Weber House and others up for Historic Landmark

Six potential historic landmarks will be considered by the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission and the City Council Tuesday August 4th at 7:00 pm. From the City's website:

The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit public comment on the historic landmark reports and proposed Raleigh Historic Landmark designations for the following properties:

• The Bill and Betty Weber House (1953), located at 606 Transylvania Avenue, is an example of Modernist style as designed by local architect William Weber in collaboration with Modernist master George Matsumoto. The structure was built during the postwar period of rapid economic expansion in Raleigh;
• The Dr. M.T. Pope House (1900), located at 511 S. Wilmington Street, illustrates the presence of a middle and professional class of African-American families along South Wilmington Street. A rare and early example of a front-gable structure of high-quality and stylish workmanship, the house is associated with Dr. M.T. Pope, an African-American physician, and his wife and daughters, each prominent and influential figures in North Carolina;
• The Lemuel and Julia Delany House (1917), located at 210-212 North State Street in the Idlewild subdivision, is significant for its role in Raleigh's African-American community in the early- and mid-twentieth century. The Classic Revival and Craftsman-style house is associated with physician and business leader Lemuel Thackara Delany and his wife, St. Augustine’s College instructor Julia Amaza (Brown) Delany;
• The Paul and Ellen Welles House (1956), located at 3227 Birnamwood Road, was designed by Durham architect Kenneth McCoy Scott and built by the Jim Edwards Company. A dramatic and intact example of the Modernist split-level, its design was influenced by the modern design theory taught by professors at North Carolina State University, School of Design;
• Saint James African Methodist Episcopal Church, (1923) is located at 520 Method Road in the Method neighborhood. The Gothic Revival brick church is an example of the stylish churches that anchored Raleigh’s African-American developed suburban communities from the end of the Civil War through the 1950s.; and,
• The Truman and Annie Laurie Williams House (1939), located at 910 Harvey Street, is a rare example of the Norman French style in Raleigh and was designed by Jerome Robert Cerny, a noted architect of residential estate homes in the Chicago area. The landscape was designed by Charles F. Gillette, one of the most prominent twentieth century landscape architects of the Southeast.

Following the public hearing, the matter will be referred to the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission to consider final recommendations to the City Council. The City Council may adopt the historic designation at the Sept. 1 meeting.

A quick browse on the internet also produced The Weber House Landmark Application. This application is a very thorough look at the house, with some fantastic images not likely seen anywhere else except to those with access to the house. It's definitely worth a look.

We encourage you to learn more about these houses (search websites such as Triangle Modernist Houses and others), and attend the meeting and ensure the future of these important Raleigh houses.