ELLEN VIRGINIA NASH

Ellen Virginia Nash (‘ENIE’) comes to mind every time I go to The New Basics Cookbook by Rosso & Lukins, the authors of the Silver Palate cookbooks. Seldom is cooking a ham (weight, time, temperature) on a need to know basis. This ham, however, is meant for ham biscuits at today’s celebration of Frances Brand’s ‘First’s’ series. If ever there was a ‘First’ it was Ellen Virginia Nash who was one of the first women to graduate from the University of Virginia Law School.* ENIE presented me with the cookbook one evening in her cottage at Kenwood after my having brought her favorite supper, steak and salad. Pearson, ENIE's long-time friend who worked for her at Kenwood and later cared for her through a crippling disease, set the tables with fine silver and plates. We supped that last meal together soon before ENIE passed in 1993. Oddly, the cooking of this ham is poignant for many reasons.

Kenwood was designed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s architect cousin, William A. Delano, and it lies just beyond Monticello across the road. The cottage is close to the main house and was designed especially for President Roosevelt's use (called the ‘Little White House’ by Life Magazine); that is the cottage where ENIE lived. The estate was built for and owned by Frances Nash Watson, a world-renowned pianist and ENIE's aunt. Kenwood is now headquarters of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson studies, bequeathed to the University upon ENIE's death, which has a long-term lease with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Another fond memory is the piano concert given in memoriam to Frances, hosted by ENIE, who was in a wheel chair at that point. It was the first and only time I had been in the main house. The sounds of the music, in concert with the setting sun and incredible vista through the large windows looking toward Monticello were unforgettable.

*05/16 Unbelievably, I woke up this morning and wondered if BRANDY has painted ENIE ... AND THE ANSWER IS YES ... the baking of the ham has come full circle!

FRANCES CHRISTIAN BRAND HONORED

Please join us in celebrating the life and paintings of FRANCES CHRISTIAN BRAND at the Carver Recreation Center on 4th Street - City, Saturday, May 16th from 4 to 6 pm. The BRAND Family has donated BRANDY'S "First's" series to the Charlottesville Albemarle Historical Society. Restoration of the portrait of Charles Barbour is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Library and Museum Services.

This painting by FRANCES CHRISTIAN BRAND is a portrait of Dr. Nathan Johnson, first African American faculty member, University of Virginia School of Education. Many of BRANDY'S works are unidentified and it is hoped that people will come forward with any information regarding her unknown works which are at the Charlottesville Albemarle Historical Society.

Please go to the on-line invitation and hit the 'R.S.V.P.' graphic to confirm.

L'HÔTEL MONTICELLO STILL STANDING

Construction of L'HÔTEL Monticello (L'HÔTEL) at 500 Court Square started in 1924 and opened in 1926. The building was designed by architect Stanhope Johnson of Johnson and Brannan. It was a full-scale five-star hotel hosting many famous guests including Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, band leaders Tommy Dorsey and Guy Lombardo, writer Gertrude Stein, and movie stars Robert Taylor, Sterling Hayden, and Joan Blondell. The dining room of the Monticello Hotel was locally renowned until it closed in 1989 and was converted into office space now housing the law firm of Michie Hamlett Lowry Rasmussen & Tweel. Today L'HÔTEL houses luxury condominium apartments (well, sort of luxury) and POG VC, who has resided there for twenty years, can guarantee L'HÔTEL will not go the way of the Landmark 'Luxury' Hotel or the Greenbrier Resort. Why? Because we the people own and operate it, with a frugal Board that sees to it that we stay IN THE BLACK.

On August 2, 1927 a few minutes after 8 p.m. the 'largest searchlight in the world' lit up the sky from on L'HÔTEL's roof, which was claimed to be visible three hundred miles away. The light scanned the heavens over Charlottesville, and was often pointed at distant Monticello at night. A very good article was reprinted in Lighthouse Digest (taken from an old Daily Progress article) in September, 2005.

Built by Sperry for army use in spotting airplanes at night, the searchlight was given to Charlottesville as a gift by the Virginia Public Service Company (now Dominion Power). It was named The Thomas Jefferson Light (what else?) and would be operated by linemen from the power company.

Directly across the street is the historic Albemarle County Courthouse. Construction of the first building was from 1763 and 1781. Additions were made 1803 and 1860, and the building was remodeled and restored in 1938.

The Thomas Jonathan 'Stonewall' Jackson Monument to the west of the courthouse building in Jackson Park was unveiled in 1921. Jackson detested riding and the pony is a bit diminutive. He liked it that way; small and steady (gait). The gardens on the 17,500 square foot are exquisite, planted to rotate with the seasons.

Living in the Historic District has been a wonderful pleasure for the past two decades. Y'ALL COME and see L'HÔTEL, a relative success story in Charlottesville! No Crack Heads, no Meth Heads and no Old White Clubs. Just a beautiful building with stories that would defy the Fawlty Towers scriptwriters. "88" Keys Wilson who worked at L'HÔTEL for five decades, the elderly lady who rode up and down the elevator for hours sitting on a Chippendale bench dead, and a cast of characters one could not make up. One sad note: this Spring we lost our building manager Bill Muller. More than just a manager, Bill was a person who we all miss very much. L'HÔTEL doesn't seem the same without him.

GREENBRIER-PATCH BANKRUPTS

Another luxury hotel goes bankrupt. The (i) Green- brier Hotel Corp., the (ii) Green- brier Resort and Club Management Co., the (iii) Greenbrier IA, Inc., the (iv) Old White Development Co., the (v) Old White Club Corp., and the (vi) Greenbrier Golf and Tennis Corp., debtors, (GREENBRIER- PATCH) have filed for Chapter 11 in The United States Bankruptcy Court for The Eastern District of Virginia Richmond Division. B'rer Rabbit says, "Yep, they-all gonna beat C'ville's Crack House down. We-all got a betta, bigga Meth House with a few stills thrown in the back forty for good luck here in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, now that 'ole GREENBRIER- PATCH is IN THE BRIAR PATCH!"

'America's Most Fabulous Decorator' Dorothy Draper who decorated the GREENBRIER- PATCH, a landmark (another landmark!) hotel since the 1770's, may be IN THE PINK but 'ole GREENBRIER-PATCH is IN THE RED! An auction will be conducted on June 12, 2009, at 10:00 Eastern Time at the offices of McGuire Woods LLP in Richmond, Virginia. GREENBRIER- PATCH owes $100,000,000 - $500,000,000$ and of course debtors are blaming the poor economic environment. Just the Old White Club whining. Donald Trump was looking at it but let's face it, is Ivanka who works for her dad going to be spending any time in West Virginia? Paris, Manhattan, South Beach, London and White Sulphur Springs? I think not.

B'rer Rabbit says, "That little hottie Ivanka ain't gonna be comin' to the GREENBRIER- PATCH, 'specially now that the Union is takin' a pay cut to save it. Ain't gonna be the same bowin' and scrapin' to the rich folks. Course a little white lightnin' might do her good. Mebbe she could host that 'Prentice show here. We-all would have to make sure she stays out of THE BRIAR PATCH." Everyone in Greenbrier County watches the show, mainly to see Ivanka. Bottom line is Old White Club, you're FIRED!

C'VILLE CRACK HOUSE

C'Ville is now the home of the largest CRACK HOUSE in the country, i.e., the world. The skeletal remains of the Landmark (landmark is correct!) Hotel are now being shrouded in plywood. The final nails are in the coffin of the planned luxury hotel, set to open on July 4th of this year. City planner Jim Tolbert says the site is presently being secured by Clancy & Theys workers before it is abandoned. CRACK HOUSE is goin' be ready for big Indy Pendence Day doin's, but not by the crackheads, as one would think, but by the usually non-violent residents of C'Ville.

During the 1980's the strongest economy in many dwindling inner cities was the drug trade. In POG VC's home state of New York, a devastating result of property abandonment in areas such as Brooklyn, South Bronx, South Jamaica and Queens was the destruction by fires, leaving entire city blocks literally burned out. Abandoned buildings laid waste by neglect and/or arson naturally became, yeah, CRACK HOUSE's. Enraged citizens often finished the job, burning down these abandoned building in the hope of killing off the crackheads as the drug trade brought violent crimes to their already hopeless situations. Some good C'Ville citizens could set off their own FIREWORKS and could rightly claim we are asking for it. Charlottesville CRACK HOUSE Download.

Charlottesville's CRACK HOUSE exacerbates the empty space currently on the Downtown Mall. The first sight POG VC encounters when walking from her front door down the adjoining 5th Street to the mall is EMPTY Order From Horder, EMPTY Army and Navy Store, and EMPTY Sage Moon Gallery to name a few. Of course, the bricks look great and the Paramount is beautiful . . . quite an up-scale 'hood for the crackheads. Ought to make their lives fairly pleasant. Maybe take in a show and have a nice meal at one of the local feeding posts, and watch the FIREWORKS at Midnight. Crackheads should have a great view from the 'penthouse' floor. Crackheads know this is America because they can see Monticello from their CRACK HOUSE. And Mr. Jefferson is rolling over in his grave.