Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg are recognizable historic sites in Virginia. Two Virginia Beach teens are hoping to give other buildings and locations in Hampton Roads the same elevation.
Ryan Chen and Varun Venkatadasari started the nonprofit Tidewater Historical Restoration Initiative to document, advocate for and eventually clean up sites that aren’t as well-known outside of local circles.
“A lot of people don't think that those historical sites are worth their time, because they're not famous,” Ryan said. “But it's one story, and how people in our community in the past used to live.”
The 16-year-old was shocked by the condition of a dilapidated church in Norfolk. It looked vandalized and abandoned, and its appearance didn’t reflect its historic status. He launched the nonprofit in April.
Initially, he wanted to restore those places, but realized the process is expensive. Instead, he said the initiative will focus on compiling context about a site and its condition.
Ryan and Varun have documented six sites. The first was the Christian Temple of Norfolk. Sitting in the Park Place neighborhood, the Gothic Revival-style church was built in the 1920s and has been empty since 2006. It was deemed eligible for the National Historic Registry, according to a 1997 survey, but it is not on the list.
The teens observe the building’s architectural features and note the overgrowth surrounding the church, graffiti on its walls and cracked and missing windows.
With each visit, Varun said he’s learned something about the landmark.
“Just learning about this helps me get closer to my community and have a better understanding of the people around me,” he said. “These places aren't just old structures that are supposed to be forgotten by humanity. They carry the legacy of the people before us.”
Hanna Kirby, the director of operations and communication at Norfolk’s Hunter House Victorian Museum, said the nonprofit is seeing an influx of younger people interested in volunteering and preserving local history.
“We try to encourage and inspire where we can in the history field,” Kirby said. “Nothing will get a historian more hooked on preservation than a hands-on opportunity.”
Ryan and Varun, rising Ocean Lakes Math and Science Academy juniors, hope to recruit more people, including their classmates. They want to fundraise for supplies to work with property owners on beautification projects.
Ryan said he hopes that, by doing this work, more sites will receive recognition outside of the area and be preserved. Varun wants to one day expand their work to the rest of the state and, one day, nationally.
“Our goal is to at least have a good impact on our region,” Varun said. “If we could at least try to preserve it for the future generations, we could, in a way, leave our mark on humanity as we keep advancing.”
