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8 <br /> with a quatrefoil vent is centered on the three-bay facade. The porch,which is <br /> topped by a 5-V metal roof, shelters paired narrow doors with arched-head glazing <br /> and lower molded panels. An array of Victorian-era embellishment enhances this <br /> simple house form found commonly in Piedmont North Carolina. Fanciful flat <br /> jigsawn porch brackets, eave brackets with hanging spindle pendants, Italianate <br /> molded window and door hoods, and round gable end attic vents with a sawn <br /> quatrefoil motif enliven the well-preserved dwelling.A wide flush board frieze <br /> extends along the crown of the facade and continues to the gable ends,which are <br /> marked by returns.A pair of rebuilt corbelled brick chimneys rises from the roof <br /> ridge near the dwelling's center. The current owner added a partial-width shed roof <br /> porch with sawn porch brackets and chamfered posts to the north end of the rear <br /> elevation.The main roof and rear porch are covered with 5-V metal panels,while <br /> the front porch has a traditional standing-seam roof of painted terne-coated steel. <br /> All windows are six-over-six, double-hung wood sash, many of which are original. <br /> The interior follows a central-passage plan with center hallways on the first and <br /> second floors. The first floor passage features the prominent open-string staircase <br /> with raised scrolled skirt brackets.A substantial turned newel anchors the stair. It <br /> replaces the original newel,which was removed during a period when the house <br /> stood vacant. The graceful stair displays turned balusters supporting a molded <br /> handrail that is peaked at its center and terminates on the second floor at a smaller <br /> turned newel.At the east end of the central passage is a four-panel door. <br /> Originally, the house contained four rooms of equal size—two downstairs and two <br /> upstairs.The north room on the first floor has been divided to create three spaces <br /> for modern living: a kitchen, bathroom, and small laundry room.A bathroom and <br /> closet have been added to the northern room on the second floor.A two-light door <br /> from the kitchen leads to the back porch. Upstairs, a four-panel wood door leads to <br /> the facade's upper porch. <br /> Finishes throughout the interior are original or have been meticulously restored by <br /> the current owner. Floors are planed boards and ceilings are planed boards with <br /> beading, except in the parlor where the ceiling is drywall.Walls have been <br /> drywalled,but the tall baseboards with finish molding throughout the interior are <br /> original. Doors throughout contain four raised panels, but vary in elaboration. Trim <br /> at the windows is particularly notable consisting of plain casings framed on the <br /> inside with a bead molding.The outside trim of the surrounds are reserved for more <br /> elaborate beveled and half-round molding. Door casings show the same ornate <br /> molding on the outside edge of their casings. Mantels,which are original and occupy <br /> the dwelling's main rooms, are variations on the post and lintel Greek Revival form <br /> following a general pattern of squared pilasters supporting a mantelshelf. The <br /> kitchen mantel has been altered by the removal of its pilasters in order to <br /> accommodate a wood stove, but its shelf and frieze remain intact.A built-in <br /> 2 <br /> October 26, 2015 <br /> Orange County Local Landmark Application: Nicholas Corbett Hester House <br /> 9501 NC 86 North <br /> Cedar Grove,NC 27231 <br />