisted of approximately 40 hours of time-limited, in-kind professional services, including:
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Development feasibility analysis
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Historical documentation and narrative framing
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Community awareness support
As our organization has grown, this type of work has transitioned into a structured consulting model with clearly defined scopes and boundaries.
Why This Still Matters
Preservation does not always hinge on activism. Sometimes it hinges on evidence.
The Huntingdon feasibility work exists to ensure that decisions affecting the site are informed by real-world economics, not assumptions about “highest and best use.”
Huntingdon has survived more than 200 years of change.
Whether the next chapter honors that history is no longer in our hands, but the record of what was true at this moment will remain.
