Ambitious proposals to save historic Fort DuPont

• The spartan fort could become a community of renovated historic homes and new canal housing.
• The first phase of the project is likely to be development of housing along the Branch Canal.

In the five years that Laura Lee lived in former military housing on the remains of Fort DuPont, she couldn't help but think about the fresh-baked pies a long-ago grandmother would leave on the sunporch window sill for German soldiers imprisoned there during World War II.

"I feel those people all around me," said Lee, a state park historian who has a wealth of first-hand stories from former fort residents, including those German prisoners of war. "I would look out the window and see my daughter riding her bike and I would smile because it reminded me of the army kids that used to play there as children. People look at the military fortifications and think it was just soldiers. But it was a community."

But Lee worries that a special chapter of Delaware history is slowly disappearing. She has watched the deterioration of the 312-acre site, with nearly half of the 63 historic buildings vacant, including the 1933 movie theater and 1901 post guardhouse with the original tin ceiling.

Now, a proposed solution to save the remains of the fort that defended the Delaware River and Bay for nearly 100 years comes with some rather upscale trappings. A 150-slip marina, a hotel, restaurant and new waterfront houses on the Branch Canal across from Delaware City are just a few of the ideas being floated by state leaders in a push to redevelop the property.

The vision to revitalize the post, which is listed as a National Historic District, came from Gov. Jack Markell.

"It's a spectacular piece of property," Markell said. "It's beautiful. It's underutilized. If there's a way for us to create value, preserve history, and provide opportunity for the people of Delaware we should try to do it."

Master plan

Markell's vision is to make the post, Delaware City and Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island a tourist attraction that will serve as the Delaware Bayshore's northern gateway.

Under a new master plan developed over two years, the spartan fort could undergo a $60 million transformation, with the help of some taxpayer money, to a lively community of residents living in renovated historic homes and new canal housing. Some envision the area becoming an attraction for boaters, ecotourists and history buffs. Portions could be carved out for a college, corporate campus or healthcare facility.

The surrounding parkland would provide opportunities for sports, walking, hiking, biking and camping.

"Job number one is to put this property back to its highest and best use," said Matthew Chesser, environmental program administrator with the state's Division of Parks and Recreation under the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Development would be low density, not exceeding what was on the military base at its peak, although no numbers are available, , Chesser said.

Less than a third of the post would be redeveloped, with restoration and new construction designed to complement the existing historic architecture. Surrounding the developed area would be the 155-acre Fort DuPont State Park.

The majority of the fort would remain open space for recreational and park use, a wildlife habitat and sea-level rise mitigation. The fort's parade ground would be kept and used for festivals and playing fields.

"Obviously, you have to do it very thoughtfully," Markell said. "You can't pave the whole thing over. Nearly 70 percent would be open and there would be some restoration of wetlands and systems that would help us manage the flooding."

Markell said the key will be to let the science drive any development. The project will have to work around both environmental and historic preservation issues.

"Because most of it is focused on restoring wildlife habitat and historic buildings and providing recreational opportunities, we think it strikes the right balance," said Collin O'Mara, secretary of DNREC, which has taken the lead in the project.

Most of the investment would come largely from the private sector, Chesser said. One suggestion is to sell land for housing and institutional uses.

But O'Mara points out that plans could alter depending on market conditions, environmental considerations or other factors.

"The master plan is a living document," O'Mara said. "It's a guideline."

Fort DuPont Development Corp.

Legislation is expected to be introduced in the next few weeks that would create a development corporation made up of seven members. The governor would appoint one; the secretaries of DNREC and Health and Social Services each would appoint one; and the state Historic Preservation Office would appoint another, according to Richard Cathcart, Delaware City manager.

The mayor of Delaware City would have three appointments.

Once the Fort DuPont Development Corp. is created, the first order of business will be to hire an executive director, Cathcart said. The legislation will include a funding mechanism, but details were not available.

"The sweet spot to be in would be to have someone who's been through this at some other location," Cathcart said. "This is not going to be a political appointment."

He said the model for the development corporation is based on Fort Monroe in Hampton, Va., including having a small, manageable board and keeping the focus on historic preservation. Fort Monroe, at Old Point Comfort on the Chesapeake Bay, has a master plan for the property that was approved by the governor in 2013.

It calls for preserving the open space, reusing the historic buildings and providing recreational opportunities. Buildings have already been leased for a restaurant, bank and other uses. Single-family homes, duplexes, townhouses and apartments are available for lease.

The Fort DuPont development corporation would take title to the property and function as the project manager on behalf of the state. The bill includes a provision to annex the property into Delaware City, which would need approval by city property owners, Cathcart said.

Cathcart said the annexation has the potential of increasing the population in Delaware City by 30 percent to 40 percent.

"This is a game changer for the city of Delaware City and Fort DuPont, no doubt about it," Cathcart said. "After it gets developed, it will be become the responsibility of Delaware City, so we should have a lot of say in it."

Project not without critics

Even at this early stage, there are critics.

To some, it's foolhardy to build new private structures in a low-lying area that could one day be inundated and require a public bail out. Markell, tapped by President Barack Obama to serve on a national climate change panel, has cautioned against developing areas vulnerable to sea-level rise.

"I think it's really hypocritical of the Markell administration to take publicly-owned land that is flood prone and sell it for private residential development in light of the fact they have put out recommendations to not incentivize development in flood-prone areas," said Dave Carter, conservation chair for Delaware Audubon and a former DNREC coastal programs manager. "It's a short sighted, poorly-thought-out policy decision."

But O'Mara said the state must decide if it wants to preserve Fort DuPont, which was part of a Delaware River coastal defense system that included Fort Delaware and Fort Mott across the Delaware River in Pennsville, N.J.

"Do you want to restore and breathe life into a site that is representative of an important part of our history or do you want to ignore it and let it crumble to the ground?" O'Mara said.

One of the biggest challenges is the site's location in the 100-year floodplain. O'Mara said by using the required modern floodplain construction standards, the community could be a model of sustainable and resilient development.

"The science will drive where we allow activity or development," O'Mara said.

Some historic preservationists worry new development could change the character of the post.

"I think right now it's still recognizable as the military installation it was, but that could be lost among a lot of new development," said John Martin of Delaware City, who is forming "Friends of Forts DuPont and Delaware," a nonprofit organization to support the forts and their natural resources.

"I think it's been a victim of very poor stewardship by the state," he said

Martin believes the idea of the Fort DuPont Development Corp. is positive in that it would bring the site under single control rather than multiple state agencies.

"It's a special place," Martin said. "It's needs to be preserved. Once it's gone, it's gone. You can't recreate history."

Important part of history

As state treasurer, Markell toured Fort DuPont and had the same reaction as many who see it for the first time. He saw an underutilized state asset laden with historic significance and natural beauty.

"It really got me thinking" Markell said.

Faced with a choice of restoring it or abandoning it, Markell said he felt the state could thoughtfully develop portions of the land.

To David Orr, assistant professor of archeology at Temple University who lives in Delaware City, the choice is simple. If the fort is not preserved, an important chapter of Delaware history will be lost forever.

When Orr visits Fort DuPont, he thinks of a young Col. U.S. Grant III, who was commandant of the fort from 1934 to 1936. Walking a little to the south, he sees the German prisoners of war who came over on the transport ships.

He wonders what their experiences were like.

"I see Fort DuPont as a chance to tell the stories of these people and of great wars of the 20th century," Orr said. "It's a special place and it needs intervention."

In 1826, the land that is now Fort DuPont was laid out with a grid pattern of streets as part of Delaware City. But when the canal city failed to live up to expectations, it became a defensive position on the Delaware River with a gun battery constructed on the land during the Civil War.

In the final years of the 19th century, a new mainland post was authorized and Fort DuPont became official in 1899 as way to defend Wilmington and Philadelphia from naval attack. It was named for Civil War hero Rear Adm. Samuel Francis du Pont, who grew up along the Brandywine River.

While the post was used during the two great wars of the 20th century, it was declared surplus after World War II with the state taking possession in 1947.

More recent uses of site

Once it became state land, the Gov. Bacon Health Center was established there in 1948 with former post buildings used for a mental health facility.

But changes in the philosophy of how health care should be delivered has reduced the use of Gov. Bacon, said Rita Landgraf, secretary of health and social services. In the 1940s, most of the state health care facilities were out of the way and isolated, which is no longer considered the best practice. Today, the former barracks are used for long-term care for 60 people. The highest census for the health center came in 1978 when there were 122 residents there.

Today, Gov. Bacon comprises 157 acres of the fort's property. The parks department has 155 acres. Many buildings belonging to the DHSS are vacant.

Also on Gov. Bacon property is Gateway Foundations, Inc., an 80-bed residential addiction treatment program contracted by DHSS. Landgraf said the program is moving to the Delaware Hospital for the Chronically Ill in Smyrna. The modern low-rise buildings along the Branch Canal that were used by Gateway are slated for demolition.

Landgraf said when she first visited the post in the 1980s, she had the same reaction as Markell.

"When I stand there and look at it I can just imagine. You can see what it was," Landgraf said. "I feel bad it was allowed to deteriorate."

Much needs to be done

The first phase of the project is likely to be the development of housing along the Branch Canal, which was the original 1829 Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Cathcart said the goal is to issue the first request for proposal this summer or fall.

"What we really need to do is start generating some revenues. Housing in this area is booming right now," Cathcart said.

The historic buildings could be sold with restrictions for restoration, leased or remain in state ownership. The southeastern portion of the land could be used for larger buildings, like a corporate or college campus, that would be buffered by woodlands and protected wetlands.

The master plan also calls for the removal of invasive plants, a restoration of the shoreline and preservation of the military fortifications.

A former Army landfill containing hazardous waste needs to be cleaned up. DNREC is working on that now with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Carving a marina out of what is now land filled with materials dredged from the canal requires approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers, DNREC and others, Chesser said. Any bridge from the fort to Delaware City also would need multiple approvals.

The existing roads and utilities need investment.

Striking the right balance

When state historian Lee lived at the fort from May 2008 to January, people visiting the park would often ask, "How can I live here?"

To Lee, the development is the best hope for the historic landmark's preservation.

"The key is to strike a good balance of new development, married with restoration," Lee said. "The trick is getting the right people on this project to make sure this historic aspect is preserved."

Vacancy and water damage have taken a toll on the buildings. When Lee moved into her post house, no one had lived there for 30 years.

"My daughter thought it was creepy," said Lee, who, weather permitting, will hold a walking tour of the fort on Sunday at 2 p.m. "Then all her friends would come and they'd say, 'This is cool.'"

All the buildings are alive with memories, Lee said.

"People fell in love there. There were dances. Kids grew up there and went to the soda fountain. They rode their bikes and skinned their knees," Lee said.

In the movie theater one Sunday in 1941, the film was interrupted to announce the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Four years later, German prisoners of war were made to watch newsreels of the horrors encountered during liberation of the concentration camps by the Allied troops.

Bonnie Bonner Rorabaugh, 86, of Dover, lived on the post from 1928 to 1941. She remembers days of musical calls: reveille; assembly; mess call; mail call; retreat; to the color; tattoo; taps.

"It was a real bugler then, not a recording," she said.

She remembers the cool breeze on summer evenings sitting on the screened-in porch facing the river. Because a friend's father managed the theater, there were times she saw a new film every day.

Even the family's old quarters is standing, but vacant. Rorabaugh would love to see the post redeveloped

"I have so many wonderful memories," she said.

Contact Maureen Milford at (302) 324-2881 or mmilford@delawareonline.com.