City hopes nonprofit will step up to renovate Annaburg Manor in effort to remake it as a park

MANASSAS — The city of Manassas has acquired Annaburg Manor, a historic property, for the purpose of turning it into park space. The property has 3.65 acres of land, but the building is badly in need of renovation.

“Resident surveys have noted a lack of public space and a need for additional space in the community. This is a very nice, undeveloped area,” said Manassas city manager Patrick Pate.

Annaburg Manor was previously owned by the Prince William Hospital Corporation and they voted on last week to sell the land to the city for $846,000. The city of Manassas has 60 days to perform “due diligence” and assess the physical condition of the property.

Ideally, for the city, an interested nonprofit organization will step up and take over the renovation of the property before those 60 days are up. Prince William Hospital Corporation will provide a $75,000 challenge donation to that organization to help renovate the grounds.

Currently, an interested party has not emerged, but “we are hoping someone steps in to get it fixed,” said Patty Prince, communications manager for the city.

After the 60 days are up, Manassas city council will have the ability to publicly vote to appropriate the land.

Over the years, the manor has fallen into disrepair, crumbling from age and lack of upkeep.

“Any time you have a structure that is not being used, you’re going to have some deterioration,” Pate said. “The hospital has been very good about any issues that were pointed out, such as a loose drainage line, and they have fixed those issues.”

Councilmember Ian Lovejoy wrote a Facebook status explaining details of the sale. “One consistent issue brought up in citizen surveys and professional analysis the city has commissioned is our lack of green space/park infrastructure,” he wrote. “This deal is mainly about securing the green space around Annaburg as a park. The house is largely just along for the ride.”

“The plan is to use money from land sales at Gateway to complete the purchase, rather than general fund/tax based revenue,” Lovejoy said.

In addition to its land, the manor has historic significance as well. It was built from 1892 to 1894 by Robert Portner, and was one of the first homes to have mechanical air conditioning. It was later used as a nursing and rehabilitation center from the 1960s to 2007, run by Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center.

“This beautiful piece of land will make a great addition to the City’s parkland,” Mayor Hal Parrish said in a press release. “On a beautiful day, I can see children playing in the park, folks taking a break from the day in this space and even an occasional wedding or event taking place here.”

This will be the 16th park for the city of Manassas. Pate said it will most likely be a passive park — something with nice walking trails and picnic tables. As the discussion moves forward, Pate said that the city will likely hold neighborhood meetings to find out what amenities residents would like to have in the park.