After years of disinterest in the designation of National Register Historic Districts, Guilford County is experiencing a resurgence of activity. Guilford County was early to understand the benefits of listing historic districts to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register program was authorized by the National Preservation Act of 1966 as communities across…
DetailsOne of High Point’s premiere Queen Anne-style houses and the flagship property of the Johnson Street Historic District will soon have a new owner. Gloria Halstead, a current resident of Washington DC, will purchase the house in August for use as her private residence. Halstead is a native of High Point, and looks forward to…
DetailsThe community of Springfield, long ago absorbed into the city of High Point, was a statewide center of Quakerism in the years after the Civil War. The community featured a well-regarded school, and an active ministry that was led by humanitarian Allen Jay. However, it’s most ambitious Reconstruction Era initiatives were made through the establishment…
DetailsThe height of the Great Depression saw the nation’s housing industry mired in high unemployment, tight financing, and poor housing conditions. The average home loan required short terms ranging from three to five years. Reform was necessary to counter the large down payments, second mortgages, and high interest rates that were commonplace. Congress responded to…
DetailsIn one of the oldest communities in the Carolina piedmont brews a preservation struggle that pits an historic log house against a modern drive-thru restaurant. Which side wins will shape the future of this town as a community that either respects its past, or discards it. Among the communities in Guilford County, Jamestown is recognized as having a…
DetailsNorth 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…
DetailsIt 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…
DetailsHigh Point has quite a few notable textbook examples of residential architecture. The Wilson House at 425 Hillcrest Drive is a rendition of the landmark home known as Tudor Place in the Georgetown section of Washington DC. The Zollicoffer House at 1207 Johnson Street (image, right) studiously follows the design philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright.…
DetailsAfter years of work, High Point has a publication dedicated to the architectural history of the city. In efforts of transparency and full-disclosure, I am its author. I will receive no financial benefit in the sale of the book. The publication entitled “The Architecture of High Point, North Carolina” hit shelves in High Point last…
DetailsOn the Greensboro Road in eastern High Point, there stands two exotic houses like no others in the Furniture City. Newcomers, if they catch a glimpse of the homes through the trees, marvel at their wonderfully unusual architecture. Old timers, however, remember one the homes as the site of one of North Carolina’s most sensational…
DetailsTwo historic properties were approved for consideration for local landmark designation this week by the Guilford County Historic Preservation. Both properties received unanimous support for recognition and protection by county government. Built in 1900, the W. T. “Tom” Kirkman House is located at 415 West High Street in downtown High Point. The Kirkman House is…
DetailsThough the Triad contains the lion’s share of North Carolina’s sprawling estates built by early twentieth-century textile fortunes, few can match the size, quality, and design of Adamsleigh. The vast estate, located in Greensboro’s Sedgefield neighborhood, consists of a sprawling 15,000 square foot manor house coupled with tennis courts, a caretakers cottage, a pond, two…
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