HPC agenda 022499 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

y Today the lay of the land is much the same formerly; no livestock or poultry is raised, but neat fence rows and a winding farm lane define the pastures and fields . Some outbuildings have deteriorated, collapsed, or been destroyed, but most remain to convey a strong sense of agricultural use during the seventy-four year period of significance . The centerpiece of the farm complex, an extremely well-preserved 1-house with modest Greek Revival detailing built for Addison Holden in 1873- 74, has local significance and qualifies for inclusion on the National Register under Criterion C . Changes to the house during the period of significance were made in a practical, no - nonsense spirit of improvement. ,Holden enlarged it ca. 1900 by adding a kitchen wing to the east facade which was remodeled in 1930 after the property was sold to George Cain Roberts . Roberts also added a north bedroom wing and a south facing porch to the house ca. 1930 . No other significant additions or alterations were made until the Anderson ire erni repad and modzed the house after 1970 . Great care was taken when a bathroom was created by enclosing a shallow porch on the east facade of the kitchen wing and a number of appliances were replaced in the kitchen; renovation were made in the north wing that included replacing board paneling with sheetrock, updating bathroom fixtures, and a installing a small kitchenette; and one post and decking on the front porch, and decking on the side porch were replaced . The renovations are sensitive to the original fabric, and the Holden-Roberts House retains integrity as a fine vernacular North Carolina farmhouse . ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT: Orange County farmhouses of the Reconstruction Period, like the Holden Roberts farmhouse, were generally rectangular, two-story, single-pile, gable-roofed structures with center hall plans now referred to as I-Houses , 2 The house type originated in English folk culture but its name was coined for builders who brought the form from Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois, states whose names begin with " I," to Louisiana. 3 The first I-Houses were simple upward extensions of the one- story hall and parlor plan, but by the mid nineteenth century, a symmetrical center-hall arrangement was preferred .4 The proportions and features of these dwellings changed slightly over time, offering concessions to architectural fashion, and remained a very popular folk-house type throughout the upland south until the early twentieth century . During the Reconstruction Period, builders of I-Houses often retained hints of the earlier-popular Greek Revival style through the use of eaves returns, double-leaf entry doors and trabeated door and window surrounds, and began to utilize a prominent decorative front central wall or roof gable . This feature, when combined with the traditional gable ends, served to create a tri-gable style variant that was increasingly popular in North Carolina through the early years of the twentieth century . The front gable is thought to be derived from the Gothic Revival or Downing cottage style that featured steep central gables and richly ornamented sawn work decoration. The true Gothic Revival in North Carolina; ornamental gables found on style, however, was not widely used vernacular I-Houses H uses in the state are much shallower and plain or enhanced modestly . i 2 Kniffen, Fred, "Folk Housing: Key to Diffusion," Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 55, No. 4, Dec. 1965, p. 553. 3 Kniffen, p. 553. 4 Southern, Michael, "The I-House as a Carrier of Style in Three Counties of the Northeastern Piedmont", in Swaim, Doug, ed., Carolina Dwelling, North Carolina State University, 1978, p . 72. 5 Southern, p. 72.