hmwPreservation

Cameron Village Historic District (Raleigh, NC)

2012-01-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

The Cameron Village Historic District encompasses the single-family residential portion of the Cameron Village neighborhood, which was designed to include single-family housing, multi-family apartment buildings, and a commercial district. Believed to be the first mixed-use development in the Southeast, Cameron Village was developed by J. Willie York with housing and commercial buildings designed by Raleigh architect Leif Valand and others.

The neighborhood was identified in a 2006 survey of Raleigh's mid-century resources that included all construction that took place between 1945 and 1965. Portions of the original neighborhood have been significantly altered, leaving the documented historic district comprised of about 50 houses (approximately 1/3 of the neighborhood). Platted in 1950, the neighborhood homes were mostly built in the early 1950s and in variations of the Ranch style. Residents included businessmen, politicians, developers, architects, and other upper-class occupants.

Cameron Village Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in December 2011.

523 Holloway Street - House

2012-01-03T11:45:00.007-05:00

The c. 1890 house at 523 Holloway Street is located in the Holloway Street Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The two-story Victorian home has undergone a full renovation including extensive structure work, all new mechanical systems and completely remodeled kitchen and bathroom spaces. After many years as a rental property, divided into two units at the start of the project, little interior fabric remained. The original stair newel and railing were retained and woodwork and flooring on the first floor were refinished. The house is a single-family home once again and is slated to received state Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Hampton-Ellis Farm (Bahama, North Carolina)

2012-01-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

The turn-of-the-century Ellis Farm is one of the most intact farmsteads remaining in Durham County. The three-room farmhouse, tenant house, feedhouse, and tobacco barn were purchased by the Ellis family in 1922. The house was enlarged by addition a room to the left end of the main side-gable. Additional outbuildings were erected to support the 100-acre farm that raised corn, wheat, barley, hay, oats, and tobacco. The buildings continued to be occupied and the land farmed until 1988.

The 15-acre parcel currently contains the Ellis farmhouse (for which renovations are planned), a tenant house, two wood sheds, two smokehouses, a cannery, garage, feedhouse, packhouse, order/stripping house, and four tobacco barns.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2010.

Uptown Suburbs Historic District (High Point, NC)

2012-01-01T22:42:00.001-05:00

The proposed Uptown Suburbs National Register Historic District consists of approximately 650 residential properties in several adjoining neighborhoods just northwest of downtown High Point. These include the Sheraton Hill, The Parkway, Roland Park, and Emerywood neighborhoods as well as the Johnson Street Local Historic District and a section of North Main Street. Residences were built from the 1910s through the 1960s and include Tudor Revival, Mission, Mediterranean, Italian Renaissance, Georgian Revival, and Colonial Revival style homes as well as later Minimal Traditional-style and Ranch-form homes.

The architectural survey of the proposed district has been completed and the full nomination is currently in draft form.

Barker House (Henderson, NC)

2011-09-20T22:26:00.003-04:00

The Barker House was constructed in the early- to mid-nineteenth century, potentially as a tenant house for the larger Barker Farm nearby. It stands on 115 acres and originally had a series of domestic outbuildings and barns. It may have been constructed in three stages as variations in the flooring and chimneys suggest that the two main rooms may have been constructed at different times, though the roof framing is consistent between the two rooms. The rear room and porch were likely added in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. The house was abandoned for a period around the turn-of-the-twentieth-century. It was likely updated with new windows, doors, drywall, and electrical systems when the house was occupied again in the early twentieth-century. The rear porch was likely enclosed and the bathroom and kitchen adjoined to the house in the mid-twentieth century.

The house has been vacant for approximately thirty years and the current owners, descendents of the Barkers, have cleared the area around the house, removed the failing outbuildings, and removed the later kitchen and bath additions.

1808 Vale Street - House

2011-09-20T22:10:00.004-04:00

The c. 1900 house is located in the East Durham Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The two-story folk-Victorian home will be updated with a new roof, exterior woodwork repair and paint, and interior plaster repair. Kitchen and bath renovations will occur during a later stage of renovation. The project is slated to received state Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

1111 N. Duke - Willis and Emily Aldridge House

2011-09-20T21:50:00.007-04:00

The Willis and Emily Aldridge House was erected in 1927 by University Home Builders. The first residents were listed in city directories in 1928, however the house was operated as a rental house until 1934.

The earliest residents were W. Avery Sorrell and John V. Barnhardt, president and vice-president of Sorrell Hardware. As the Great Depression wore on the house continued to be inhabited by two separate families. By 1932, the Sorrells and Barnhardts had moved out and another set of co-workers had moved in, Clifford W. Tilson and H. Connor Kennett, managers of the Durham Farmers Mutual Exchange.

In 1934, property was sold to Willis Aldridge and his wife Emily Dowdee Aldridge. Willis worked for Carolina Auto Service and later formed the Montgomery & Aldridge Company, which provided automobile-related service and supplies as well as appliances and televisions. The Montgomery & Aldridge Company remained in business until at least 1951, during which time Aldridge was also listed with the Durham Transportation Corporation (1944-45) and Hotel Gas & Storage Company (1944-51). Emily Aldridge worked at the Thomas Book Store.

Living with Willis and Emily Adridge were Emily’s parents, Leon and Catherine Dowdee. By the time Willis and Emily Aldridge purchased the house on North Duke Street in 1934, her parents were aging (Leon was 59 and Catherine was 54). While living on North Duke Street, Leon was listed as a tobacco worker and Catherine was listed alternately as both a department manager and seamstress at Baldwins. Leon passed away in 1945 and Willis and Emily Aldridge sold the house in 1952, moving to a large home on Devon Road in the Hope Valley neighborhood.

In 1952, the Aldridge’s sold the house to Emily’s sister Catherine and her husband, Garland Frank Penny. The elder Catherine Dowdee remained in the house with her older daughter until her death in 1958, after which the Penny’s sold the house.

407 Oakwood Avenue - Anderson-Sorrell House

2011-09-20T12:10:00.001-04:00

The c. 1907 Anderson-Sorrell House is located in the Holloway Street Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The two-story Victorian home has undergone a full renovation and contains completely remodeled kitchen and bathroom spaces as well as a re-constructed rear addition with enlarged first-floor living space and a master bath and closet on the second floor. Little interior fabric remained; original stair newel and railing were retained and period mantels and woodwork were re-installed. The project is slated to received state Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Hi Mount Historic District (Raleigh, NC)

2011-08-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

The Hi Mount Historic District is a mid-twentieth-century, transitional residential subdivision in Raleigh, North Carolina. The neighborhood was identified in a 2006 survey of Raleigh's mid-century resources that included all construction that took place between 1945 and 1965. The district is comprised of approximately 250 houses, built in four distinct building campaigns and ranging in style from Period Cottages and Minimal Traditional homes from 1940-1946, Cape Cod style homes in 1948, typical Minimal Traditional homes in 1949, and Minimal Traditional and Ranch homes from 1952-1954.

Approximately half of the homes were built by George W. Wright and his building companies (Wright Construction Company and Allied Building Company). The other half of the district was developed by Pine Ridge Homes and Hi Mount Homes; both companies were operated by well-known Raleigh developers Willie York and Ed Richards, who went on to develop Cameron Village and North Hills respectively. The neighborhood has remained stable but may be subject to redevelopment pressure as property values within the City of Raleigh continue to increase.

The Hi Mount Historic District was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in July 2011.

2110-2114 Angier Ave. - Commercial Building

2011-07-21T20:20:00.005-04:00

The c. 1950 Commercial Building is located in the East Durham Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The one-story, three-bay commercial structure experienced a significant fire in January 2011, leaving it without a roof structure, interior finishes, or existing storefronts on the left two bays.

The building is to be fully renovated and is slated to receive both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

1101 Iredell - Benjamin Perry House

2011-07-09T16:25:00.000-04:00

The c. 1927 Benjamin Perry House is located in the Watts-Hillandale Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house retains a full-width shed-roofed front porch with decorative brick balustrade and attached porte-cochere, wood shakes in the gable ends, and a decorative front-gabled dormer with four-over-one windows. The interior retains two original brick mantels and two wood mantels as well as original butler's pantry cabinetry and bathtubs. The renovated home features a contemporary kitchen and updated bathrooms. The enclosed rear porch was divided to create a master closet and screened porch off the kitchen. The basement was sealed and partially finished.

The house was fully renovated utilizing North Carolina's State Rehabilitation Tax Credits. Additionally, because the property is also located in a Local Historic District, changes to the exterior were approved by the Durham Historic Preservation Commission.

912 N. Mangum Street - Dr. Archibald Currie Jordan House

2011-05-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

The c. 1900 Dr. Archibald Currie Jordan House is located in the North Durham/Duke Park Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house retains a grand, two-story front porch supported by fluted columns, original wood weatherboards and two-over-two wood windows. The interior retains original mantel and tile fireplace surrounds on the first floor, a central stair with original newel and rails, and hardwood floors throughout. The house is being fully renovated with new plumbing, electrical, and heating systems throughout and a contemporary kitchen and bathrooms, including a new powder room on the first floor. The house is slated to receive State Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Ahoskie Historic District (Ahoskie, NC)

2011-03-11T12:52:00.010-05:00

The Ahoskie Historic District is located in Ahoskie, North Carolina, in the northeast portion of the state. The district encompasses an existing Ahoskie Downtown Historic District, adding to it nearly five-hundred resources dating from the 1860s through the 1960s. Resources
are predominantly residential and vary in style from Victorian and Italianate forms of the 1800s to Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles of the 1910s through 1930s to the Period Cottages and Minimal Traditional architecture of the 1940s and 1950s. Commercial, industrial, and institutional resources include early twentieth century downtown buildings, warehouses and manufacturing facilities along the railroad, several churches along Church and Main streets, and the Ahoskie High School.

A completed draft National Register nomination is currently under review by the State Historic Preservation Office.

North Durham-Duke Park Historic District (Durham, NC)

2011-03-11T12:29:00.005-05:00

The North Durham-Duke Park Historic District was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and included the core of the neighborhoods extending along Mangum Street from Little Five Points north to I-85. The district included the oldest and most architecturally significant homes in the neighborhood at the time, focusing on resources pre-dating the 1930s and centered along Mangum, Roxboro, Trinity, Seeman, and Lynch Streets.
A proposed expansion of the historic district has been submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office for review. The expansion would include approximately 400 resources constructed between 1930 and 1960, illustrating the continued development of the Old North Durham and Duke Park neighborhoods through mid-century. In addition to the Bungalows, Colonial Revival, Minimal Traditional, and Ranch homes, the district expansion would include Duke Park itself with its 1930s bathhouse and picnic shelter.

533 Main Street - John W. Ferrell & Company Furniture Store

2011-02-10T14:12:00.010-05:00

The c. 1885 John W. Ferrell & Company Furniture Store Building is located in the Downtown Danville Historic District in Danville, Virginia. The three-story brick building houses features an intricate brick cornice with corbelling, hound's tooth soldier courses, tumbled courses, and dentil-like courses. Storefronts to the two first-floor commercial spaces have been removed, but the spaces retain tin ceilings and wainscotting in the right (south) bay.

An exterior wood stair on the right side of the building leads to a second floor porch with an interior stair to the third floor. Housing a billiard hall, commercial school, cinema, artist studios, and a myriad of other uses over the years, the upper floors contain rooms of various sizes, many with fireplaces, wainscotting, and original wood floors. Rehab Builders (based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) will be converting the rear of the first floor, basement, second- and third-floor spaces into apartments, retaining the front of the first floor as commercial space. Tin ceilings, wainscot, wood floors, mantels, and doors and windows will be retained as possible. The project is slated to receive both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Town of Halifax Historic District (Halifax, NC)

2011-01-20T16:01:00.006-05:00

The sixteen-block Town of Halifax Historic District, containing the courthouse square with an imposing Neoclassical Revival-style courthouse built in 1909, an adjacent dense commercial block, churches, a Masonic Lodge, and some sixty houses, makes up the core of one of the most compact, diverse, and well-preserved historic towns in northeast North Carolina. The district meets National Register Criterion A for its local significance under the theme of Commerce as a well-preserved river trading center, with a later railroad and highway goods
transportation links, in the Albemarle Sound region of North Carolina. The district meets Criterion C for its diversified nineteenth- and twentieth-century urban architecture typical of the Albemarle Sound region, including Federal-, Greek Revival-, Gothic Revival-, Italianate-, Neoclassical Revival-, Craftsman-, and Ranch-style buildings. Its period of significance begins ca. 1783 with the construction of the earliest building, and continues through the 1961 construction of the Halifax Post Office, which continues the earlier Colonial Revival architectural pattern in the historic district.

The historic district’s contributing resources span nearly two centuries, from ca. 1783 to 1961, during which time the town served first as the center of the wealthy plantation culture of the Roanoke Valley, and continued as the county seat of Halifax County. The district represents the western two quadrants of the original 1757 colonial town established as the county seat at the head of navigation of the Roanoke River, as well as the 1816 town expansion. Most of the original town, which abuts the district on the northeast, is within the Historic Halifax State Historic Site property, where the town’s oldest buildings have been preserved and restored by the Historic Sites Division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. The historic district contains eighty-two principal resources and thirty-two secondary resources constructed between ca. 1783 and 1961 that contribute to its architectural and historical character. Ten primary resources and thirty-three secondary resources are noncontributing because they were built after 1961 or have been significantly altered. A total of seventy-three percent of the total resources are contributing. The architectural range of historic resources includes statesman William R. Davie’s ca. 1783 house, the ca. 1820 Royal White Hart Masonic Lodge #2, the Carpenter Gothic-style St. Mark’s Episcopal Church of ca. 1855, Judge Walter Clark’s Italianate-style brick law office of ca. 1872, the Romanesque Revival-style Clerk’s Office of the 1880s adjacent to the courthouse, the 1880s Gothic Revival-style Church of the Immaculate Conception, and the 1909 Halifax County Courthouse.

The Town of Halifax National Register Historic District was prepared in conjunction with Longleaf Historic Resources in Raleigh, NC and was listed the National Register of Historic Places in June of 2011.

Capitol Heights Historic District (Raleigh, NC)

2011-01-13T10:17:00.005-05:00

The Capitol Heights Historic District is an approximately six-block area within the Raleigh city limits. The district was platted in 1946 and contains eighty-four (84) primary contributing buildings, all residential properties constructed from 1946 to 1949. The district is an architecturally significant post-World War II speculative subdivision developed as a direct result of the post-war demand for housing and the availability of financing for both homebuyers and builders. The neighborhood is largely homogeneous in form and detail: constructed entirely in the Minimal Traditional style, the two- and three-bedroom houses display variations on a few basic building forms and with the minimal detailing that is the hallmark of the style.

The houses were built by the Wright Construction Company, Clancy Construction Company, and Curtis Construction Company between 1947 and 1949. Once completed, they were sold predominantly to returning Veterans utilizing FHA and VA loans. The neighborhood has remained stable but may be subject to redevelopment pressure as property values within the City of Raleigh continue to increase.

The district was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in January of 2010.

Glencoe School (Burlington, NC)

2011-01-03T12:09:00.003-05:00

The Glencoe School was built by the Alamance County School District, utilizing funds from the Public Works Administration, in 1936. It replaced a nearby frame school that had served the children of the Glencoe mill village. The six-classroom school was enlarged in 1951 with the construction of a kitchen and cafeteria at the rear of the building. It remained in use as a school until 1963.

Glencoe School is significant as a rare example of a rural, brick school in Alamance County. Constructed during a period of significant growth and reorganization in the Alamance County school system, the school was part of a larger Public Works Administration building campaign. Of the three schools in Alamance County erected with PWA funds, it is the only school that remains, retaining its original U-shaped form and nearly all of its historic finishes and architectural details including a low-pitched, hipped roof with wide overhangs and exposed rafters, decorative brick detailing, and large, multi-light windows. The wide overhanging eaves helped to shade the classrooms and the large windows took advantage of natural light and cooling breezes. With Craftsman- and Colonial Revival-influenced details, Glencoe School illustrates a national style and architectural movement in the context of a rural community in the Depression-era twentieth century.

The Glencoe School was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in December of 2010. The school has been vacant for some time and is available for redevelopment. Its listing to the National Register makes it eligibility for state and federal tax credits for it rehabilitation.

Stokesdale Historic District (Durham, NC)

2011-01-02T11:24:00.005-05:00

The Stokesdale Historic District is an early twentieth century urban neighborhood in southeast central Durham, just north of the North Carolina Central University campus. The district represents the southern, and only remaining portion of the largest historically African American community in Durham. The development of the neighborhood in the racially segregated early-twentieth century Durham was a direct response to the rise of the tobacco industry and the rapid growth of the city during that period. More importantly, the district exemplifies the self-sufficiency of the black community and the growing African American middle-class in Durham during this period. The influence of primary black institutions on the neighborhood, including the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, Lincoln Hospital, and North Carolina Central University, is evident in the architecture and planning of the district as well as the health, education, and financial stability of its residents. Hayti, the African American business district, stood just north of the district; it paralleled downtown Durham several blocks away, providing goods and services as well as work opportunities to the black community.

The neighborhood is comprised of approximately 225 residential structures and several commercial and institutional properties including the Lincoln Hospital. It is significant as a largely intact early-twentieth century, city-center neighborhood with architectural resources ranging from simple triple-A and Foursquare forms to bungalows, minimal traditional, and ranch forms. Stylistic influences include Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Mission, and Moderne styles.

The Stokesdale Historic District was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in December 2010.

3200 Hillsborough Street - Wilmont Apartments

2010-12-01T12:19:00.001-05:00

The 1926 Wilmont Apartments are located in the West Raleigh Historic District in Raleigh, North Carolina. The apartments were built by Claude Cole Pierce, a contractor from Norfolk, Virginia who erected an identical building (Dolly Madison Apartments) in Greensboro, North Carolina the following year. Pierce contracted with Real Estate entrepreneur Daniel Allen, head of the firm Allen Brothers. The firm held large amounts of land in West Raleigh and Daniel's brother, William Allen, helped to plat the Wilmont Subdivision for which the building is named.

The apartments were home to middle class workers, government employees, and teachers at the North Carolina State College and Meredith College. They are significant as the first apartment building to be erected west of the NCCU campus and for their association with Daniel Allen. The Wilmont Apartments remained under the ownership of the Allen family until Daniel Allen's death in 1929. The building remained occupied through the turn of the twenty-first century, but had fallen into significant disrepair by 2008.

The four-story building houses twenty-four units in three different plans. The building was full renovated in 2009-2010 and now includes fully remodeled kitchens and bathrooms, updated electrical systems, and new HVAC systems. The rehabilitation also included the repair of exterior balconies and canopies as well as the re-finishing of existing doors, woodwork, and hardwood floors. The project received both state and federal Restoration Tax Credits and was designated Raleigh Historic Landmark in the fall of 2010.

http://rhdc.org/Portals/0/In%20the%20Districts/In%20the%20Districts%20Vol.%20IX,%20Issue%201.pdf

The Real Estate and Building Programs of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company

2010-11-02T21:32:00.008-04:00

The North Carolina Mutual Provident Life Insurance Company was established in 1898 to provide benefits to the previously uninsured black community. However, construction was an integral part of the company’s success in the early years. In his book, Black Business in the New South, Walter Weare notes that, “as early as 1903 the company began an investment program in real estate, largely as an outgrowth of John Merrick’s efforts, which by this time had made him the owner of more than sixty houses in Durham. By the end of 1907 real estate holdings accounted for ¾ of the Mutual’s total assets and by 1910 the Merrick-Moore-Spaulding Real Estate Company was formed. The following year, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company had begun transferring assets to the new company, which had begun platting land in the Hayti/Stokesdale neighborhoods.

The economic environment of the 1920s extended to the black community and real estate, development, and building ventures expanded significantly, with NC Mutual and its subsidiaries taking the lead. After Merrick’s death in 1919, the firm Merrick-Moore-Spaulding lingered momentarily as the Moore-Spaulding Company, but by 1922 it became the (E.R.) Merrick-McDougald-Wilson Company, an enterprise that bought and sold real estate, managed the rental properties of the Mutual, and sold liability insurance. One of the most important tools for homeownership that came about in the 1920s was the creation of the Mutual Building and Loan Association in 1921, “for the purpose of teaching our group the importance of owning their own homes.” By the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s an 1940s lots in the Stokesdale neighborhood were sold to individual property owners for the construction of housing, presumably with financing through the Mutual Building and Loan Association, Mechanics & Farmers Bank, the Mortgage Company of Durham, or another black-owned institution.

By the 1950s, the Mutual and the Mutual Building & Loan Association responded to nationwide demand for housing, by financing apartments and housing developments. 1960s promotional material for Mutual touted their financial support of a new housing development, the Mutual Heights Apartments. By August of 1950, the building was complete, with nearly forty one-story structures, most with multiple units, organized around the curved Atlantic Street and Mutual Drive with planned greenspaces at the interior of each collection of buildings.

By the 1960s, NC Mutual and its subsidiaries had been shaping Durham’s physical landscape through loans, mortgages, land development, and building projects for over half a century. Much of black Durham could not have been built without them, yet the role of each of these related companies has yet to be fully understood. While technically separate corporate identities, the Mutual and its executives gave the Mutual Building and Loan Association, the Mechanics & Farmers Bank, and a myriad of other businesses life and sustained them, serving on the Boards of Directors and holding controlling interests in the businesses. In 1966, NC Mutual would make a very visible statement of their presence in Durham.

Thus, while the most visible symbol of NC Mutual is a tower of modernism, it was the decades of policy and philanthropy and illustrate the true forward-thinking of the company and its leaders. From providing life insurance and rental housing, to mortgages and loans for securing their own homes, to leading the charge for better hospitals and schools, and even apprentice programs for construction trades, the NC Mutual Life Insurance Company, was not following tradition, but creating new standards for achieving the traditional American dream.

The above text is an excerpt from the paper, "The Real Estate and Building Programs of the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company" presented at the Preservation North Carolina Conference in Durham, North Carolina, September 23-25, 2010.

206 S. Garnett - Watkins Building

2010-05-17T14:58:00.006-04:00

The c. 1885 Watkins Building is located in the Henderson Central Business Historic District in Henderson, North Carolina. The two-story brick building houses features two commercial spaces on the first floor, flanking a central entrance that leads to a stair to the second floor. Originally constructed as offices along accessed by a central corridor that runs the depth of the building and is lit by skylights, the second floor has been vacant for a number of years. Rehab Builders (based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) will be converting the second floor space into three apartments. The original room layouts, curved walls along the corridor, windows and doors, hardwood floors and other architecture features will be retained. The project is slated to receive both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

221 S. Garnett Street - Commercial Building

2010-05-17T14:51:00.010-04:00

This c. 1910 Commercial Building is located in the Henderson Central Business Historic District in Henderson, North Carolina. The two-story building houses features commercial space behind an original storefront on the first floor. A entrance on the right side of the facade leads to a stair to the second floor. Originally constructed as offices along accessed by a corridor that runs the depth of the building, the second floor has been vacant for a number of years. Rehab Builders (based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) will be converting the second floor space into an apartment. The original room layouts, windows and doors, hardwood floors and other architecture features will be retained. The project is slated to receive both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Burch Avenue Historic District (Durham, NC)

2010-04-12T12:10:00.002-04:00

The proposed Burch Avenue National Register Historic District is comprised of over 180 resources centered on Burch Avenue in Durham, North Carolina. The neighborhood was developed during Durham's boom era in the early 20th century and lies west of downtown and between Duke's East and West campuses. The majority of homes in the area were constructed from 1900-1960 and their styles illustrate the gradual evolution of the neighborhood during this period. The neighborhood experienced a decline in owner-occupancy and its historic structures began to fall into disrepair after the construction of the Durham Freeway cut the neighborhood off from the rest of West Durham in the 1960s.

The Burch Avenue Historic District was listed to the North Carolina Study List in 2006 at the request of the residents. Preparation of the National Register nomination was funded by a combination of private funds and a grant from the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation. An architectural survey update of the neighborhood has been completed and the nomination has been approved by the staff of the State Historic Preservation Office. The district was approved by the National Register Advisory Committee in June 2010 and listed to the National Register of Historic Places in September 2010 by the National Park Service.

http://www.bullcityrising.com/2010/10/burch-ave-area-becomes-durhams-next-national-historic-district.html

407 Ottawa Street - Sher-Hannah House

2010-02-22T23:41:00.013-05:00

The 1928 Sher-Hannah House is located in the Holloway Street Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house (along with its "twin" at 405 Ottawa) was erected by brothers Ernest H. and Marshall V. Lawrence in 1928. The Lawrences operated the house as a rental home with residents changing frequently. Long-term occupants, Morris Leonard and Gertrude Neuwirth Sher occupied the house from 1939 to 1954. Morris Sher was a Russian immigrant who managed the Wearing Apparel Bargain Store in Durham. Later, from 1972 to 2008 the house was occupied by siblings Mary and James Hannah Jr. Mary married Raymond Baskins in 1978 and city directories indicate the three remained in the home until 2008.

However, neighborhood memory indicated the house was vacant for several years before being fully renovated in 2009 with new plumbing, electrical, and heating systems throughout and a contemporary kitchen and hall bathroom. A rear hall was truncated to create a master bathroom and closet. Floors were salvaged where possible and hew flooring was installed at the rear of the house. Vinyl siding and three layers of roofing material were removed; a new roof was installed and exterior woodwork and windows were repaired as needed and re-painted. The homeowners received State Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabilitation and the contractor, Synergy Entreprises, received a 2010 Neighborhood Conservation Award for the project.

208 S. Driver Street - John A. Cox House

2010-02-11T15:41:00.004-05:00

The c. 1930 John A. Cox House is located in the East Durham Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house is currently undergoing an extensive renovation including structural work, new mechanical and electrical systems, and a new kitchen and bathrooms, including a master suite on the second floor. An enclosed stair hall will be re-opened and an original front hallway restored. The project is slated to receive State Historic Tax Credits.

405 Ottawa Street - Ornoff-Daye House

2010-02-11T15:20:00.014-05:00

The 1928 Ornoff-Daye House is located in the Holloway Street Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house was erected in 1928 by brother Ernest H. and Marshall V. Lawrence, who operated the home as a rental property. The earliest known resident is Isaac Ornoff and his wife Rebecca who occupied the house from 1929 to 1937. Isaac, a Russian immigrant, was the proprietor of a local auto parts store. Residents changed frequently in the 1940s and 1950s, but by 1966 Cephus and Maybell Daye moved into the house. Cephus was employed in the construction industry, working for George W. Kane. While Cephus died in 1989, his wife remained in the house until her death in 1996.

The house was fully renovated in 2009 with updated systems throughout and contemporary kitchen and bathroom. Floors and trim were refinished throughout the interior. Vinyl siding and three layers of roofing material were removed; a new roof was installed and exterior woodwork and windows were repaired as needed and re-painted. The homeowners received State Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabilitation and the contractor, Synergy Entreprises, received a 2010 Neighborhood Conservation Award for the project.

1021 W. Trinity Avenue - Samuel Angier House

2009-11-30T15:48:00.003-05:00

The c. 1920s Samuel Angier House is located in the Trinity Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The two-story Craftsman bungalow was renovated in 2009 with a new heating system to replace outdated boiler and radiators, refinished hardwood floors on the second floor, restored plaster walls, and new paint throughout. The homeowners received State Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabilitation.

320 W. Trinity Avenue - Wright-Reeves-Bailey House

2009-10-12T16:01:00.002-04:00

The Wright-Reeves-Bailey House was erected in 1927-28 as a wedding present for Thomas Davenport Wright III and his bride, Claudia Lewis Wright. Wright was the nephew of Richard Wright, prominent businessman in Durham and founder of the Wright Machinery Company. Wright was very active in his uncle's businesses, managing both the Wright Machinery Company and the Durham Telephone & Telegraph Company after his uncle's death.

The Wrights sold the house in 1939 to return to the family homestead, Bonnie Brae Farm. The home was purchased by Norman O. Reeves. Reeves operated five restaurants in Durham including the Reeves Cafe at the intersection of E. Geer and Highway 70. However, he was best known for the Palms Restaurant that opened on E. Chapel Hill Street in the 1930s and remained in operation until 1973.

In 1953, Reeves sold the home on W. Trinity to Yandall C. Bailey, another Durham businessman. Bailey owned and operated the Bailey Esso Service Station and Bailey's Drink Stand on W. Main Street in Durham. The property was sold to the current owner in 1977.

807 Hermitage Court Drive - Simpson-Umstead House

2009-10-06T13:08:00.008-04:00

The 1939 Simpson-Umstead House is located in the Forest Hills Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The two-story Colonial Revival-style home was renovated in 2008 with refinished hardwood floors, restored plaster walls and wood trim, and a completely remodeled kitchen and first-floor powder room. The homeowners received State Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the rehabilitation.

403 N. Queen Street - Duplex

2009-07-24T12:04:00.004-04:00

This c. 1937 Craftsman-style duplex is located in the Holloway Street Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The one-story building is currently undergoing a complete renovation with new kitchens and bathrooms, significant structural work, and new systems. The project is slated to receive both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

916 W. Markham Avenue - House

2009-07-24T11:38:00.009-04:00

This c. 1920s bungalow is located in the Trinity Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The one-and-a-half story, side-gable bungalow was fully renovated in 2009. In addition to updated systems and re-furbished kitchen and bath spaces, a dormer was added to the rear, providing additional headroom at the top of the stair as well as added living space on the second floor. The home has green features including solar collectors on the roof of the front dormer. The project received state Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

1211 N. Mangum Street - House

2009-06-29T09:20:00.011-04:00

This c. 1925 bungalow is located in the North Durham-Duke Park Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house was fully renovated in 2009 with updated kitchen and bath and the addition of a new bathroom and laundry space in an existing rear hall. The home retains original room configurations, woodwork and fireplaces. The homeowners received both state and federal Historic Preservation Tax Credits for the renovations completed June 2009.

1111 N. Mangum Street - Maynard Mangum-Rice Diet House

2009-03-27T08:27:00.001-04:00

The Maynard Mangum-Rice Diet House, built in 1911, is a grand two-story Colonial Revival style house in the Old North Durham neighborhood. The house bears connections to both tobacco and dieting, two of Durham’s preeminent twentieth-century industries. It is significant as a cultural resource in Durham for its use as the Rice Diet House from approximately 1948 to 1992. It is also significant for its connection to W. Maynard Mangum, a tobaccoist and partner in Umstead, Mangum, & Co. and Star Warehouse. Additionally, the house retains a high level of architectural integrity and serves as an excellent example of the Colonial Revival style and the work of the local firm of Rose & Rose Architects. The home was listed as a Durham County Local Landmark in May 2010.

1309 Shawnee Street - Murray-Horton Rental House

2008-10-27T08:36:00.002-04:00

Josiah Stockton Murray and his wife Cornelia likely constructed the series of small houses along Seeman Street at the rear of their property to serve as rental housing, potentially for workers in the sewing machine, piano, and other family businesses. While the exact date of the houses cannot be determined, they appear on the 1913 Sanborn maps and may have been constructed as early as 1902 when the Murray family first moved to the site.

After Cornelia’s death in 1921, her son J. S. parceled the land into eight pieces and sold it to the Farm and City Land Company for resale. Lot #4, site of the house at 1309 Shawnee was purchased by D. W. and Effie J. Horton in December of 1921. The Hortons rented the house on Shawnee until 1925. In 1925 the couple and their 14-year old son, L. W. Wyche, moved to Shawnee Street where they lived until 1941, when D. W. and Effie divorced. Effie, her son L. W. Wyche and his wife Mary S. remained in the house until 1943-44 when it became a rental property once again. Effie died in 1967, leaving the house to her son. After his death in 1988, the house was sold as part of his estate.

900 Virgie Street - Watts-Honeycutt House

2008-10-27T08:18:00.003-04:00

This c. 1900 mill house is in the West Durham Historic District in Durham, North Carolina. The house is currently undergoing renovations that include updated systems and new kitchen and bathrooms. Aluminum siding is to be removed and original siding and trim to be repaired. New porch post, matching original posts located in the same district will be installed. The project is slated to receive state Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Kinchen Holloway House (Durham, NC)

2008-08-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

The Kinchen Holloway House is locally significant for architecture. The house was built around 1870 by Kinchen Holloway, a farmer and miller. It represents the once-popular I-house form, a vanishing nineteenth-century house type in Durham County. The house, located just north of the Eno River and facing Guess Road (formerly Guess Mill Road) in northern Durham County, retains its original form and many original interior and exterior finishes. The Kinchen Holloway House was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in August of 2008.