Greensboro's Treasured Places

Historic Preservation Sought on Key Greensboro Landmark

The three-story, brick building at 408-410 South Elm Street was included as part of the Downtown Greensboro National Register Historic District in 1982. In 2008 it was recognized as a local Landmark Property by City Council. It has been granted a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition, twice. However, today the Cascade Saloon remains standing and may finally be saved through a proclamation to be approved by City Council on June 4th.

The building is unusual in that it is sited between two rail lines which allow for an unobstructed view of the building from the north, east, and south (image, far-right). Not only is it highly visible, but the site has three-levels of significance according to the Preservation Greensboro Executive Director Benjamin Briggs. “The Cascade is important,” he says, “because of its architectural style; its historical link to an important period of rapid development in Greensboro’s history; and its intriguing connection to the city’s African-American past.”

“Some buildings in downtown Greensboro,” Briggs explains, “are part of a larger family of architecturally-related group that could have been designed by the same hand.”  The Saloon also shares stylistic characteristics with several other downtown facades. For example, the Silver’s Building at 300 South Elm, the J. W. Jones Building at 345 South Elm, and the Shevell Building at 532 South Elm Street all share bands of granite trim window lintels and sills. These buildings were constructed between 1896 and 1898, the likely date for the Cascade Saloon.

The Cascade Saloon also represents an important era in the development of downtown Greensboro. Rapid commercial growth took place in the city as its population grew between the years 1890 and 1910. During that period, the crossing of South Elm Street with the railroads was the epicenter of commerce, with storefronts and warehouses surrounding the depot and its inbound and outbound freight of materials, supplies and people. “Greensboro became known as the ‘Gate City’ in those days because of the influence of the railroad and its connectivity to all parts of the State,” he says.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the building’s history is its connection to Greensboro’s African-American heritage. Beginning in about 1907 an African-American business-owner named Wiley Weaver operated an “eating house” in the building. Over the next few years, Weaver’s establishment grew and expanded into the Cascade Billiard Parlor and then into the Cascade Pool Room, which operated until 1922. City Directories from the period indicate that, by the 1920s, the Cascade Saloon was the only African-American oriented business on Elm Street between Market Street and Lee Street.

“This building represents so many facets of Greensboro’s history, we are right to spend more time to ensure its preservation,” says Briggs, who is quick to champion the building as a potential location for future investment and jobs for downtown Greensboro. "Preservation Greensboro has worked to save the building for the past nine years," he says, "this could be a turning point."

“Once the structure is gone,” Briggs says, “right-of-way issues will likely preclude any building on the site, so we will be stuck with a gravel parking lot thereafter.” City Council is expected to approve a proclamation to restore the building at its June 4th meeting. If approved, actions will begin to prepare the structure for restoration.

Contact Benjamin Briggs at Preservation Greensboro 336.272.5003 for more information.

Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens in College Hill This Weekend

This lovely one-story Queen Anne house at 822 Rankin Place was built in 1901. It features a center-hall plan; a layout that consists of a wide central hallway flanked by two equal-sized rooms to each side. Center-hall plans were popular in nineteenth century rural North Carolina, which lends a “country farmhouse” appearance to the home. Its first occupants were newlyweds Lillian Alderman and John Edgar Mitchell, who served as vice president and general manager of the Greensboro Shade Company. Little is known of Mitchell, a business partner of Frank Boyles who abruptly sold his home and business in 1907 and left the city. The house was apparently purchased by Lillian’s sister-in-law Lou Alderman, wife of James Alderman, who lived there with their four young daughters: Mary Lou, Madge Alden, Marie Antoinette, and Alice Edwina. James Alderman was a bookkeeper for an insurance company. By 1930, the family had relocated to Gastonia, where they lived with their eldest daughter. Marie Antoinette married and stayed in the house. She was widowed at the age of 27 and remained until 1948.

The house stood vacant for several years until it was divided into apartments as an extension of the nearby Manor Motel. As the neighborhood around it declined, the house began to suffer from deferred maintenance and neglect. It was purchased by the nearby YMCA in 1967 with intent to demolish the house for parking lot expansion. In 1986 the derelict house was acquired from the YMCA by the College Hill Revolving Fund with the purpose of selling the house to homeowners with plans to make repairs. Leslie and David Milsaps bought the property and immediately began a careful restoration program that included restoring the two spacious parlors, wood moldings, and mantels to their original condition. In addition to repairing the front porch and wood windows, the couple returned a four-color paint scheme that was popular at the turn of the century. Today, this charming 112-year-old home and picket fence are a landmark in the College Hill neighborhood. 

The Mitchell House and its gardens are house #1 on tomorrow's Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens. The Tour will feature a total of ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history!

The Tour takes place rain or shine. College Hill is convenient to Tate Street eateries and shops. Parking for the tour can be found at the Royce Center, and a parking area at the corner of McGee Street and College Place.  We hope to see you in College Hill!

College Hill Tour Blends History With Architecture

The wedding of Margaret Glenn to Dr. Charles Scott was a celebration to be remembered in Greensboro. Coverage of the 1902 wedding in the newspaper announced:

Dr. Charles L. Scott, a prominent young physician of this city, and Miss Margaret Glenn, one of the accomplished daughters of Postmaster and Mrs. Tyre Glenn, were married last Wednesday evening at 8.30 in West Market M E. church in the presence of an assemblage that taxed the capacity of the structure. Beautiful floral decorations had been prepared for the event. Rev. Dr. Turrentine spoke the impressive words that bound these worthy young people together for life.

A pleasing feature of the occasion was a solo rendered by Miss Nettie Glenn, of Winston, a cousin of the bride. After the ceremony a delightful reception was given the young couple at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn, on West Market Street, which was attended by a hundred or more guests, who were served with refreshments from Dughi of Raleigh, after which Dr. Scott and his bride left for a month's tour of the South.

When the couple returned from their honeymoon, Margaret’s parents had acquired a new lot on the same block as their own home for the newlyweds to erect their house. The Shingle Style residence at 126 South Mendenhall Street was likely completed in 1903, around the time of the birth of their daughter Margaret Glenn Scott in July 1903.

Happiness was fleeting for the Scott family. In March 1904, the newspaper reported “Dr. C. L. Scott has sold his nice new residence on Mendenhall Street to Mr. J. F. Fonville and will move to the Dalton Flats the first of the month.” Less than a year later, on February 13, 1905 the town newspaper announced Mrs. Scott's death, noting "The death angel had hovered at her bedside for two or three days seemingly hesitating before blotting out the sweet young life that hung in the balance." Margaret Glenn Scott was 21 and left behind her sixteen-month-old daughter along with her husband.

Hattie and John Fonville lived in the home from 1904 until Hattie’s death in 1907. John and daughter Ruth remained in the home and were soon joined by John’s second wife, Bonnie, in 1909. They had more children and remained in the house until 1916. By the 1950s, the large home was divided into five apartment units that lodged a variety of young professionals through the 1980s. In 1991 the house was purchased by John and Margaret Scott (no relation to the original owners), who returned it to single-family stature.

The Scott residence is a rare example of Shingle Style, an architectural theme that features shingle-clad exterior walls across a visually complex form. The form of the Scott House is amplified by its gambrel roofline and dormer windows. The interior features a generous floor plan and an eye for detail. Original mantels in the living room and master bedroom were discovered on the property and returned to their proper locations in the 1990s. Violinist Marjorie Bagley and physicist Ian Beatty recently purchased the Scott home. Although they have made much less progress furnishing the house than they would have liked, they are providing the tour with a "sneak peek" inside.

This weekend, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens will feature a total of ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history. Advanced tickets are available now at Extra Ingredient, Brown Gardiner Drug, Tasting Room, and Blandwood. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket. Make a weekend of it with Patron Passes, available at Blandwood Mansion, that include a fantastic College Hill Block Party on May 18th featuring crafted beers, live music, and great food!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information!

Quuen Anne-style Home from 1894 on Historic Tour

Frank Columbus Boyles grew up in Randolph County, where his father served as a Methodist Episcopal preacher. At the age of 19, he moved to Greensboro where he took a job as a salesman, but he quickly advanced his salary scale when he was offered the clerk’s position at Greensboro National Bank. He grew more secure in his position and by 1894 he encouraged his recently widowed mother to move his siblings to Greensboro, where she purchased a lot at 216 South Mendenhall for $250. Sadly his mother passed away the next year, but Frank, just 23 years old, and his three brothers and sister remained in their fine new Queen Anne-style home. The house features a side-hall plan, with two primary rooms to the right of the main hall which in turn leads back to a large dining room.

In time, the Boyles children did quite well. Sister Blanche married next-door neighbor Marvin Carr, son of insurance company owner O. W. Carr. His brother Henry became a well-known medical doctor. Marvin took a position as an engineer with the city and youngest brother Pittman took a job at the bank with his brother. Frank married Myrtle Ham of Montgomery County and later held prominent positions such as president of Greensboro Shade Company in partnership with J. E Mitchell (House #3) and cashier at American Exchange National Bank.

In 1905 the house was sold to octogenarian John A. Harrison, a veteran of the Civil War who had been pardoned by Governor Holden in 1865. Harrison was from Nash County, where he was postmaster and ran a general store. Having recently lost his wife, Martha Ann, he lived with his grown children Bettie and Edro. The family quickly settled into Greensboro. Bettie earned income as a music teacher and Edro established the West End Drug Company just four blocks to the south on Spring Garden Street. When John passed away in 1908, the estate sold the house to Bettie, who maintained it as a rental property until 1919.

Lena and Henry Martin bought the home from Bettie and lived there until Henry’s death in 1955. Henry was a travelling salesman and the couple rented part of their commodious home to provide extra income. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, as the neighborhood fell victim to unfortunate zoning laws that allowed for dense housing uses, the property was operated as income-property instead of an historic property. Without continued investment and with rapid turnover of tenants, the Boyles-Harrison House fell into bad repair.

As part of the larger effort to foster preservation in College Hill, the Greensboro Redevelopment Commission bought the house in 1992 and sold it to Neal and Jim Persinger, with the requirement that the house be restored and returned to single-family use. The couple made structural repairs to the foundation and replaced the roof. New mechanical systems followed, and original features such as the stair bannister, oak and pine floors, claw-foot tubs, moldings and period wood mantles were restored. Those changes were featured in 1995 when the Boyles-Harrison House was opened for the College Hill Christmas Walking Tour. In 2008 the house was sold to Arlen and Jamie Nicolls. Today it features some of the finest period interior details in the city.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens will feature a total of ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets are available now at Extra Ingredient, Brown Gardiner Drug, Tasting Room, and Blandwood. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket. Make a weekend of it with Patron Passes, available at Blandwood Mansion, that include a fantastic College Hill Block Party on May 18th featuring crafted beers, live music, and great food!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information!

Creative Ideas for Vintage and Reused Building Materials on Tour

The Architectural Salvage of Greensboro (ASG) IdeaHouse will showcase recycled building materials in a Craftsman Bungalow on the Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens May 18-19 in College Hill.

In 1916, Maude and Oliver Klingman moved to Greensboro from Kansas City. They borrowed money from Gate City Building and Loan to construct this fine Craftsman-style bungalow on one of the last vacant lots in the College Hill neighborhood. The lot had previously been part of the homeplace of Morrison Morrow and his wife Martha, an African-American couple with deep roots in the College Hill neighborhood.  The old Morrow place was razed sometime around World War I to make way for denser urban development along the south side of Rankin Place as a small subdivision created by Sue and Augustus L. Rankin. Their home included an organic floor plan with a full-width living room that connects to a dining room that leads to a rear kitchen. The Klingmans did not remain in their new home very long. In less than a year they moved to a house on Victoria Street in Fisher Park. Gertrude and Clarence Burnham, a district representative with American Wood Working Machinery Company and a native of Vermont, purchased the Rankin Place home in 1918 and remained until 1921 with their live-in servant Geniva Delapp. Newlyweds Margaret and Ferdie Stout – bookkeeper and eventually secretary-treasurer of Odell Hardware – owned the house from 1921 till 1944. Various members of the Brock family owned the house through 1964 and likely made several upgrades including a new kitchen, mud room, and second bathroom.

During a long period in the 1960s the house stood vacant. By the early 1990s, the house suffered as a rental property and from deferred maintenance. The current owner has updated several features of the house, many by cleverly repurposing and recycling items. This home will be featured on the tour as the ASG IdeaHouse, a setting where creative re-use of vintage building materials will be highlighted in a residential setting. Several reuse ideas will be shown, including a kitchen island originally used as a tool bench, the glass cabinet doors recycled from other homes, and the large sink in the mudroom and a number of light fixtures that came from Architectural Salvage of Greensboro.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes & Gardens will feature a total of ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets are available now at Extra Ingredient, Brown Gardiner Drug, Tasting Room, and Blandwood. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket. Make a weekend of it with Patron Passes, available at Blandwood Mansion, that include a fantastic College Hill Block Party on May 18th featuring crafted beers, live music, and great food!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information! 

College Hill Queen Anne Cottage Featured

The Cannaday-Parker House was constructed on a tract of land in College Hill subdivided around 1892 by Leonard and Laura Ellen Morse. The Morse Tract was a small subdivision that resulted in the creation of Carr Street and included the houses at 922 Carr Street as well as the home at 216 South Mendenhall.  This charming one-story Queen Anne style cottage was built around 1895. Interesting period features of this home include a charming shingled dormer window with stained glass, bay windows, wooden spandrels, and an elaborate porch sporting turned wood supports and drop finials. The exterior restoration shows the original paint colors and placement which UNCG design students authenticated by carefully revealing the earliest paint layers. Interior details of the asymmetrical-center-hall plan include early mantels, corner-block trim, and stained glass windows.

Cinderella and James Cannaday purchased the lot in 1895 and likely had the house built just after they completed their home next door at 922 Carr Street. James was an engineer with the railroad, but he had an eye for real estate investment throughout the city. In 1899 the Cannadays rented the cottage to Harry Stone, a building contractor, and a year later it was leased by Mittie Wood, a widowed mother of six children. In 1900 the Cannadays sold their larger home and moved into the smaller cottage. Just a few years later, the couple sold the property to J. W. Parker but remained in the home as renters through 1910. While living in this home, James took a position of vice president of Central Hardware and Mantel Co, a supplier of mantels, tiles, grates and builder’s hardware.

For the next fifty years the house was primarily a rental property, owned most of that time by the Ferguson family, who lived next door at 922 Carr Street. Among the renters were Addie and Reuel Sink, captain of the nearby West End Hose Company. From 1971 until 1990 the house was owned by Agnes and Anthony Bengel, remembered as being instrumental in early preservation efforts in College Hill in the late 1970s. In 1991, homeowner Cheryl Cranford Kaufman returned the original colors to the exterior of the house. Current owners Kate and Don Gaston have lived in the home since 2005. The 117-year-old house continues to be a College Hill favorite for its eye-catching colors and charming details.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens will feature a total of ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets will be available for purchase after April 20th. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket. Exclusive Patron Passes are also available.

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information! 

College Hill Tour Will Include 1847 Inn

Located on a high wooded lot overlooking South Mendenhall Street, the Bumpass-Troy House is one of the three oldest houses in the College Hill neighborhood. The home is also one of a small number of Greek Revival residences in Greensboro, illustrated by the use of Greek-inspired trim featuring “ears” around the main entry, boxed cornice, and a grand full-height portico of Doric columns that was apparently shifted forward during a 1911 renovation to expand the width of the front porch.

Erected in 1847, the original single-pile, center-hall brick house was constructed for Sidney and Frances Bumpass. Bumpass was an accomplished Methodist minister and trustee of the nearby Greensborough Female College (today Greensboro College) who began a Christian newspaper known as The Weekly. Though Bumpass died prematurely in 1851, his wife continued publishing the newspaper from the home for twenty years. The Bumpass home was featured prominently in reports from soldiers who visited Greensboro in 1865, where the family “…entertained us in royal style…and invited us in the dining room where a nice lunch was spread, with hot coffee.”

The house remained in the family through eldest daughter Duella Bumpass’ line. She married Captain Robert Troy and raised a large family including Allah, Lota, Melvil, Nina, Eugene, Arthur, and Ethel. Ethel maintained ownership of the property until her death in 1975.

By 1989, the eleven-room house with seven fireplaces was suffering from neglect after having been used for student apartments. In 1991, Preservation Greensboro Incorporated helped save the Bumpass-Troy House from destruction by purchasing the house and placing preservation easements on the property. The easements, which preclude major alterations to the interior and exterior without consultation with the organization, continue with the deed in perpetuity.

Gwendolyn and Charles Brown bought the property and completed a major restoration, converting the home to a bed and breakfast inn. Subsequent owners Andrea and John Wimmer managed the inn through 2011, and present owners Judy and Larry Horn currently operate the 166-year-old home as the Troy-Bumpas Inn Bed & Breakfast. The house was designated a Guilford County Landmark Property in 1992.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens will feature this home and nine others in the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets will be available for purchase after April 20th. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information. Tomorrow is our FREE event to learn about the Secrets of College Hill!

Historic Wafco Mill Part of Preservation Tour

This historic industrial property was constructed for the milling enterprise North, Watson and Company. The earliest component of the complex is three stories tall, constructed of timber and covered in wood clapboards in 1893. Subsequent phases added in 1907 and 1912 were of brick construction and increasingly elaborate in design. The 1912 phase is the most elaborate, featuring segmental arched windows, brick corbels, and a handsome stepped parapet gable.

The history of the mill is associated with the Watson family, who introduced the roller mill process to Greensboro. The mill produced a variety of flour, cornmeal and feeds and operated under the same family management for more than four generations. The complex was abandoned in 1972, leaving its future in doubt until developers proposed converting the buildings to residential use in 1984. Architects Glave Newman Anderson of Richmond, VA preserved charming features and materials including exposed brick walls and structural timbers. They created twenty-eight unique living units that were instantly successful. Wafco Mill is touchstone to the industrial and commercial development of Greensboro as a well-preserved example of late nineteenth and early twentieth century industrial construction development. Its collection of milling machinery remained largely intact at the time of redevelopment, providing a dynamic context for some of Greensboro’s most interesting residences.

The complex, located at 801 McGee Street – will be represented by two very different units. Unit 8 enjoys access to an outdoor deck and sports exposed brick walls and an interesting two-level living space that is evocative of urban lofts. Unit 10 is located on the second floor and enjoys a single-level floor plan with exceptionally high ceilings and two bedrooms. The mill was designated a Guilford County Landmark Property in 1995.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens will feature ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets will be available for purchase after April 20th. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information!

Discover the Secrets of College Hill

College Hill has the distinction of being Greensboro’s best-preserved nineteenth century neighborhood with narrow streets lined with Queen Anne cottages and charming bungalows. Packed with history and centrally located, College Hill blends quaint architecture with urban amenities to create one of Greensboro’s most interesting neighborhoods.

Unlike most other neighborhoods in Greensboro, College Hill was not developed at one time under a grand scheme. The community began innocuously in the 1840s as a collection of grand homes with prominent occupants including Letitia Morehead Walker, daughter of Governor John Motley Morehead and her husband William Walker; Reverend Sidney D. Bumpass, publisher of the newspaper The Weekly (home pictured, right); and Reverend Nathan H. D. Wilson, Elder of the Raleigh District of the North Carolina Methodist Conference. Their homes reveal pragmatic and modest interpretations of nationally popular Greek Revival and Italianate styles typical to the Carolina Piedmont during the antebellum period.

After the Civil War, these large homes were complemented by residences of African-American citizens who eluded high land costs by living on the fringe of Greensboro.  Examples of this group include Wesley Caldwell, born in 1837 and owner of his home who made a living as a cook. Lithia Brooks was born in 1835 and was employed as a washerwoman. She rented a small house at 438 Mendenhall with her daughter Lula and son Charlie. Julia Booker owned her home located at 945 McGee Street.

Morrison Morrow exemplified the community. Morris is presumed to have been born into slavery in 1845 and married soon after the end of the Civil War. In 1870, Thomas Owen, a Deputy Collector for the U.S. Government, purchased a small quarter-acre tract of land from former mayor Cyrus P. Mendenhall for $100. A few months later, he sold the same tract to Morris Morrow for $40 financed by a loan from Greensboro Building and Loan. On this land Morrow built his modest home just south of today's Rankin Street (image, right). Morris was listed in documents as a day laborer and his wife, Mary, was recognized as a teacher. The couple lived in their home for at least thirty years when Mary passed away. Morrow and his second wife, Lena, moved to Maple Street, approximately where the Greensboro Post Office is today. Morris died in 1916 and is buried in Union Cemetery. Few if any structures related to the historic African-American community remain in College Hill today.

Through the 1960s, urban challenges such as high density housing, disinvestment, and blight were addressed through reconstruction efforts that often included the wholesale destruction of communities. Federal grants allowed communities to redevelop large areas with new infrastructure, parks, schools, and buildings. Here in Greensboro, areas of East Market Street and the Warnersville neighborhood were destroyed – and rebuilt – in this manner.

When planners began examining the College Hill neighborhood in the 1960s for reinvestment, similar heavy handed methods were considered at first. In 1977, a discussion group was formed to explore alternatives to such renewal efforts, resulting in a charrette that focused on several objectives. Major themes included land use and zoning, infrastructure, and investment in historic buildings that was cultivated through the creation of an historic preservation program in Greensboro. In 1980, College Hill was designated by City Council as Greensboro’s first locally designated historic district.

To learn more about the secrets of College Hill, plan to attend our FREE event scheduled for 9-12pm Saturday morning, April 20th at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant at 501 South Mendenhall Street in the heart of College Hill.

On May 18-19, Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens will feature ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets will be available for purchase after April 20th. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information!

Queen Anne-style House Featured on Preservation Tour

In addition to nine other properties, the historic Cannaday-Ferguson House will be open on Preservation Greensboro's Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens on May 18-19!

Built in 1895, this Queen Anne-style house is a well-preserved example of the gracious and sturdy homes found in College Hill.  The oldest portion of the house is composed of a center-hall plan that focuses on the entry hall flanked by two equal-size rooms, each with rear fireplaces. A dining room and kitchen continued this original footprint. In the late 1910s, new mantles were built and the house grew in size as porches were enclosed. A porte-cochère, or “coach door,” extended the front verandah to accommodate the family car.

The Cannaday-Ferguson House was built by Cinderella and James Cannaday. James held a position as an engineer with the A C Rail Line, but he also bought and sold land across the city. This property was the couple's first acquisition in College Hill. They lived in this home until 1900, when they sold the property to Charles Ireland and moved into their smaller former rental house next door.

The house went through a series of owners until Ora and John Edward Ferguson purchased it in 1918. John was an insurance agent originally from Caswell County. He died in 1929, but Ora remained in the home for 46 years until she died at the age of 80 in 1964. The Fergusons are remembered for making significant changes to the home such as reworking mantles, adding bathrooms, enclosing porches, adding the porte-cochère, and expanding the gardens.

By 1987 the house was worn and needed investment. Ann and Tom Martin purchased the property and converted it into Greensboro’s second bed and breakfast inn. The College Hill Bed & Breakfast Inn took advantage of the sprawling floor plan and six fireplaces by featuring three guest rooms. The Martins sold the house to Betty Work and David Arneke in 1993. The new owners returned the property to single-family use but continued to make investments such as sprucing up the kitchen and bathrooms and further cultivating the sprawling gardens.

Preservation Greensboro's Third Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Gardens will feature ten vintage homes of the College Hill neighborhood. Plan to spend the weekend touring stunning homes of the nineteenth century that highlight interesting architecture, design ideas, and local history! Advanced tickets will be available for purchase after April 20th. Group tickets of ten or more are available for $15 per ticket!

Stay tuned to our website, this blog and our Facebook page for additional information!