VA 250 Preservation grant awarded to Lewis Store

We are pleased to announce that HFFI has been awarded $118,000 from the state’s VA 250 Preservation Fund to restore the exterior envelope of the 1749 mercantile store of a local Revolutionary War proponent and arms supplier, Fielding Lewis. Gifted to HFFI nearly 30 years ago by Robert and Mary Ellen Wheeler and carefully restored from 2000 to 2007, the Lewis Store is an early and unique example of Georgian-style commercial retail architecture in America. It also serves as a revolutionary icon in Fredericksburg. Learn more about the store’s history and significance here.

HFFI is thrilled to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s Revolution and the unparalleled cultural inheritance left by its leaders to Fredericksburg. This grant will help us conserve and repair some of the deteriorating brickwork and decorative sandstone features, and replace the wood-shingle roof that has reached the end of its functional life.

Our organization needs to match a portion of this sizable grant with cash, volunteer hours, and educational programing–and also fill the gap between the requested and awarded funds. We are working to raise another $75,000 to carry out this much-needed work and preserve the Lewis Store for another generation of Fredericksburg residents and visitors.