Preservation North Carolina

PNC Needs a Car!

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:56:22 +0000

One of PNC's cars was totaled on Saturday in a serious automobile accident. We are grateful that no one was seriously injured.

Now we're in need of a "new" car.� Do you know anyone who might be willing to donate a safe, reliable, highway-worthy car to PNC? They would get a better deduction if they gave us a car for our use (full Bluebook value) rather than giving it to another charity for disposition (actual sale price).

If you are able to help, or know of someone else that might be able to, please email us at info@presnc.org, or call 919-832-3652 x 229.

Wake may reopen former Raleigh schools

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:42:02 +0000

In the 1960s, nearly every neighborhood in central Raleigh had its own elementary school.

But the combination of integration, white flight and population shifts to the suburbs shut down many of these old-time Raleigh schools. Now two of them may be pressed back into duty to help educate the new wave of students moving into the heart of the city.

Wake County school administrators are looking at the feasibility of reactivating the Thompson School and the Crosby-Garfield School, both in Southeast Raleigh near downtown. Both buildings, owned by the county and used for county offices and by community groups, might be returned to the school system and reopened as schools as soon as fall 2013.

(Raleigh News & Observer, 5/20/12)

Read the full story...

Confederate momument issue goes to court

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:58:04 +0000

The North Carolina United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) and the Historic Preservation Action Committee (HPAC) will go head-to-head in court Monday morning over the Reidsville Confederate Monument.

HPAC filed lawsuits against the City of Reidsville, the UDC, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) in April.

The issue began one year ago this Wednesday, when Mark Anthony Vincent of Greensboro drove his company's vehicle into the monument. The solider on top of the monument was knocked off its pedestal and into Vincent's van. The solider shattered and his head became embedded in the vehicle. It was later removed and placed in the Reidsville Public Works building for safekeeping.

(GoDanRiver.com, 5/19/2012)

Read the full story...

An Inside Look at Preservation Greensboro's Tour of Historic Homes

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:12:14 +0000

Greensboro is rich in history. Even the homes tell a story. This weekend, you can stop by and tour them.

WFMY News 2's Tracey McCain walked us through one of the homes on Preservation Greensboro's Tour of Historic Homes this morning. The house looks over Greenway park on West Greenway Drive North. It was built in the 1920's and purchased by Hugh and Mary Preddy. The cost $10,324.

Read full story and watch the video...

Wilimington a Model for Restoration Effort

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:50:36 +0000

�We've come a long way, baby." This paraphrase of the famous 1960s ad perfectly describes how historic preservation has evolved in the last 50 years since the creation of the Wilmington Board of Architectural Review (now the Historic Preservation Commission) in 1962.

A half-century ago, middle-class whites were fleeing to the suburbs, fueled by highway construction and home mortgage programs. Downtowns became synonymous with crime and poverty, and planners wrote about the death of the American city. The federal government actively supported segregated neighborhoods through its loan guidelines. Owners of historic properties were encouraged to destroy them with generous tax deductions for demolition. The tax code rewarded new construction, while giving no comparable incentive for renovation.

The National Register of Historic Places didn't exist. A federally subsidized demolition derby was under way.

Read full story...

Newell Neill home has history, no buyers

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:04:05 +0000

If you live in the UNC Charlotte area, you have probably driven by 1412 West Rocky River Road.

It's near the intersection of Rocky River Road and Old Concord Road, next to Newell Presbyterian Church and across from the Newell Masonic Lodge.

Right now, the structure, which sits on about two acres of land, looks a bit dilapidated. But, if you are willing to explore its history, you may find a diamond in the rough.

Read full story...

Historic Homesteads Praised

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:22:07 +0000

Three area homesteads - in Apex, Fuquay-Varina, and Morrisville� were recently recognized for their historic landmark status by Wake County.

During the annual Wake County Preservation Celebration May 6, historic plaques were awarded to the Williamson Page house in Morrisville owned by Mary Jo Ferrell and DH Lumley; Seagroves Farm in Apex owned by Bill Cotton; and the Zeb and Lorena Atkinson House in Fuquay-Varina owned by Richard and Jeanne Robinson.

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Rare Access Granted on True Bucket List Tour

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:18:14 +0000

The Memorial Hall performing arts center on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus is one of the six stops on the "True Blue Bucket List" tour on June 10. Participants will go backstage at the hall and see other community sites that are not usually open to the public.

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Celebrating historic preservation in Wake County

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:30:38 +0000

Seven years ago, it seemed the century-old Seagroves Farm house was destined for demolition to make room for yet another subdivision.

Thanks to some determined residents and a preservation-based town code, the farm was spared from the developer's wrecking crew.

The results of those efforts were in full display Sunday afternoon as the current Seagroves Farm owners received a landmark plaque during the annual Wake County Historic Preservation Celebration held in Apex.

Wilmington Plantation to be Restored to 18th Century Appearance

Sun, 06 May 2012 19:35:36 +0000

"Landowner Louis Moore Bacon is determined to turn back the clock at Orton Plantation.

Bacon, the direct descendent of the plantation�s founding family who purchased the Brunswick County property in 2010, is working to restore Orton�s 8,500 acres to the antebellum rice plantation it was in the 1700s, said Orton�s property manager, Dillon Epp.

Plans for the property include the restoration of about 7,000 acres of longleaf pine forest, removal of invasive species that have overrun the 320 acres of rice fields and preservation of the plantation�s historic house and gardens, Epp said.

The goal is to create the landscape that Bacon�s ancestors knew hundreds of years ago, Orton landscape property manager Nick Dawson said.

Bacon is a direct descendent of Roger Moore, who built the original Orton residence and established the property as a rice plantation.

�The owner is doing all this because of his family history,� Dawson said. �He would like to look at what his ancestors looked at. But the restoration is also benefitting the community because a piece of North Carolina history is being preserved.�

Orton Plantation Holdings has applied to the National Park Service for designation as a National Historic Landmark."

Read full story . . .

The Charlotte Observer (4/28/2012)

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/04/28/3205707/owner-to-restore-wilmington-plantation.html#storylink=cpy