Greensboro's Treasured Places

Historic House Crosses Safe Line, Jail Can Move Forward

The two-story brick duplex once located at 208 Blandwood Avenue, and considered by some to be an impediment to construction of the new Guilford County Jail, has been removed off county land. It now sits on property owned by the Zenke family, where it will remain and be restored.

Movers dodged rainy weather over the past week to lift the heavy structure off its original foundation where it had stood for approximately 90 years. The house was gingerly hauled across the county-Zenke property line late last week. The mid-block move was made simpler by a lack of overhead wires and cables. It now awaits final placement facing Washington Street directly across from Blandwood Mansion.

The project was coordinated by the Zenke family and the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund. Public and private finances were pooled to make the project happen. The effort should result in a more pedestrian-friendly environment along West Washington Street, and contribute to public initiaves to rejuvenate the downtown Morehead Neighborhood that is centered on Governor John Motley Morehead’s Blandwood Mansion.

I vote for a small restaurant to occupy the duplex. No restaurants exist west of Greene and south of Market!

Big History. Modest Price.

North Carolina history has just become more affordable.

The Model Farm, an important Reconstruction-era historic site located at 2045 Brentwood Street in High Point, has been placed on the market by its California-based owner. Its price has been adjusted down to $99,000 from the earlier $177,500 asking price.

The 3,300 square foot farmhouse was built in 1866 by the Baltimore Association of Friends to Advise and Assist Friends in the Southern States as a demonstration project. The Friends sought to improve production and prosperity among the state’s war-torn farmers by informing them of advances in agricultural practice and procedure. The site had wide-ranging influence across the region and became a center of modern agricultural standards for most of the late nineteenth century. Governor Jonathan Worth stated that the Model Farm was the only green spot in North Carolina in the years after the war. Today, the Farm remains one of North Carolina’s most important Reconstruction-era historic sites.

William A. Sampson of Maine operated the 240-acre farm beginning in 1866. Sampson was well-versed in modern agricultural practices and set about demonstrating the use of clover crops for soil fertilization, the sale of seed and the cultivation of grass pastureland. Other initiatives included a barn with running water, “rat-proof” corn cribs, milled bone for fertilization, iron axles on wagons, thoroughbred cattle and registered sheep and hogs. After twenty-five years of service, the Baltimore Association considered its mission complete and sold the property for private use in 1891.

Though the outbuildings and barn have been lost, the imposing farmhouse remains. It stands two and a half stories tall, with a steeply sloping triple-A roofline and a wide front porch, a large three-sided window bay on the west elevation and arched windows lighting the attic. Interior appointments are simple; however, the plaster walls and ceilings and running water were novel in the South in the years after the Civil War.

The neighborhood in which the Model Farm stands was once the Springfield community, a agrarian village of Quakers clustered around Springfield Friends Meeting House. In the past 50 years, Springfield grew from a farming community into a commercial and industrial neighborhood of High Point. Although the house is now convenient to interstate highways, its once bucolic setting has been lost to parking lots and satellite dishes.

Ideas for the site range widely, from a continued residential use to adaptation to a small inn, garden center, or antique shop. The house and its land were recognized as a Guilford County landmark property in 2001, a designation that reduces property taxes in exchange for regulation of the historic character of the property. The house may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places – a move that could tap into state and federal tax credits.

Interested parties should contact Mike Stout, Regional Director of the Preservation North Carolina Northwest Office. 336-788-0765.

 

Creativity Defines The Future in Fisher Park

Three preservation organizations are teaming up to encourage a thoughtful and positive dialog to shape the future of one of Greensboro's most historic neighborhoods.

Locally-based Preservation Greensboro has linked with Philadelphia-based Partners for Sacred Places and the Washington DC-based National Trust for Historic Places to hold a community design workshop to explore the future of Fisher Park. At the heart of the discussion is how the southern frontier of the historic neighborhood that borders downtown can grow and flourish as the state's most urbane locale without sacrificing its culture and institutions. The city blocks that constitute the study area are home to major religious congregations, a network of city- and statewide nonprofits, the Guilford County School system administration building, the city's oldest public park, a sprawling Victorian-era cemetery, and a soon-to-be-constructed downtown greenway...all within the context of one of North Carolina's premiere streetcar suburbs. How can these institutions grow and thrive in a way that benefits all?

The workshop is open to the public. It will be held on November 6th, 1-4:30pm in Broome Hall on the ground floor of Holy Trinity Church at 607 North Greene Street. The event is free.

The open-ended workshop will be facilitated by Luther K. Snow, the nationally-known creator of the Asset Mapping technique.  Participants will focus on the strengths and assets of Fisher Park and its institutions, including the gifts and contributions of congregations and social ministries, the talents and contributions of residents, service and business development opportunities, the inventory of religious structures and historic assets, and much more.  Attendees will use Asset Mapping techniques to develop creative project ideas that will lead to positive actions.  Anyone with an interest and a love for Fisher Park is invited to attend.

Those who plan to attend may RSVP to Judi Kastner at Preservation Greensboro at 272-5003 ext 3, or by email jkastner@blandwood.org.

The workshop is funded in part through a grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Terence L. Mills Memorial Endowed Preservation Fund for North and South Carolina, Preservation Greensboro, and Partners for Sacred Places.

High Point Skyscraper Recognized For History

It was the grandest office building erected in High Point in its first 120 years of existence.
It was designed by one of the Triad’s most prominent architects.
It was financed by one of High Point’s most prominent leaders.
It was built by the city’s most prominent general contractor.

Now, it is on the path to be recognized as an official Guilford County landmark property.

The Commercial National Bank (today known as the Radio Building) is the premier office building constructed in the city during the first half of the twentieth century, and the first major office building in High Point after the 1907 North Carolina Savings Bank and Trust building on North Main Street. Located at 164 South Main Street, the form of the building alludes to three components of a classical column—including a stone base with an arched entry, a shaft of six-story pilasters and an elaborate capital-like top—typical of the Neoclassical style popular for office towers of the period. Renaissance details include fasciae over the windows on the first floor supported by brackets, an elaborate keystone over the front entry arch and an impressive entablature at the top floor.

The building was designed by Charles C. Hartmann of Greensboro and constructed in 1922–24 by R.K. Stewart of High Point. Hartmann had a hand in designing some of Guilford County’s most distinctive buildings, including Dudley and Grimsley high schools in Greensboro, the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Building in Greensboro, and the Sheraton Hotel in High Point.

The building was built as the home of Commercial National Bank. Its president, J. Elwood Cox, a former gubernatorial candidate and industrialist, heralded the bank headquarters as “the finest in North Carolina.” The opening day crowd numbered 2,500, and all were given souvenirs—desk knives for men and notebooks for women.

Commercial National Bank fell victim to a panic during the Great Depression.  After 1936 the building was home to Greensboro-based Security National Bank. Security National merged with American Commercial Bank of Charlotte in 1960, forming North Carolina National Bank (NCNB). The banking area of the building was remodeled in 1963 by High Point-based architect William Freeman to reflect the power and success of the new bank.  NCNB remained in the building until 1992, when it moved to a new location at the corner of N. Main St. and Church Avenue and later took the name Bank of America.

The building has long been the home of WMFR radio, indicated by the broadcasting tower atop the building. Until the early 1980s, the roof sported the station's call letters emblazoned in red. The presence of the radio station has provided the building its latest name.

The structure received a favorable recommendation by the Guilford County Historic Preservation Commission for landmark designation on Tuesday night. The application will be considered by High Point City Council for final approval.

Landmark designation is a voluntary process in Guilford County. In exchange for the requirement of a Certificate of Appropriateness for any changes and alterations to the historic building, owners receive a 50% property tax deferral. Several downtown High Point buildings are recognized as landmark properties, including the Old Guilford County Courthouse, Market Square, and portions of the old YMCA.

Preservation Tool Could Be Expanded

Our friends at the National Trust for Historic Preservation report progress on passage of a bill that would make beneficial changes to the federal rehabilitation tax credit and provide a greater incentive for the reuse of historic and older buildings.   

The federal rehabilitation tax credit is the nation's largest federal incentive promoting urban and rural revitalization through private investment in reusing historic buildings. The credit encourages reinvestment in downtowns, generates jobs, and is instrumental in preserving the historic places that give cities, towns and rural areas their unique character. Several recent projects in Greensboro have received credits, including Foundation Place (image, right), Natty Greene's, and Revolution Mill. 

While the credit has generated over $50 billion in renovation and revitalization dollars since it was enacted in 1976, it could do more. On October 1st, Representatives Allyson Schwartz and Pat Tiberi and Senators Olympia Snowe and Blanche Lincoln introduced bills (in the House and the Senate) that would provide several amendments to the existing federal rehabilitation tax credit to further its mission by encouraging substantial energy savings in historic buildings while spurring greater investment in commercial projects -- particularly with smaller businesses located in older neighborhoods where there is a critical need for revitalization.

You can help in garnering support for this important package of amendments. Contact your Members of Congress today and ask them to be a cosponsor of the Community Restoration and Revitalization Act (H.R. 3715, S. 1743). Tell them these important changes will realize a greater potential for revitalizing communities in their district and across the country. 

If your Members of Congress are already co-sponsors (find out here), please thank them for their support of historic preservation.

Learn more about the existing federal rehabilitation tax credit and the proposed amendments.

Third Historic House Readies for Move in Downtown Greensboro

The historic house shuffle continues in downtown Greensboro; in order to make way for the massive new Guilford County jail complex.

A two-story, 90-year-old duplex located at 208 Blandwood Avenue has been lifted off its original foundation in preparation for a mid-block move that will reposition the house on one of downtown’s highest profile intersections. The house will then be restored for commercial uses by the Zenke family.

In December 2008, the first historic building on the site of the planned jail, the McConnell House, was moved to Washington Street. On September 19th, a second old house on the block was relocated to North Cedar Street. That home is currently under restoration with a new foundation being completed beneath it this week.

The duplex was constructed around 1920, and takes the form of an American Foursquare – a form of building inspired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright featuring a pyramidal roofline, broad overhanging eaves, and a symmetrical facade. Unusual features of the building include diamond-pane upper window sash and concrete window sills. The building was originally built for residential use, but was adaptively reused as studio space for Zenke Interiors.

The historic structure will find a new home at the corner of West Washington and Edgeworth streets, directly across the street from Blandwood Mansion. The building will enjoy a highly visible location for traffic heading into downtown Greensboro from US 220 south. In addition to keeping the building out of the landfill, the relocation will - along with the previously-moved McConnell House - build a pedestrian-friendly streetscape west along Washington Street in a block previously dominated by empty parking lots and overgrown vegetation.

The move is being facilitated by the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund, a subsidiary organization of Preservation Greensboro that focuses on real estate opportunities involving historic sites and buildings. In this case, the Fund directors negotiated with city and county government officials to orchestrate the move, and sought financial subsidies in exchange for permanent preservation covenants. These covenants will be monitored by the Fund and serve to ensure that the structure is preserved into future. The house would likely not have been preserved without the Fund’s involvement.

The actual move will occur within the next two weeks.

Large Project Concerns Historic District

One of Greensboro’s oldest industrial sites within the city’s oldest neighborhood is eyed for destruction and replacement with student housing.

The Newman and Whitney Machine Company is located at 507 Jackson Street in the College Hill neighborhood just west of center city Greensboro. The firm’s Greensboro presence was established in 1906 by George F. Newman and manufactured woodworking machinery. The company quickly earned a regional reputation as a primary supplier of moulders, planers and matchers, automatic feed tables, resaws, and knife and head grinders. The company remains an occupant of the site.

The sprawling campus of Newman Whitney is located adjacent to many of the most significant avenues and streets of the College Hill Historic District. The neighborhood, originally known as Piety Hill, was first settled by members of the Morehead family and Methodist supporters of nearby Greensboro College in the 1840s. The neighborhood witnessed rapid growth in the 1890s following the establishment of streetcar lines and UNCG. Today the neighborhood features some of Greensboro’s best examples of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Craftsman-style architecture.

The Newman Whitney property is under contract by Edwards Communities, a Columbus, Ohio developer of student apartments with projects located throughout the Buckeye State. The company’s website promotes the concept of "Resort Style Living" including amenities such as "pools, spas, movie theaters, putting greens, sunbathing beach, boating, fishing, shuffle board, and much more."

Although the College Hill neighborhood has been recognized as a city historic district since 1980 and a National Register historic district since 1993, the Newman Whitney property is located just outside the designated area. The district boundary borders the Newman Whitney site to the west, north, and east (image, right). The Southern Railway tracks define the remaining southern boundary.

Concerns are high among resident homeowners in College Hill and within Greensboro’s preservation community. Aside from appearance issues, many are concerned with the projected 700 student residents that would call the project home and depend on existing narrow roadways as means of ingress and egress for the site. Other property owners are concerned about possible destabilization of property values due to the large scale of the student-occupied rental community. Historic district values have crept cautiously upwards since the 1970s when most of the neighborhood was considered a slum. Property owners remain weary of any projects that might halt any hard-won advances in neighborhood investment and stabilization.

With a high student population, Greensboro certainly needs higher density student housing within walking distance of campuses to alleviate dependency on cars. However, redevelopment of center city properties adjacent to the Gate City’s most historic neighborhoods must be done with care and in consideration of the investment made by the city and private homeowners over the past 30 years to rebuild the community. College Hill is a valuable neighborhood for the city’s tax-base and it is an import asset in defining Greensboro from places such as Charlotte, Durham, and Cary.

City leaders and planners must look no further than the Southside neighborhood or the Revolution Mills project to find a positive template for reworking the Newman Whitney site. In Southside, developers preserved existing Queen Anne residences while adding new live-work units and townhouses. With Revolution Mills, an industrial site is being adaptively reused for mixed-use office and residential spaces while retaining the original buildings. Both projects typify the dynamic redevelopment potential of the Newman site as an economic asset that would continue redevelopment initiates witnessed in College Hill over the past 30 years.

A 700 unit "resort style" student apartment complex is a radical departure from that proven course.

The company hopes to have land acquired by the end of the year, with construction complete in time for Fall Semester 2011.

Revolutionary House Slated For Demolition

Recently, preservationists and neighbors close to the historic Commencement House at 2207 North Elm Street learned that a rezoning request had been filed for four properties along Elm Street and Cornwallis Drive. Real estate developer John Stratton anticipates requesting the property to be rezoned to CD-RS12 and removing all the homes on the properties, including the Commencement House.

This would clear the way for construction of condominiums on the site arranged in two linear buildings. The units would face inward to the property and turn formal front elevations (image, right) away from Elm and Cornwallis. Parking spaces for each unit would be located beneath the buildings for owners (not depicted in image) and several guest parking spaces are planned at ground level. Each structure would not surpass 50 feet above average grade.

Plans for this project will be shared with the community today (Thursday, September 24) at the Sherwood Clubhouse beginning at 5:30.  John Stratton will speak to the attendees at 6:00 and again later if needed.

Commencement House is significant for two reasons: history and architecture. Its history is remarkable. The fact that twenty three young women from Greensboro’s Woman’s College (today UNCG) oversaw the design and construction of a house in 1957 in the American South is remarkable – and that fact was not lost on North Carolina’s First Lady Martha Blakeney Hodges, (UNCG Class of 1918) who cut the ribbon to open the house to the public for tours. The house received media coverage on then-new WUNC-TV, and enjoyed a feature article in McCall’s Magazine which proclaimed the house a “real honey of a home.”

Architecturally, the design of the house was orchestrated by Greensboro architect Edward Loewenstein, a proponent of what today is classified as “mid-century modern” design. The futuristic house features details that were novel in 1958, such as a carport, a patio, split-level living spaces, plate glass picture windows and soaring “cathedral” ceilings. The house was integrated into the landscape, taking advantage of the rolling topography of the lot, existing mature trees, and an ample private backyard. Commonplace today, these features were progressive at the time.

The challenges associated with the preservation of this property are typical of other mid-century modern preservation efforts. The lots on which these houses are often sited are large, and attract the attention of developers looking for redevelopment opportunities. The houses are often integrated into the landscape making it difficult (if not impossible) to relocate structures to other sites with different topography. Architecture of this period is just now crossing the threshold of 50 years of age…a period in which maintenance and upkeep are crucial, but often neglected. Lastly, modern design, though gaining popularity in larger cities, is not yet widely celebrated in modest markets such as Greensboro where traditional styles remain widely supported by the buyer’s market.

If Greensboro loses the Commencement House for redevelopment, a remarkable chapter in women’s history in will be relegated to the history books. A solution lies in compromise. By retaining the Commencement House and integrating it into new development – perhaps as a community center of even a single family unit – a higher density for the site could be achieved without the expense of destroying Greensboro’s history and architecture. Several models exist in the city, none better than Beacon Management Company’s Rankin King Farm project in Summit Avenue. Developer George Carr successfully preserved an early twentieth century farmhouse as the signature centerpiece of his new community. Other examples exist in all sectors of the city.

Thoughtful and creative projects that win neighborhood support, preserve our city’s architecture and history, and provide a boost to our tax base are the type of development this city can’t get enough of. Will this be one such project?

This Old House Will Hit The Streets

House-moving was so popular in late nineteenth-century American cities, that residents of places like Cambridge, Massachusetts quipped about having to “Start the day early before the houses started moving.”

In twenty-first century Greensboro, overhead wires, traffic lights, and fiber optic lines have made house-moving a rare occurrence. This weekend should be an exception.

The charming two-story Queen Anne-style house that originally stood at 220 Blandwood Avenue…and temporarily occupied the corner of Washington and Edgeworth streets…will make its final move this weekend.

The home is being relocated to make way for the new Guilford County Jail, and is one part of a larger initiative to move a row of historic homes off Blandwood Avenue. The Zenke family home made its way to Washington Street last December, and the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund is engaged in facilitating the relocation of the remaining two structures (this being one) to new sites.

In order to prepare for the move, the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund negotiated with contractors, city officials, insurance agents, and legal advisors to prepare a simple and direct route to the new site. Although savings in access of $30,000 could have been realized had Southern Community Bank allowed the house to cross their property on Bellemeade Street, the bank’s officials refused to grant permission in spite of assurance and insurance that no damage would be caused. As a result of Southern Community’s decision, movers were required to lop the roof off the house for the move process. The roof will have to be reconstructed at the new site.

In spite of the Bank's denial of passage, this much-anticipated move will go on as planned. Movers will assemble at dawn tomorrow (Saturday), and begin the process by rolling the house across Edgeworth Street into the large parking lot owned by the YMCA. After crossing the parking lot, the structure will be rolled north on Spring Street by 8 am. The house will turn west on Bellemeade one block, then north on North Cedar around the Southern Community Bank property.  If all goes well, the house should be at its new home site at 408 N. Cedar by 10:30 or 11:00.

Restoration of the house will take several months. Upon completion, the house will sit among similar-period homes and help reinforce the historic character of the North Cedar Street neighborhood.

UNCG's Historic Quad To Be Preserved!

Joe Killian reports good news from UNCG related to the historic Quad!

The Quad is composed of several building, many of which are among the oldest on the UNCG campus. An aannouncement earlier this year indicated interest in destroying the Quad with replacement by much larger buildings that copied the orginals.

Preservationists, including alumni and students, rallied in support of retention of the historic buildings. The UNCG Board of Trustees considered alternatives to demolition over the summer. Over the past several months, board members received a great deal of support for the retention of the Quad. The board's support was unanimous. A new and larger campus dormitory will be constructed on Spring Garden Street close to University Towers.

This announcement by Chancellor Linda Brady illustrates a continued commitment by UNCG officials to the preservation of buildings that make this campus unique. UNCG's campus is composed of iconic historic structures that provide the university an intimate feel and historic distinction that is unique in the region. Retention of the historic Quad with new suite-style student housing reinforces that strength. These kinds of dynamic projects are what makes historic campuses and much of central Greensboro exciting and engaging.

One more 2009 Watch List property will be removed from the roster with a win-win result. One of Greensboro's treasured places will remain for future generations to enjoy.