City asks for input on Annaburg Manor park

The City of Manassas Parks, Culture and Recreation Department will hold a community meeting on October 26 to determine the future of Annaburg Manor.

Why it matters: The city purchased the nearly four-acre property from the Prince William Hospital Corporation in July for $846,000.

• The purchase created the 16th park in the city.
• But now, the question remains what to do with that land.
• “The purpose of the community meeting is to find out what the community would like to see … a “park” is a pretty broad term.  Also what about the house.  What should it be used for?  What if a private entity will renovate it for us but wants to use it as a B&B?” Manassas’s Community Development Director Liz Via-Gossman said in an e-mail to Potomac Local. “…is the public interested in active recreation or a more passive park – will there be a playground or not, picnic tables, playfields, etc.”

For those who are unable to attend the meeting in person, there is also an opportunity to weigh in on-line on the city website.

• So far, there have been no submitted comments yet, Via-Gossman said.
• “Before the park is opened to the public, the City needs to make some necessary safety improvements including tree trimming, parking enhancement, and the addition of new signage,” according to the city website.

The meeting will be held on Saturday, October 26 from noon to 3 p.m. at Annaburg Manor, located at 9201 Maple Street in Manassas.

• It’s not the first time the city has sought input on this park.

Background: Annaburg Manor was the home of the Prussian entrepreneur Robert Portner in 1892.

• He named the home after his wife Anna.
• According to the city’s website, the property has had a history of being used for the community’s recreation.

Portner “generously enabled his neighbors to enjoy what was essentially a town park long before parks existed.”

• “After Robert and his wife Anna Portner passed away and the house was no longer occupied, residents recalled the grounds as a place to stroll, take photographs, and skate on the frozen ponds in winter.”
• “Residents and visitors also enjoyed attending the town’s Dairy Festival, 4th of July fireworks, and even church baptisms in the estate’s pond,” according to the city’s website.
• The mansion later became a nursing home in the 1960s.