Cooperative Living July 2014 - 33

BANG FOR YOUR BUILDINGS
Two minutes from Wright's,
Route 11 takes travelers right into
Staunton's historic downtown.
With its brick sidewalks, ironlamppost-lined
streets, and eclectic
architecture, the city has a thriving
downtown shopping district, six
designated national historic-registry
districts, and an ever-growing list
of historic and cultural attractions.
Staunton recently earned designation
as " one of the best small towns
in America " from Smithsonian
magazine.
Shirley Wright Cash
McKee (left), daughter
of Wright's Dairy Rite
founder Forester Wright,
is shown with the jukebox
in the restaurant.
Forester's grandson and
granddaughter, Jim
Cash and Sandy Cash,
are also both involved in
the restaurant's operations
today.
But it hasn't always been this
way.
Forty years ago Staunton's
downtown, like those of so many
American cities and towns, was in
serious decline - empty storefronts,
residents fleeing to outlying subdivisions,
businesses relocating to the
busy corridor along I-81. The city's
beautiful collection of brick and
granite 19th- and 20th-century
buildings, ranging in style from
Italianate to Victorian, were falling
into neglectful disrepair.
But Staunton residents rallied
when the Virginia Department of
Transportation proposed putting a
major highway through downtown
and tearing down historic buildings
in the Wharf District. Concerned
citizens established the Historic
Staunton Foundation in 1971 in an
effort to save the city's architecture.
HSF, which is housed in the R.R.
Smith Center for History and Art,
has played a significant role over the
last four decades in revitalizing
Staunton's historic areas, helping
lead the way for the National
Register of Historic Places designation
of six Staunton districts and
helping property owners downtown
restore and rehabilitate their buildings.
The city of Staunton and HSF
also partnered to put utilities underground
to restore the downtown
area's historic appearance and
installed fiber-optic cable to help
attract more businesses.
Today the city is a major tourist
attraction, particularly for architecture
buffs like myself, and plenty of
visitor traffic comes through town
courtesy of Amtrak, which makes
regular stops at the historic train
station downtown.
July 2014/www.co-opliving.com
You can still get curbside service at Wright's Dairy Rite on
Route 11. Diners at Wright's Dairy Rite can still place an order
via telephone, with order phones in place at each table (right).
Staunton today has become a tourist attraction
and offers architecture buffs a rich palette.
Concerned citizens established the Historic
Staunton Foundation in 1971 to save the city's
architecture. HSF, which is housed in the R.R.
Smith Center for History and Art (above), has
played a significant role over the last four
decades in revitalizing Staunton's historic
areas, helping lead the way for National
Register of Historic Places designation of six
Staunton districts and helping property owners
downtown restore and rehabilitate their buildings.
The historic train station (above, right)
and the Marquis Building (right) are two of
Staunton's historic structures.
31
Cooperative Living July 2014

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