The Mill after rehabilitation. Courtesy of Landmark Asset Services.

Durham Hosiery Mill No. 15 in Mebane, Alamance County,underwent a major transformation during 2010-11 in its rehabilitation for 75 affordable apartments utilizing the federal historic and state mill tax credits. The ca. 1922, 111,000-square-foot building was mostly covered with a brick veneer in the 1960s that was removed as part of this project to expose the original concrete exterior and window openings. The majority of the historic steel windows were missing, and compatible new windows were installed. Other rehabilitation work included site improvements, a new courtyard, and retention of the 

The Mill before rehabilitation.

industrial character within the residential units. The $13.4 million conversion of this mill building to housing is another exceptional project by Landmark Asset Services, based in Winston-Salem, which has been developing historic tax credit projects for 30 years.

This summer and early fall, Western Office Restoration Specialist Jennifer Cathey will be participating in a  Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County initiative to create a conditions assessment and feasibility study for rehabilitation and reuse of the Whitson Cabin.  The cabin is significant for its use by novelist Thomas Wolfe in the summer of 1937-his first return to Asheville after the publication of Look Homeward Angel.  The property is now a city-owned Local Historic Landmark but is in deteriorated condition.

Preservation groups, private citizens, and local governments are encouraged to contact the HPO Restoration Services Branch for similar assistance.  View our restoration services county assignment map to contact the restoration specialist assigned to the county where the project is located for further information.

NC HPO's Service Regions

Located in Greenville, the Eastern Office of the State Historic Preservation Office carries out all of the HPO's programs in the 27 counties stretching from the Outer Banks to the Crystal Coast and inland to Interstate 95. The office has four full-time permanent staff: Scott Power, Regional Supervisor and Survey/National Register Specialist, Reid Thomas, Restoration Specialist, John Wood, Restoration and Survey/National Register Specialist, and Stan Little, Administrative Assistant. Survey specialist Beth King has worked in the office on a temporary basis since 2010 (see more about Beth below). Each permanent specialists is assigned to a territory where they are primarily responsible for guiding county-wide architectural surveys and National Register nominations and providing technical services for restoration and tax credit-assisted rehabilitation projects. Specialists also participate in the HPO's review of government undertakings that may affect historic properties and provide consultation services to local historic preservation commissions, including six Certified Local Governments in the eastern region, as well as assist the region's citizens in taking advantage of the many other services provided by the Office of Archives and History based in Raleigh.

Humber House, home of the Eastern Office of the NC HPO in Greenville

The Eastern Office opened in 1983 in the historic Robert Lee Humber House. Humber (1898-1970) was a noted North Carolinian instrumental in creating legislation that formed the North Carolina Art Society-later the North Carolina Museum of Art-and promoting the establishment of the Community College system in the state while a senator in the General Assembly. The house underwent a one-million-dollar restoration in 2008-2009.  The office hosts a permanent exhibit on Humber and offers guided tours of the house, which the State owns and maintains.

Over the past several years, much of the Eastern Office staff's time has been devoted to completion of comprehensive county-wide architectural survey projects in Beaufort, Bertie, Carteret, Hertford, and Northampton counties, all assisted by federal funding. The only eastern counties that have not been comprehensively surveyed are Camden, Tyrrell, and Washington, where staff is investigating opportunities for survey projects. Currently the Eastern Office is overseeing a project to update Greenville's design guidelines and a restoration project at the Barker House in Edenton, both funded with matching Certified Local Government grants awarded by the HPO.

Southeast SHPO Meeting Hosted by North Carolina SHPO in Asheville 

DCR Secretary Linda Carlisle speaks during dinner at the Governor's Western Residence

Representatives from the State Historic Preservation Offices across the southeastern United States gathered in Asheville for a three-day conference hosted by the North Carolina HPO in early August. North Carolina staff were joined by administrators and program representatives from the Alabama Historical Commission, Department of Arkansas Heritage, Georgia Historic Preservation Division, Louisiana Department of Culture, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, South Carolina Department of Archives and History, and Tennessee Historical Commission.  Elizabeth Hebron attended as a representative of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers in Washington, D.C. Attending from North Carolina were Secretary Linda Carlisle, State Historic Preservation Officer Jeffrey Crow, Deputy SHPO Ramona Bartos, Survey and National Register Branch Supervisor Claudia Brown, National Register Coordinator Ann Swallow, Restoration Branch Supervisor Mitch Wilds, Western Office Restoration SpecialistJennifer Cathey, Environmental Review Coordinator 

Southeast SHPO staff on a site visit at the Biltmore Estate solar field

Renee Gledhill-Early, Environmental Review Specialist Justin Kockritz, 

Preservation Commission Services/CLG Coordinator Rob Crawford, and Western Office Preservation Specialist Annie McDonald.  Dolores Hall and Linda Hall attended from the Office of State Archaeology.

Following a networking dinner on August 8th at the Governor's Western Residence, the approximately 40 attendees convened at the Western Office in the Oteen Building (a former African American nurses' dormitory at the VA hospital in East Asheville) on August 9th to learn about the National Park Service's Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs) and discuss ways in which the work of the SHPOs and LCCs overlap and opportunities for inter-agency collaboration. The group then had breakout sessions by program area-Administration, Survey & National Register, Tax Credits, Preservation Commissions, Environmental Review, and Archaeology. The afternoon saw attendees moving between topical roundtables on such issues as Rosenwald schools, marginal properties, building partnerships, negotiating the advocacy versus regulatory roles of the historic preservation office, technology/GIS for survey, creating revenue for operations, staying relevant in today's society, and outreach/educational initiatives.

Conference attendees at the Oteen Building

On August 10, the group traveled to the Biltmore Estate for a half-day meeting with several senior staff and executives to learn about issues they have addressed in recent years. The group toured areas of the property that are typically off limits to the public, including the solar field and the Brooder House, an unoccupied former chicken farm and the site of recent archaeological investigations into the location of several large chicken houses. The group also learned of Biltmore's negotiations with the Army Corps of Engineers on issues related to restoration of the landscape along the approach road to the house. The visit ended with a presentation by the curatorial staff on the estate's collections management.

It had been over ten years since the last gathering of the southeastern State Historic Preservation Officers, and all who attended commented that the program was long overdue and quite worthwhile. Ken P'Pool, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for Mississippi, wrote afterward, "Everything was perfect, from dinner at the Governor's Western Residence to the information sessions and through the tour of Biltmore. Having planned the SE SHPO's meeting myself in the past, I know from experience that a conference so well executed doesn't just happen. Your good effort to restore this gathering of SE SHPOs is much appreciated.  Congratulations on a very successful meeting and many thanks for making it happen."

Wessington, in the Edenton Historic District, determined to be of statewide significance in 2005

The 1989 revisions to North Carolina's enabling legislation for local historic preservation commissions introduced a single-sentence sub-section, G.S. 160A-400.14(c): "An application for a certificate of appropriateness [COA] authorizing the demolition or destruction of a building, site, or structure determined by the State Historic Preservation Officer as having statewide significance as defined in the criteria of the National Register of Historic Places may be denied except where the commission finds that the owner would suffer extreme hardship or be permanently deprived of all beneficial use or return by virtue of the denial." In other words, a commission may deny altogether an application for a COA to demolish a property of statewide significance rather than delay issuance of the COA for a period up to one year, as provided elsewhere in the legislation. Affected properties include individually designated landmarks and properties in locally designed historic districts. A determination of statewide significance does not automatically result in denial of a COA for demolition; it simply gives the local commission the option of denying the COA.

Duncan House, in the Beaufort Historic District, determined to be of statewide significance in 2012

Over the past 23 years, the State Historic Preservation Office (HPO) has received two dozen applications from local preservation commissions for a determination of statewide significance. The vast majority of the applications were submitted when a property was threatened; in some instances, a COA to demolish had already been received by the local government. Three of the applications were withdrawn before the State Historic Preservation Officer made a determination. Of the remaining 21 applications, 12 received determinations of statewide significance. The most recent application reviewed by the HPO was for the Duncan House, in the Beaufort Historic District, which the State Historic Preservation Officer determined to be of statewide significance. At least one application was submitted after the local commission had issued a COA for demolition with a one-year delay. While the property was found to be of statewide significance, the commission's rescission of the COA was overturned on appeal. Thus, if a COA for demolition has already been issued, a determination of statewide significance cannot be used.

Rogers-Bagley-Daniels-Pegues House, Raleigh landmark, determined to be of statewide significance in 1998

Because evaluation of a property's statewide significance uses the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, preparation of an application for a determination of statewide significance under G.S. 160a-600.14(c) is simple if a property is already listed in the National Register at the statewide level of significance. If not, the application must include a report that presents a case for significance based on scholarly research. Because commissions must act on applications for COAs within a certain number of days of their receipt, there might not be enough time for a commission to ask for a determination of statewide significance after a COA application for demolition has already been submitted if a substantive report must be prepared. Rather than wait until a property is threatened, local commissions might consider reviewing the designated properties in their jurisdiction and submitting determination of statewide significance applications for the properties deemed most important. With an official determination in hand, a commission would have an effective tool to use at its discretion should it receive a COA for the property's demolition.

To learn more about G.S. 160A-400.14(c), attend the "The Power of Statewide Significance," a session of the annual Preservation North Carolina conference scheduled for the afternoon of September 20 session in Asheville. Survey and National Register Branch supervisor Claudia Brown will use case studies to examine this important preservation tool. For more on the conference, click here.

The State Historic Preservation Office is committed to making our programs more accessible to the public. To this end, a few years ago we began posting National Register nominations on our website, beginning with those submitted in digital format and then systematically scanning earlier nominations available only in hard copy. We are pleased to report that all of the nominations for the state's approximately 2,800 non-archaeological National Register properties, as well as Multiple Property Documentation Forms accepted by the National Register, are now posted. Working part-time from June through December of 2011, Grinnell College student Hannah Southern made scans of more than a thousand nominations; NCSU College of Design graduate student Laurie Jackson completed the project last month. New National Register listings are posted as they are approved by the Keeper of the National Register. PDFs of the nominations are easily linked to from the National Register page of our website. GIS team members Andy Edmonds and Michael Southern have enhanced functionality of the site by adding links on the HTML-version nomination list that open the HPO's GIS website at each National Register property location, enabling the user to view maps (street, aerial, and USGS, as well as street and bird's-eye views) in one window at the same time the PDF of the nomination is viewed in another window. 

Our effort to make our programs more accessible also is being achieved by posting the reports produced at the completion of architectural survey projects. To date, 75 of North Carolina's 100 counties, as well as more than 60 municipalities, have been comprehensively surveyed. The results of many of these projects -- 41 county surveys and 37 municipal surveys -- have been made available to the public through publications. For those surveys that have not been published, the HPO has begun to post the survey reports on our website. So far, all of the survey reports submitted digitally have been posted and we have been scanning earlier reports available only in hard copy. Like the posted National Register nominations, all of the survey reports are fully searchable.  Click here to view the report list.

Off-Shore Wind Farms and North Carolina's Cultural Heritage

A wind turbine

Although natural gas is making lots of headlines these days, the state's next great energy boom may not lie underground, but off-shore. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM, formerly the Minerals Management Service) is preparing to open parts of the Outer Continental Shelf off of the North Carolina coast to commercial wind energy development. By 2030, such wind farms could supply as much as ten gigawatts of clean, renewable energy.

However, getting there will require coordination between the dozens of federal and state agencies, tribal and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that make up BOEM's North Carolina Renewable Energy Task Force. By bringing together the Task Force, BOEM can get input early in their review from a variety of stakeholders on the potential effects of wind farms on the natural environment, wildlife, Department of Defense training areas, shipping lanes, cultural resources, and more.

Visual simulation of a potential wind farm 10 nautical miles off shore

BOEM's issuance of wind energy leases is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, meaning the effects of wind farm development on historic properties must be taken into account. More than three dozen sites and districts listed in the National Register of Historic Places, including three National Historic Landmarks, are located along the North Carolina shores, and hundreds of underwater archaeological sites have been identified. To understand the visual effects of wind turbines on historic sites and coastal communities, BOEM commissioned in-depth photographic and video simulations of potential wind farms as seen from eighteen locations along the coast, including the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Kitty Hawk, and Atlantic Beach.

The next step in BOEM's process will be to release a Call for Information, requesting the Task Force, potential wind energy developers, and the general public to submit any information or comments that might be relevant to their planning process. For more information on off-shore wind energy, to see some of the results of the visual simulations, or to learn how you can stay informed on the latest developments, see BOEM's North Carolina project page.

Are You Prepared for Hurricane Season? With the potential for excessive precipitation from hurricanes and tropical storms, property owners should take measures to divert rainwater run-off away from their foundation.  For a building with gutters, especially if downspouts empty around the foundation, consider adding temporary extension pipes to carry water away from the building. Corrugated and inexpensive plastic drain tile works well for most downspout types. The pipes can be secured to the ground by running them through cinderblocks.  If there is time prior to a storm, clear gutters and downspouts of leaves and debris.

Excessive rainfall and poor site drainage can lead to a multitude of moisture-related problems.  One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roofing produces 600 gallons of water.  House settlement and structural problems in foundations are common problems seen following a storm producing heavy rainfall.

Historic Hurricane Tracks. As we head into hurricane season, it's important to remember that it's not just coastal areas that are susceptible to their torrential rains and damaging winds. In fact, over the last 150 years, Raleigh has been hit with eighteen tropical systems, Charlotte with thirteen, and four have travelled as far west as Murphy! How many have hit your home? Find out with NOAA's new Historical Hurricane Tracker.

Staff from the HPO and the Guilford County Open Space Committee visiting the Hedgecock Farm

Landscape Preservation and Cultural Resource Preservation intersect in Guilford County. On August 21, Mitch Wilds and Ann Swallow met with members of the Guilford County Open Space Committee and interested citizens to tour the Hedgecock Farm in High Point.  The 53-acre property was purchased from the Hedgecock family in late June 2012 using Parks and Open Space bond funds for the purpose of creating a nature preserve. The committee requested HPO staff to evaluate the historic farm buildings on the property, including a turn-of-the-century, Queen Anne-style farmhouse and a number of early twentieth-century frame, farm outbuildings.  Older farm roads, open fields and wooded areas remain at the farm, in addition to two tobacco barns from the 1970s (one shown here), the most recent buildings associated with this family-owned farm.   

Meet Another Hardworking HPO Intern. Laurie Jackson is a graduate student at NC State University who will earn a Master's degree in Architecture in May 2013. She is a Union County native and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD.  Laurie has an interest in preservation and adaptive use and is thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about the National Register program and North Carolina's historic resources while interning at the HPO. 

...and a Hardworking Employee. A graduate of Western Kentucky University with a Masters' degree in folklore, Beth King was hired as a temporary survey specialist in the Eastern Office in December 2010 to complete the survey of rural Beaufort County. In addition to documenting the unincorporated areas of 

Part-time Eastern Office Employee Beth King

the county south of the Pamlico River for Phase III of the comprehensive countywide survey, she researched and revised documentation of historic properties on the north side of the river and prepared a report on all of unincorporated Beaufort County. Beth presented the results of the comprehensive survey and a countywide Study List at the February 2012 National Register Advisory Committee meeting. She has also been responsible for resurveying the Murfreesboro Historic District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, to create a complete inventory of properties within the district. for the past few months, Beth has been involved in planning the November 2012 survey and National Register workshop for consultants, part of which will take place in Beaufort County.

Norfolk Southern Railroad is Tearing Down the Salisbury Freight Depot Click here for the full story.