(Image not Whiteoaks. A small country home by Ryan Bruce)

Homebuyers looking in the Burke area have a unique chance to own a piece of Northern Virginia history! A historic Burke property that was once a schoolhouse was recently listed for sale, and while it remains on the market, prospective home buyers and interested house hunters can attend an open house handled by the listing agent, Jennifer Mack Properties.

Historic Whiteoaks

Whiteoaks, as listed, is now a five-bedroom, 3 bedroom house that sits on close to an acre of property. But it didn’t start out as a single-family home. It was originally a two-room schoolhouse known as Burke Elementary School!

Built about 110 years ago in 1911, the original schoolhouse had no electricity or running water and had heat supplied by two wood-burning stoves. It featured a pair of rooms on either side of a large center hall, though a third classroom was added in the 1920s. 

Not that many years later, in 1939, Burke has grown so rapidly that the area needed a new larger school, which was built at Burke Lake Road and Lee Chapel Road. The former schoolhouse property was left vacant until the next decade when a neighbor purchased it to turn it into a home. The ceiling was lowered to create a second level that could accommodate two bedrooms and a bathroom. Electricity was added and a “Pullman” kitchen was installed.

The Cornelson family, which has owned the home since purchasing it from its first residential owner, moved into the home in 1950 and gave it a name — Whiteoaks, in reference to a large white oak tree in the front yard.

Over time, the family, which alternately lived in the home and rented it out, added air conditioning, a screened sunporch, and a garage with a workshop. While the property was modernized with essentials, it was also lovingly maintained, keeping the original hardwood floors and as much of the charm of the original schoolhouse as possible.

These days the original schoolhouse rooms are used as a study and a living room. On the lower wing, there is a large primary suite that has a cozy corner fireplace, a walk-in closet and a large full bath with jetted tub. An additional bedroom finishes off this wing. The large kitchen space offers a breakfast area and reading nook. Off the kitchen, prospective buyers will find the newly added light-filled sunroom, perfect for a relaxing morning coffee. This lower level is finished off with a formal dining room, additional bedroom, and full bath. 

Upstairs offers two additional large bedrooms and a full bath. There is also a finished storage space that could be used as a home office, crafting suite, or play area.

 The listing agent claims the exterior, .9 acres, is “an entertainer’s dream” with excellent landscaping and a large slate patio with a pond. There is even a well that remains to maintain the fish pond.

It is truly a great space for summer barbecues and fall nights by the fire pit. It is also a spacious yard to enjoy outdoor activities and distanced social events with family and friends.

Whiteoaks is located in the coveted Lake Braddock school system, is situated on a quiet street without any through traffic, and offers privacy on its almost one-acre lot. 

If owning a historic property interests you, or you’re looking for this or another home in the Burke area, let LIST WITH ELIZABETH® help you find your ideal home today!