Category: Classic House of the Week

The Charles Augustus Hendrix House: A Grand 1890s Mansion in Dunleath, $300,000

February 15, 2021

Update: The house sold for $200,000 on June 15, 2021.

Those great Doric columns grab your attention, don’t they? The Charles Augustus Hendrix House is one grand old mansion. And at $300,000, it’s far more affordable than most of its surviving peers. The house needs some work, but, unless there are stuff-of-nightmares issues (foundation, plumbing, etc.) unseen in the listing, that could be a remarkable price.

Continue reading “The Charles Augustus Hendrix House: A Grand 1890s Mansion in Dunleath, $300,000”

The Odell Byerly House: An Antique King’s Mansion in Sedgefield, $650,000

September 5, 2020

If you were looking for Odell Byerly’s house in Sedgefield back in the ’60s, you would have found 5703 Anson Road eventually and maybe would have guessed, correctly, that this must be the place. The one with the big columns, like the big columns that made Byerly’s Antiques an I-85 landmark for 40 years.

The Byerly House is a classic Colonial Revival. It’s gracious, rather formal and big — 4,600 square feet. It’s for sale now for $650,000.

Continue reading “The Odell Byerly House: An Antique King’s Mansion in Sedgefield, $650,000”

6104 Laurel Knoll Drive: Originally a 1907 Boys Dormitory in Pleasant Garden, $207,000

January 13, 2020

6104 laurel knoll drive pleasant garden.jpg

Update: The house sold for $201,000 on March 10, 2020.

A piece of Guilford County history: From 1869 until 1962, Pleasant Garden Male and Female Academy — later Pleasant Garden Boarding School and even later Pleasant Garden High School — brought secondary education to southern Guilford County. As of 1907, it was one of only two state-certified high schools in the county, and it continued to attract boarding students. Today, about all that’s left of it appears to be 6104 Laurel Knoll Drive.

Continue reading “6104 Laurel Knoll Drive: Originally a 1907 Boys Dormitory in Pleasant Garden, $207,000”

305 S. Mendenhall Street: A 1918 College Hill Classic, $324,900

January 3, 2019

305 s. mendenhall street.jpg

There are few houses for sale in Greensboro’s three historic districts this winter. College Hill, Dunleath and Fisher Park have a total of just six houses for sale right now (three others under contract). Still, some of those homes are among the finest historic homes in the city. One of the highlights is 305 S. Mendenhall Street in College Hill, the Stokes-Dees House.

Continue reading “305 S. Mendenhall Street: A 1918 College Hill Classic, $324,900”

Classic House of the Week: 1820 Madison Avenue, a Timeless Gem in Sunset Hills, $475,000

July 17, 2018

1820 madison avenue.jpg

Update: The house was sold for $420,000 on September 12, 2018.

There are grand, beautiful houses that have been sold three or four times in the past 20 years. This kind of turnover typically says nothing about the house; we just live in a restless time. That’s especially true for the upwardly mobile types who can afford to pay, say, $400,000, $500,000 or more for a house. People who are in a position to make big money tend to go where it leads them.

And then there are houses like 1820 Madison Avenue. It went up for sale this week for the first time in 43 years. It’s easy to see why the owner has lived there so long. Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: 1820 Madison Avenue, a Timeless Gem in Sunset Hills, $475,000”

Classic House of the Week: 906 Olive Street and the Auction That Just Won’t End

June 27, 2018

906 olive street.jpg

Update: The final upset bid of $252,000 was filed July 17; I think it was the 10th, but I could have missed one or two. The sale closed on July 28, 2018.

906 Olive Street is a nice little Fisher Park house. Built in 1938, it has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,938 square feet. It has a smallish front porch, gray shingle siding and a couple trees in the front yard. It’s a little on the modest side for Fisher Park. There have been a few more or less similar houses for sale in the neighborhood recently. It’s in foreclosure, also like a few others recently. Nice but not especially remarkable.

Except: It went up for auction on June 6, and, three weeks later, the auction is still going on. Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: 906 Olive Street and the Auction That Just Won’t End”

Historic House of the Week: A 1790 Federal-Style Mansion in Caswell County on the National Register

June 12, 2018

5869 U.S. 158.jpg
The Moore-Gwyn-Ewalt House and its 200 acres are now listed for sale at $1.75 million.

The counties surrounding Guilford have seen plenty of history, Caswell in particular. In the early decades of the nation’s history, Caswell was one of the state’s most prosperous and prominent counties, but, long beyond living memory, its fortunes crashed. Now, about all that’s left of its glory years are some truly impressive houses, scattered here and there from Camp Springs and Cherry Grove up to Milton and Semora.

national-register-plaque transparent.fw.pngThe Moore-Gwyn-Ewalt House in the Locust Hill area is a beautiful example of Caswell’s past — 6,226 square feet of Federal-style elegance on 200 unspoiled acres. The house was built in 1790; considerable square footage is in the form of two well-designed wings built in 1995. It was listed June 1 at $1.75 million. The address is 5869 U.S. Highway 158. Situated southwest of Yanceyville and close to N.C. 150, it’s within a relatively easy commute to Greensboro.

Continue reading “Historic House of the Week: A 1790 Federal-Style Mansion in Caswell County on the National Register”

Classic House of the Week: A Fine Example of 1920s Westerwood Elegance, $339,500

May 15, 2018

401 n. mendenhall street.jpg

Update: The house was listed for 30 days and then withdrawn. The owners now have put it up for rent again.

Westerwood is a showcase for the qualities of early 20th-century homes. The neighborhood got started in the 1890s but didn’t take off until the 1920s. Its winding, tree-lined streets are a populated with a variety of beautifully designed Craftsman bungalows, Tudor Revival cottages and Colonial Revivals with the occasional mansion (Double Oaks) and now even a remarkable Mid-Century Modern home mixed in.

401 North Mendenhall Street is an excellent example of the neighborhood’s style. Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: A Fine Example of 1920s Westerwood Elegance, $339,500”

Classic House of the Week: Greensboro’s Historic Garden Estate Miramichi Nears Century Mark

May 7, 2018

Miramichi -- PGI house.jpg
Photos courtesy of Preservation Greensboro

The 32-acre Miramichi estate in Greensboro sold for $650,000 in November 2019. Benjamin Briggs, executive director of Preservation Greensboro, writes about the history of the property and its creators on the Preservation Greensboro website:

Many of the region’s great gardens began as private rural estates that were away from the distractions and distresses of city life. Reynolda House for the Reynolds family of Winston Salem (1917), Cason and Virginia Callaway’s garden in Pine Mountain, Ga. (1952), and Lewis Ginter’s Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va. (1984), are all examples of early private gardens that grew to become major public destinations.

Located at 1415 Kellenberger Road in southeast Greensboro, Miramichi is an early private botanical garden with charms and character cultivated by a notable North Carolina couple, May and J.A. “Kell” Kellenberger. Begun in 1920, the estate remains a privately owned garden and was never expanded as a public tourist destination. It represents an unusual glimpse into the earliest period of twentieth century botanical gardens of the region. …

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: Greensboro’s Historic Garden Estate Miramichi Nears Century Mark”

Classic House of the Week: A Distinctive 1927 Mansion in Sedgefield, $684,000

May 3, 2018

3000 w. sedgefield drive.jpg

Update: The house sold for $465,000 on May 29, 2020.

For decades, High Point Road was a primary route between Greensboro and High Point. Anyone paying the least attention as they passed Sedgefield saw 3000 W. Sedgefield Drive, facing the road between streets leading into and out of the area. For many of the tens of thousands of drivers who passed it every day, it was about all they saw of Greensboro’s classic golf-course development.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: A Distinctive 1927 Mansion in Sedgefield, $684,000”

Classic House of the Week: A Beautiful 1916 Farmhouse on 4 Acres near Browns Summit

April 25, 2018

4900 e. nc 150 monticello.jpg

Update: The house sold for $283,500 in May 2019.

It would be hard to find a prettier old farmhouse than 4909 Oldway Road. Set on four acres just off U.S. 29 North near Browns Summit, it’s on the market for $390,000. It has been for sale for more than two years, a remarkable length of time considering the fine condition of the house and property. Buyers may be put off by the proximity to the highway — it’s right at the N.C. 150 exit — but someone is going to get over that and get a pretty good price on a very nice place.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: A Beautiful 1916 Farmhouse on 4 Acres near Browns Summit”

Classic Houses of the Week: 3 Very Different Homes in Historic Neighborhoods

April 17, 2018

805 5th avenue.jpg
805 Fifth Avenue in Dunleath

Greensboro’s three historic districts are hot properties this spring. If you’re interested in a classic home in College Hill, Dunleath or Fisher Park, you better be ready to move fast. The most recent Dunleath listing, for example, 615 Percy Street, was on the market just two days before the owner accepted an offer. Here are three of the best homes for sale now in Greensboro’s most historic neighborhoods.

Continue reading “Classic Houses of the Week: 3 Very Different Homes in Historic Neighborhoods”

Open House: Come Visit Hillside, the Julian Price House, and See Its Dazzling Restoration

April 12, 2018

hillside before and after.jpg

Hillside, unlike the other houses on this website, isn’t actually for sale. Its owners, Michael and Eric Fuko-Rizzo, bought the decrepit Fisher Park landmark in 2016 for $415,000. As they’ve invested what must be a breathtaking amount into resuscitating it, the project has gained a national following. Their determination and patience have been heroic, and the results are spectacular.

Continue reading “Open House: Come Visit Hillside, the Julian Price House, and See Its Dazzling Restoration”

Classic House of the Week: A 1946 Bungalow in Dunleath, $119,900, and Other Starter Homes

March 26, 2018

818 5th avenue v2.jpg
818 Fifth Avenue in Dunleath, a 1946 bungalow for $119,900

Update: 818 Fifth Avenue sold for its asking price, $119,900, on May 25, 2018.

Not every classic home is expensive. Older homes that could be considered starter homes come on the market often. The tough part is getting them before Greensboro’s voracious landlords can grab them. Starter homes have been in especially high demand so far this year.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: A 1946 Bungalow in Dunleath, $119,900, and Other Starter Homes”

Classic House of the Week: Let’s Take a Road Trip to Glencoe Mill Village This Saturday

March 22, 2018

2440 glencoe street.jpg
2440 Glencoe Street, $278,000: An elegantly restored Glencoe mill house

Update: 2440 Glencoe Street sold for $252,000 in September 2018.

Glencoe Mill Village is a little gem on the Haw River just north of Burlington. Built in the 1880s, it has been beautifully restored to life. Its 30-some houses comprise one of the most intact mill villages still standing in North Carolina. The houses themselves have been renovated and in many cases sensitively expanded.

Saturday will be a good day to visit Glencoe: Four homes are currently on the market, and three will have open houses. Realtors with listings in the village join together to hold open houses one Saturday per month. Take N.C. 62 north from downtown Burlington, and Glencoe is about three miles up the road at the Haw River.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: Let’s Take a Road Trip to Glencoe Mill Village This Saturday”

Classic House of the Week: ‘One of Greensboro’s Most Elegant’ Homes In College Park, $749,000

February 21, 2018

1604 n. college park drive.jpg

The Fowler House, 1604 N. College Park Drive, sits well above the street atop a large terraced yard. The Mediterranean villa may be the grandest of the relatively few such homes in Greensboro. It would be striking anywhere, but on its lofty perch among the fine neighboring homes, it’s a real standout.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: ‘One of Greensboro’s Most Elegant’ Homes In College Park, $749,000”

711 Sunset Drive: The Joseph & Kathleen Bryan House Is For Sale for the First Time Since It Was New in 1935

February 1, 2018

711 sunset drive.jpg

Update March 12, 2018: The house was on the market for four days before an offer of $1.655 million was accepted. The sale closed March 12, 2018. 

Joseph and Kathleen Bryan bought a brand-new home in Irving Park in 1935, and now it’s on the market for the first time in 83 years. The 6,000 square-foot house was listed today at $1.675 million.

Bryan left the home to the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation when he died in 1995. The foundation leased it to UNCG for use as the chancellor’s residence until the university recently bought the new guy a McMansion at 15 Clubview Court near the Starmount Forest Country Club.

Continue reading “711 Sunset Drive: The Joseph & Kathleen Bryan House Is For Sale for the First Time Since It Was New in 1935”

111 Arden Place: A Million-Dollar Sunset Hills Mansion on the Auction Block

January 10, 2018

111 arden place driveway.jpg
The view from the street offers just a glimpse of the G. Simpson Boren House, aka the Thomas Shaw House, aka Edgewood.

Note, January 11, 2018: This post has been revised with comments and an additional photo from Benjamin Briggs, executive director of Preservation Greensboro.

When you look at auction.com, you can expect most of the listings to be foreclosed subdivision homes, condos and townhouses. Pretty mundane places. The last thing you might expect would be a house like 111 Arden Place, a 5,200 square-foot stone mansion on 2.26 acres in Sunset Hills. The tax value of the property is just over $1 million. In 1999, the last time it was sold before foreclosure last year, the price was $845,000. This could be an interesting auction.

Continue reading “111 Arden Place: A Million-Dollar Sunset Hills Mansion on the Auction Block”

Classic House of the Week: A 1936 Mini-Mansion in Irving Park

January 3, 2018

1915 granville road.jpg

Update: The listing was withdrawn in August 2018.

Have you ever said to yourself, “I’d like to buy a million-dollar mansion in Irving Park, but what would I do with 8,000 square feet?” Who has enough furniture?

Maybe the house you’re looking for is 1915 Granville Road, a 1936 Georgian that has the luxury of an Irving Park mansion wrapped up in a tidy 2,600 square feet. The price is $839,900, which works out to $321 per square foot, right up there with the neighborhood’s finest mansions.

Continue reading “Classic House of the Week: A 1936 Mini-Mansion in Irving Park”