Two Fort Monroe buildings to be rehabilitated and leased to the public

Two buildings at Fort Monroe will be rehabilitated and leased to the public as commercial and residential properties.

The Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees voted to approve the $1.1 million project at its meeting on Thursday.

It is funded by a state allocation to the Fort Monroe capital improvement budget.

The authority described the move as another step in the execution of a master plan, which calls for the shuttered Army installation to be repurposed into a mixed-use community.

The buildings were each constructed in the late 19th century. Construction on the buildings is expected to begin in January and be completed by the spring.

The fort’s Building 83 will receive $550,000 in renovations and become the new office space for the Fort Monroe Authority staff, which is now in Old Quarters 1 inside the fortress. Building 83 was a post office for the military installation.

Another building, Building 80, was built in 1897 as a Visiting Officers’ Quarters. The building’s eight units were reconfigured into apartments in the 1920s. In 1927, a two-story wing was added, which housed kitchens and bathrooms. It was known as the Old Bachelors’ Quarters until around 1933, and it was converted to VIP quarters in 1972.