Fisher Park was the first Greensboro suburb planned and developed around a park and one of the earliest park suburbs in North Carolina. British Army Captain Basil J. Fisher re-imaged a swamp and garbage dump into Greensboro’s most fashionable Gilded Era address in 1901 when he donated the lowlands for the city’s first park that…
Traces of nineteenth-century history linger on the edges of the Summit Avenue neighborhood (recently renamed Dunleath), but the greatest architectural legacy dates from the early twentieth-century. In 1898, industrialist siblings Ceasar and Moses Cone constructed a “magnificent boulevard” to ease transportation between their cotton and denim mills and the city center. Named “Summit Avenue” for…
South of the railroad tracks are a variety of shops, galleries, and restaurants that were constructed beginning in the 1870s by Joseph Shields. Named Shieldstown, the structures overlooking South Elm Street featured brick storefronts sporting ornate iron- and stone-trimmed facades, and elaborate cornices. Today, the neighborhood and adjacent areas are a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood that…
College Hill has the distinction of being Greensboro’s best-preserved nineteenth century neighborhood. The narrow streets lined with Queen Anne cottages and charming bungalows are enhanced by offbeat boutiques and eateries that cater to a hipster clientele from nearby colleges. Packed with history and centrally located, College Hill blends quaint architecture with amenities to create one…
As Greensboro grew to become the second largest city in North Carolina by 1970, the city gained affluence through income from textiles, cigarettes, electronics, banking, and insurance. Wealth and prosperity led to corporate confidence which translated into progressive designs that drew from global conversations on architecture. For the decades between 1930 and 1980, Greensboro was…
The East White Oak School was constructed by the Cone family around 1916 to serve grades 1-5 for children of African American mill workers. It has been on the National Register since 1991 based on Criteria A - through associations with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history…
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 a west of Greensboro’s village center, the area was first developed in the 1890s as the home of B.…
For a city of its size in the American South, Greensboro has a remarkable history of social equity that spans more than 100 years. Perhaps those of tolerant Quaker and Jewish faith provided Greensboro's disenfranchised citizens with community allies. In addition, Greensboro also had a strong "youth culture" from its five colleges and universities that…
Traces of nineteenth-century history linger on the edges of the Summit Avenue neighborhood (recently renamed Dunleath), but the greatest architectural legacy dates from the early twentieth-century. In 1898, industrialist siblings Ceasar and Moses Cone constructed a “magnificent boulevard” to ease transportation between their cotton and denim mills and the city center. Named “Summit Avenue” for…
The Revolution Mill complex represents an important chapter in the development of Greensboro as one of the largest cities in North Carolina. The mill was a keystone of brothers Moses and Ceasar Cone’s textile empire, established in Greensboro after observing opportunity in the rapid expansion of the southern textile industry. Revolution Mill was named for…
Recognition of the 1781 Guilford Courthouse battle site was initiated in 1886, and resulted in the formation of the Guilford Battle Ground Company (est. 1887) that would protect and commemorate the grounds with monuments and memorials. The first monument was erected in 1887 and between 20 and 30 monuments were erected and dedicated to patriots…
Explore Hendrix, Chestnut, and Percy streets, containing the oldest houses in the Summit Avenue National Register Historic District/Dunleath Neighborhood. Dating to the 1880s, these earliest houses were built north of Dunleath Plantation, and were populated by members of the entrepreneurial Hendrix family. This tour also touches on the Dick Family plantation house site, now used…