Historic Tavern Sold To Nonprofit For $600K By Loudoun Government

ALDIE, VA — Loudoun County supervisors agreed to sell a county-owned historic tavern and 6-acre property in Aldie to the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). The conservation nonprofit will pay $600,000 for the historic property, which is known as the Aldie Assemblage.

As part of the agreement, the Loudoun County fire department will continue leasing a garage on the property to store swift water rescue equipment. The county will lease the space at no cost until the new Aldie fire station is built.

The Aldie Assemblage property includes a 200-year-old tavern, a two-story smokehouse, a garage, a barn, a cottage, a Victorian house, and a dry goods store. The PEC said it would like to have the property added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Piedmont Environmental Council said in the purchase process that it would seek extensive renovations on the property to preserve its historical value. PEC officials said they would also work to create a public green along the river for fishing and non-motorized boating.

A report from county staff members included five letters of support from local organizations.

"We firmly believe that the PEC’s ownership of the Aldie Assemblage will guarantee that these

historic properties will be preserved, that the historic fabric of the village will be protected, and that it will remove the threat of inappropriate development on this historically and environmentally sensitive site," Katie Johnson, president of the Aldie Heritage Association said in a letter to supervisors. "Their purchase offer for the Aldie Assemblage provides a positive

solution that will finally relieve the County of any further obligation for these properties, and will at long last close this difficult chapter for both the County and the Aldie community."