National register adds 15 North Carolina places

Four of the 15 historic places in North Carolina recently inducted into the national register are in Western NC. The buildings deemed worthy are:

• The Dillard B. and Georgia Sewell House, a summer home constructed in the first quarter of the 20th century in Henderson County;
•  Stone Hedge, a rural, rough-stone estate built pre-WWII in Polk County;
•  Ashe County Memorial Hospital, stone built in 1941 with a brick addition in 1952, serving the community until it was replaced in 1970 by a modern facility and
• the United States Post Office of Kings Mountain, in Polk County, a remarkably preserved Colonial Revival-style building erected in 1939-1940.

For more information on all of the recent additions from NC, visit the Department of Cultural Resources website.

Partial press release from the NC Department of Cultural Resources:

The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources is pleased to announce that 15 individual properties and districts across the state have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The following properties were reviewed by the North Carolina National Register Advisory Committee and were subsequently approved by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer and forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register.
“North Carolina is a leader in the nation’s historic preservation movement and the National Register is a vital tool in the preservation of our state’s historic resources” said Susan Kluttz, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. “If we count all of the buildings classified as contributing to the significance of historic districts listed in the Register, it is estimated that North Carolina has approximately 75,000 National Register Properties.”
The listing of a property in the National Register places no obligation or restriction on a private owner using private resources to maintain or alter the property. Over the years, various federal and state incentives have been introduced to assist private preservation initiatives, including tax credits for the rehabilitation of National Register properties. As of January 1, 2015, over 3,100 rehabilitation projects with an estimated private investment of over $1.96 billion have been completed.

In Western NC

Located in the vicinity of the rural community of Penrose, the Dillard B. and Georgia Sewell House was constructed circa 1924 as a summer home.  The one-and-a-half-story dwelling is built of load-bearing stone masonry and features three bedrooms and a kitchen flanking a large living room that rises to the cathedral ceiling.  With exposed stone interior walls, a wood shingle-clad roof, inset porch, and stone patio, the property embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Rustic Revival style.

Located in the vicinity of Tryon in Polk County, Stone Hedge was constructed circa 1935 as the rural estate of Thomas and

Lillian Costa.  Stone Hedge is significant in the architectural history of Tryon and Polk County for its distinctive use of stone. The property includes a two-story main residence reminiscent of a rustic Italian villa, one-story guest house, and two-story pool/guest house, all of which were built of uncoursed stone.  The property is well-landscaped, with an in-ground pool and stone walls, terraces, and steps that connect the buildings and other features.  The integrated use of stone construction on the house and associated buildings and landscape elements reinforces the cohesive design of the estate, which was influenced by Tryon’s image as a popular mountain retreat and seasonal tourist destination.

The Ashe County Memorial Hospital is significant in the architectural and political history of Ashe County as a largely intact public health facility constructed through the efforts of local leaders who raised funds to supplement the contributions of the Works Progress Administration and the Duke Endowment near the end of the Great Depression. The original building, erected in stone with modest Colonial Revival-style details, dates to 1941. In 1952, the county constructed a Modernist-influenced brick addition designed by Asheville architect Lindsey Madison Gudger. The Ashe County Memorial Hospital served the county’s residents from November 1941 to 1970 when a new, modern hospital was opened south of Jefferson.

The United States Post Office in Kings Mountain is significant in the political and architectural history of Kings Mountain.  The well-preserved Colonial Revival-style building erected in 1939-1940 was designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury Department and constructed by the Greensboro-based firm of L. B. Gallimore, Incorporated.  The building remained in use as a post office until November 1986, when postal service operations were relocated to a newly-built post office building.  The 1939-1940 building was later acquired by the City of Kings Mountain and has housed the Kings Mountain Historical Museum since 2000.