Walking Wednesdays Tour of Westerwood

Beginning with the magnificent neoclassical Double Oaks Bed & Breakfast at 204 North Mendenhall Street, this tour will weave the history of Westerwood from the late nineteenth century to the present. Built on a hill just west of Greensboro’s village center, the area was first developed in the 1890s as the home of B. H. Merrimon. His home, known as The Cedars, was among Greensboro’s most exuberant Queen Anne homes. It stood until the 1960s. Property surrounding The Cedars was developed first as the Highlands, then rebranded as Oakwood Park, before being rechristened as Westerwood in 1919. Westerwood’s developer was the Greensboro real estate promoter-extraordinaire Arthur Kirby Moore, who used public contests and media to promote his subdivision. Sales were brisk throughout the Roaring Twenties, and examples of heart-achingly charming bungalows can be seen lining the streets of the neighborhood. The tour concludes with a discussion of the St. Paul’s neighborhood, a community of perhaps 100 African American residents who lived in frame cottages erected as early as the 1880s around St. Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church at 710 Guilford Avenue. Little of this early neighborhood remains.

Now in our 18th season of tours, Preservation Greensboro’s Community Outreach Director (and Westwood resident!) Kathryn McDowell will provide insights and anecdotal stories about B. H. Merrimon, A. K. Moore, and other personalities that led to the development of Westerwood as one of the Gate City’s interesting neighborhoods.

Our tours are FREE to the community (but we hope you will consider joining as a member). This tour begins in front of Double Oaks, located at 204 North Mendenhall Street and will take 60 to 90 minutes. Canceled in case of rain/thunder — updates will be made on our social media. Wear comfortable shoes!