By Randy Arrington
LURAY, June 6 — Mayor Jerry Dofflemyer holds fond memories of playing inside the historic two-story home on a rainy day, or out in the backyard by the Hawksbill Creek on a sunny afternoon. His childhood friend David Blevins and his family lived in this beautiful spot…so close to downtown, and yet still in touch with nature.
Years after the Blevins family moved on, the old home was known as the Goshen House and rented out for many years for special events. The word “Goshen” means “place of comfort,” according to Mayor Dofflemyer, and it is truly fitting. This peaceful setting along the creek also sits within a short walk to everything that Downtown Luray has to offer.
And that’s what attracted new investors.
“When this property became available we were immediately interested because it is a historic home and, of course, its location,” said Luke Brennan, Chief Strategy Officer of Patriot Family Homes based in Chattanooga, Tenn. The new owners purchased the property from Valley Care Management, which operates the adjacent Hawksbill Assisted Living facility. Brennan formed Patriot Family Homes with friends and partners Joe Riley and Kit Dobyns less than six years ago. Riley introduced his partners to this area when he was stationed near Washington, D.C. as an Army Ranger.
“Everyone has welcomed us with open arms to Downtown Luray,” Brennan continued. “We have single-family homes we offer as vacation rentals throughout the Shenandoah Valley. People love coming to these homes, and we do too, because of the people we get to meet and interact with.”
Last week, a group of community leaders and supporters gathered at 120 N. Hawksbill St. to cut a ribbon and celebrate the site’s grand opening, which was hosted by the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce.
“Thank you for investing in this property,” Chamber President Gina Hilliard said. “Not only does it provide another place to stay for people visiting the area, but it also provides easy access to Downtown Luray…and the renovations you did are tremendous.”
One of the first changes was to knock down the fence in the backyard that separated the property from the Luray-Hawksbill Greenway. Now, the backyard of The Legacy Inn, as it’s now known, literally joins the paved walkway that winds through downtown alongside the trout-stocked Hawksbill Creek. The new owners of Luray’s newest vacation rental spent about 18 months renovating the historic home, due mostly to the same construction delays and supply chain issues everyone experienced. They created seven different areas that guests could stay within the home, while sharing some common areas.
“We like historic homes and we like doing updates and renovations to make it more appealing, but do so [and operate it] in a way that was a lighter touch than a B&B,” Brennan said. “We’re creating a highbred concept of taking historic property and making it a nice property people could come and stay, but do so in a way that made sense economically.”
While a “very light breakfast” will be provided to guest — possibly baked goods from downtown eateries — no meals will be prepared on site. Instead, the new owners hope to push guests toward downtown eateries and shops through access to certificates, coupons, flyers and promotional material to downtown opportunities. That includes special events that will literally be happening in the backyard — like the upcoming “Downtown Get Down” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4, featuring family activities, live music, food vendors and the largest fireworks display in the region.
“Our big thing is becoming part of the community and helping everybody grow,” said Emily Kane, who will be the on-site property host.
Brennan admits their new vacation rental concept is “not totally original.” It’s something they saw previously in the downtown area of Raleigh, N.C.…but it’s new for them. And if the idea of restoring historic homes and transforming them into a lighter version of B&Bs for multiple guests works out, then they plan to open more “Legacy Inns” and create a new brand within their already fast-growing company. While only five years old, Patriot Family Homes manages 550 properties mostly made up of single-family homes offered as vacation rentals. The Tennessee-based company already has 10 properties in Page County.
“We’re interested in investing in more in the area…we really loved this place because it’s a really unique historic house, and we’d love to invest in more,” Brennan said. “We’re trying to build a new model for us…older, larger homes that we can renovate and operate in a way that makes the numbers work. We can’t do massive renovations, but perhaps there will be more ‘Legacy Inns’ in the future…and Luray will be the first.”
In addition to a weekend getaway, the new owners are also promoting The Legacy Inn as a great spot for special events or destination micro-weddings.
“We’re really excited to see what summer has to offer,” Brennan said. “We asked ourselves, how do we make this a fixture in Luray? We’re seeing if it’s a model we can replicate.”
They plan to work with the Chamber of Commerce and the Luray Downtown Initiative to coordinate efforts with local businesses and upcoming events.
“We’re so glad that you chose to invest here,” Mayor Dofflemyer said last week during the grand opening. “A lot of things are going on downtown, and we certainly thank you for being here and being part of it.”
For availability, rates and more information about The Legacy Inn in Luray, Va.
check out theirwebsite at https://www.legacyinnluray.com/
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