Summer 2014 Summer 2014 Number 146 75 Years of Published by Preservation North Carolina, Est

summer 2014 summer 2014 Number 146 75 Years of Published by Preservation North Carolina, Est. 1939 www.PreservationNC.org Preservation reservation North Carolina dates back to 1939, when the North The Historic Preservation Regional Offices and Staff Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. Carolina Society for the Preservation of Antiquities was formed. Headquarters Piedmont Regional Office 2014 Board of Directors 220 Fayetteville Street 735 Ninth Street Its original vision was to encourage the reconstruction of Tryon Suite 200 Suite 56 P.O. Box 27644 P.O. Box 3597 P Eddie Belk, Durham, Chairman Palace in New Bern, the royal governor’s residence that also served as Rodney Swink, Raleigh, Vice Raleigh, NC 27611-7644 Durham, NC 27702-3597 Chairman and Chairman-Elect 919-832-3652 919-401-8540 North Carolina’s colonial capitol. When the Antiquities Society was Bettie Edwards Murchison, Fax 919-832-1651 Fax 919-832-1651 Wake Forest, Secretary e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] founded, Tryon Palace was an archaeological site buried deep under a Fred Belledin, Raleigh, Treasurer Myrick Howard, President Cathleen Turner, Director Diane Althouse, Charlotte, At-Large Robert Parrott, Headquarters US highway, so the plan to reconstruct it was gutsy. Executive Committee Member Regional Director Western Regional Office Jo Ramsay Leimenstoll, Greensboro, Shannon Phillips, Director of 2 1/2 E. Warren Street, Immediate Past Chairman Resource Development Suite 8 Oliver Robinson, Office Shelby, NC 28151-0002 The Antiquities Society stuck with its across the state. This first-in-the-nation Summer Steverson Alston, Durham Assistant 704-482-3531 vision and by the late 1950s succeeded statewide fund focused primarily on James Andrus, Enfield Lauren Werner, Director of Fax 919-832-1651 Millie Barbee, West Jefferson Outreach Education/ e-mail: in getting Tryon Palace rebuilt and open rural and small-town houses that were Ramona Bartos, Raleigh Website Editor [email protected] to the public. Through the years the sitting vacant and forlorn across the state. Anne Rendlemen Daniel, Greensboro Dawn Williams, Office Ted Alexander, Director Meg Kluttz Dees, Salisbury Manager/Properties volunteer organization also collected In 1983, the two organizations Coordinator Anne Faircloth, Clinton Northeast Regional Office money to help launch many of the state’s merged, and The Historic Preservation Mary Frances Wilson, Ned Fowler, Boone 117 E. King Street Development Associate Debby Gomulka, Wilmington Edenton, NC 27932 other early museum efforts. Foundation of North Carolina, Inc., Melanie Graham, Charlotte 252-482-7455 Bellamy Mansion Museum of By the 1970s, the old society was (or Preservation North Carolina, as we Bruce Hazzard, Asheville Fax 919-832-1651 History and Design Arts Rebecca Love, Shelby e-mail: running out of steam and money. A new, know it today) was created. Since the 503 Market Street Marty Moser, Clayton [email protected] Edward Norvell, Salisbury Wilmington, NC 28402-1176 more activist generation was getting beginning of the fund in 1975, PNC has Libby Pope, Edenton 910-251-3700 Claudia Deviney, Director involved, motivated by the “demolition been directly involved in the preservation Gray Reed, Raleigh Fax 910-763-8154 Tara Sherbert, Charlotte e-mail: derby” that was perpetrated by the urban of more than 725 historic properties James M. Tanner, Jr., Raleigh [email protected] renewal and interstate highway programs statewide, representing more than $350 Don Tise, Chapel Hill Gareth Evans, Director Clark Twiddy, Kill Devil Hills Chloe Gatton, Community and by suburban sprawl. The nation’s million in private investment. Most of Hayes Wauford, Winston-Salem Outreach Representative bicentennial in 1976 was also sparking these properties have been “poor dogs” J. Chris Wilson, Wilmington Bob Lock, Site Manager Brooks Murphrey, renewed interest in America’s history. acquired by PNC for “adoption“ by Administrative Assistant In 1974, the society reorganized itself worthy preservationists. Ashley Relf, Operations Manager as the Historic Preservation Society This issue of North Carolina of North Carolina, Inc., and in 1975 Preservation contains only a tiny fraction set up a new statewide revolving fund of the properties that have been saved On the cover: Glencoe Mill Village, 2009 as a legally separate entity. The purpose or secured by PNC. PNC has striking The mission of Preservation North Carolina is to protect and promote buildings, of the new Historic Preservation Fund before-and-after images of more than sites and landscapes important to the diverse heritage of North Carolina. of North Carolina, Inc., was to acquire 400 properties —here’s just a small and resell endangered historic properties sampling. 2 3 n the late 1970s, PNC’s Endangered Properties Program (aka the 2014 Summer revolving fund) worked with vacant rural houses. The landscape Iof North Carolina seemed to be dotted by hundreds of deserted antebellum Federal and Greek Revival plantation houses. There was scarcely a market for these properties. The first property “revolved” by the fund was Bingham School in Orange County. Within years, it was operating as a successful bed and breakfast. North Carolina Preservation Carolina North Shady Oaks, Warren County, Jesse Clement House, Davie County, Mitchell-Ward House, Bingham School, Orange County Perquimans County. 4 5 n the early 1980s, North Carolina was selected by the National 2014 Summer Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the first six states to Iparticipate in the National Main Street Program. The fund’s board set a goal of saving at least one historic property in each of the five new Main Street communities. The Masonic Temple in downtown Shelby was sold by PNC for conversion into upscale residential and office units. These apartments, named Mason Square, were among the state’s very first downtown living units in a half-century. The Hedrick Block, a grouping of four buildings joined by a North Carolina Preservation Carolina North continuous façade in the heart of downtown Salisbury, was badly damaged by fire. The fund acquired two of the buildings while the bulldozers were still at work. It nationally advertised a building-and-a half, and a local dentist acquired and renovated the damaged property. Today it’s hard to imagine Salisbury without its fully intact 100 block downtown. Masonic Temple, Shelby Hedrick Block, Salisbury 6 7 n the late 1980s, the wave of demolition that wiped out vacant 2014 Summer public school buildings seemed inexhaustible. PNC did a series of Ipublications about the 3Rs for School (Rescue, Renovate, Reuse) and started using the slogan, “Historic Preservation: The Ultimate Recycling.” But, even more important, PNC developed special expertise in working with vacated school buildings. Since then, PNC has purchased more than 30 school buildings from local school boards for private reuse. The Charles L. Coon School in Wilson and Mulberry Street School in Statesville are but two examples of schools adapted into senior affordable housing by developers working under PNC’s auspices. North Carolina Preservation Carolina North PNC’s work with schools expanded to include other vacant surplus public properties such as hospitals, libraries, and municipal buildings. Old Durham Public Library, Durham Charles L. Coon School, Wilson, Mulberry Street School, Statesville and Sanford City Hall, Sanford 8 9 n the early 1990s, PNC received the gifts of several exceedingly 2014 Summer important properties for long-term stewardship. After its Iformation, PNC’s revolving fund was routinely presented as the antidote to the house museum. Over and over, PNC’s mantra, “not every house can become a house museum,” was repeated. But some properties demanded special attention because of their condition, their level of significance or their ownership. Within a few short years, PNC was given Coolmore Plantation near Tarboro, the Banker’s House in Shelby, the Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, and El Nido in Shelby; it also took on responsibility for managing Ayr Mount in Hillsborough and acquired Union Tavern in Milton after North Carolina Preservation Carolina North a devastating fire. PNC had to pioneer new ways of thinking about how to ensure the stewardship of major properties that required special private investment beyond simple private ownership. Coolmore, Edgecombe County, Bellamy Mansion, Wilmington and Ayr Mount, Union Tavern, Milton (Caswell County) Hillsborough 1 0 11 n the mid-1990s, after the passage of NAFTA, North Carolina 2014 Summer witnessed the abandonment of vacant historic industrial buildings Iat an alarming rate. PNC dug in with an “Industrial Heritage” program through its revolving fund. First, the work focused on mill buildings; then it expanded to include the surrounding mill villages. In 1995, Unifi donated the Edenton Cotton Mill and mill village to PNC. PNC developed a plan for the revitalization of the village that succeeded far beyond anyone’s expectations. Nearly 60 mill houses were privately renovated, new infill houses based on mill houses were constructed, and the mill itself was converted into upscale condominiums. The tax assessment for the property rose from $1.45 North Carolina Preservation Carolina North million in 1998 to more than $30 million in 2014. Edenton Cotton Mill, Edenton Edenton Cotton Mill Village, Edenton 1 2 13 fter the first blush of success in Edenton, PNC purchased 2014 Summer Glencoe Mill and Mill Village in Alamance County in a Abargain sale in 1997. This property had languished for nearly a half-century, challenging the notion of what’s salvageable. PNC had always worked with “poor dogs,” but this “dog” was barely alive. The significance of the 19th century mill and mill village demanded bold action. After investing nearly $1.5 million to acquire the 100 acres, install water and sewer lines, stabilize long-vacant houses, and build new roads where the old ones had eroded into little more than ditches, PNC found a surge of interest and again sold house after house for renovation. North Carolina Preservation Carolina North PNC’s work in Edenton and Glencoe set the stage for its advocacy for state rehabilitation tax credits.

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