Once abandoned and occupied by squatters, the Margaret and Thornton Brooks House, located at 415 Sunset Drive in Irving Park, has been approved for designation as a Guilford County Landmark by the Greensboro City Council. Currently owned by Ashley and Sam Simpson, the elegant French Eclectic residence is a rare example in North Carolina. It…
On October 15th 2019, the Greensboro City Council designated the Groome-Shevel Building at 532-534 South Elm Street a Guilford County Landmark property. Landmark designation means the community recognizes the property is worthy of preservation because of its special significance in local history. Any substantial changes in design, materials, and appearance to the property is subject…
The Treasured Places Watch List is an advocacy and education program of Preservation Greensboro that promotes historic places with community partners with the goal of developing preservation strategies. Recognition to the Watch List is not legally binding nor is the program considered to be a shame campaign. Instead, the list is composed of properties that…
Architectural Salvage of Greensboro (ASG) was founded in 1993 as a project of Preservation Greensboro. The purpose of the venture is to rescue and recycle materials from historic structures when they are remodeled or demolished. In 2018, the initiative celebrates its 25th anniversary! The idea for a salvage program was discussed in Greensboro in the…
One hundred years ago, it was a center of Greensboro’s social scene, but today the rustic Edgewood Estate sits empty after a period of neglect. It stands ready for a new owner to restore the formerly rural retreat to its next chapter in history. Located in the middle of a suburban block at 111 Arden…
Hillside is a grand home in Fisher Park in Greensboro built by insurance executive and philanthropist Julian Price. Preservation Greensboro staff and supporters opened the Tudor-style home as a Designer Showhouse as a culmination of its restoration in April 2018. This event served as Preservation Greensboro’s premiere fundraiser for the year, placeholding for the annual Tour of…
Ten years ago, the Preservation Greensboro Development Fund found new footing. Since that time, the Fund has been involved in a series of notable projects ranging from relocating bungalows, rescuing fire-damaged houses, and reviving a nineteenth century saloon. In doing so, it has forged creative partnerships with neighborhoods, local governments, private foundations, businesses, individuals, and…
Vigilant denizens and fans of Fisher Park have noticed the unthinkable in their neighborhood. An historic Eugene Street cottage was razed and is being replaced with new construction…without any design review through the Historic Preservation Commission. What’s going on here? Fisher Park is thought to be one of the most restrictive communities in the city…
Greensboro, once considered a bastion of new construction and sprawl, has emerged as North Carolina’s Preservation City. A diversity of preservation projects are currently underway or planned in every quarter of the city, representing more than $200 million of private investment in Greensboro. Seven of the projects, including the largest, leverage state and federal historic preservation…
The comedy film “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” was released in 1948. It enjoyed a distinguished pedigree – produced by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by H. C. Potter, and showcasing stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas. Although the movie attracted modest audiences, it was cleverly paired with a national promotion of “dream…
Located at 429 West Friendly Avenue in downtown Greensboro, the Christian Advocate Publishing Company Building was among the earliest structures downtown recognized for significance in the city’s first historic architectural survey of 1976. Architectural Historian Ruth Little-Stokes wrote of the building in the survey “2-story brick commercial building with masonry main façade of dramatic Egyptian…
Members and friends of Preservation Greensboro gathered last night at The Public at Morehead Foundry for the organization’s 51st Annual Meeting. More than 200 attendees heard keynote speaker Ron Staley, a Senior Vice President with The Christman Company who leads the company’s southeast Michigan Operations as well as the role of Director of Historic Preservation.…