On May 31, 2021, in VDARE.com Is Building A Fortress—Visible And Invisible, I introduced the five initiatives critical to the survival of immigration patriotism as a movement, and VDARE.com specifically. Each week in June, I’ll be focusing on one initiative.

Today I tackle Initiative #4: Complete the renovation and conversation of our new and beautiful physical facility in historic Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

This work is not easy, and it is not cheap. Please consider becoming a donor today to fuel our important work.

Sneak Peek Into The New VDARE HQ

The Visible Fortress!

Between 2016 and 2019, I contracted with some ten different hotels for VDARE.com conferences, only to be canceled by every single hotel because of hate-filled Woke Left harassment. We were willing to proceed, but the hotels could not take the heat. With this beautiful new facility, Cancel Culture cannot stop VDARE.com’s meetings, parties or conferences!

As would be the case with any historic property, we have had our hands full getting the space in order. We experienced a dramatic setback last summer when our main conference room was smashed by a falling tree. While we repaired the extensive damage done to the roof and interior, we are taking the opportunity to improve and beautify the room, expanding its capacity and upgrading the presentation space.

Here is a sneak peek at the new space that will welcome our visitors in later in 2021:

At the time of our purchase of the castle, we thought of it as turn-key. Sure, there are some deferred maintenance issues and necessary improvements that need to be addressed, but that is true with many perfectly usable properties, especially historic stone castles built into mountainsides!

We did not anticipate this major setback:

A massive tree fell through the roof of the conference room on the third floor, and the China Virus introduced massive restrictions on all kinds of things including access to repair and installation staff from utility companies, and unprecedented shipping and delivery delays on important product orders.

But I have reason to believe that the hardest part of this bottleneck is behind us! And I’m delighted to share with you the very first sneak peek at the final watercolor perspectives of the interior and exterior of the conference room, currently slated for completion this summer!

Design and approval processes and critical labor shortages, as well as the Covid epidemic, have delayed completion by several months.

But the most crucial materials have finally arrived: Massive trusses that will be added to the third-floor roof, elevating it from an industrial and unsightly drop ceiling under a flat roof, to a 10-foot-high beauty supporting a historically and architecturally sympathetic pitched roof.

Meanwhile, we've been busy behind the scenes marking numerous repairs and improvements off the to-do list:

Office Move – We’re pleased to announce all office staff have relocated to beautiful Berkeley Springs! The sale of our Connecticut office is imminent. (We will always recieve mail at our Litchfield office but stay tuned for a new WV address as well.)
Termites Not Welcome – An infestation was discovered shortly after Easter, and we immediately moved to mitigate the problem. With a building full of beautiful woodwork like our castle, we cannot afford to wait!

Leak - WE FOUND IT!

After months of mystery and several technical consultations, we’ve identified the cause of a major water leak. The plastic water main pipe had been crushed in several places by rocks, and further damaged by the roots of nearby shrubs. We’ve repaired the worst of it but need to replace the main entirely, down the road.

Painting the Great Hall

We took advantage of the colder months to get some long-needed painting done. Chosen for impact, the Great Hall, Formal Dining Room and Koi Bridge are now brightened and cleaned up, ready for your admiration!

Furnace – While we were proud to conserve energy last winter keeping unused rooms cooler, we were disappointed the furnace on the main floor decided to go into permanent retirement and bit the dust. After two months of waiting for the replacement, the Great Hall is now fully climate-controlled for your all-season enjoyment.

UP NEXT!

Security – It is critical that the castle is fully secure for the safety of our staff and guests. First order of business is upgrading our manual gate and connecting to our larger security system.
Rewiring – The castle is 135 years old and West Virginia doesn't have building inspections, need we say more? 😊

The VDARE.com headquarters at Berkeley Springs Castle is a sign to the world and to ourselves that American patriots cannot be shouted down, cannot be shamed and cannot be canceled into defeat.

We remain unmoved in our determination to preserve the Historic American Nation—like a stone castle built on a mountain!

If you would like to volunteer your time or talent to help us get this inspiring meeting space in order, please email [email protected] or myself at [email protected].

And please, if you are able, donate here to support our quick progress!

If you would like to volunteer for or sponsor projects like these, please give us a call at 860-361-6231 or email [email protected] or myself [email protected]!

Lydia Brimelow
VDARE Foundation President
VDARE.com Publisher