1. Name and location of the property:  The property known as the Massey-Clark House is located at 232 North Trade Street in Matthews, North Carolina.
2. Name and address of the present owners of the property:

The Town of Matthews

232 Matthews Station Street

Matthews, North Carolina 28105

(704)-847-4411

3. Representative photographs of the property:  This report contains representative photographs of the property.
4. Map Depicting the location of the property:  Below is a map depicting the location of the property.  The UTM coordinates are 525412E  3886083N.
5. Current deed book reference to the property:  The most recent deed book reference to this property is recorded in the Mecklenburg County Deed Book 3988, page 416.  The tax parcel number is 21501203.
6. A brief historical sketch of the property:  This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property.
7. A brief architectural description of the property:  This report contains a brief architectural description of the property.
8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria for designation as set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-400.5:

 

Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance:  The Commission judges that the property known as the Massey-Clark House does possess special historic significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.  The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1.) The Massey-Clark House is one of the oldest extant buildings in  Matthews.  2.) The Massey-Clark House is an excellent example of  hall-and-parlor style architecture.  3.)  The Massey-Clark House is an important remnant of a once rural small town community and is, therefore, reminiscent of a way of life that has virtually disappeared in Mecklenburg County.

 

9. Ad Valorem tax appraisal:  The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of 50% of Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes designated as a “historic landmark.”  The current appraised value of the lot is $83,100.  The appraised value of the building is $39,300.  The total tax value is $122,400.

 

This Report was prepared by Hope L. Murphy (May 2006).

 

Historical Overview:

The Massey-Clark House is one of the oldest extant residences in Matthews, N.C., dating from the late 19^th Century.  Matthews was originally known as “Stumptown,” for the many stumps left by farmers as they cleared the land to build houses and fields.  In 1872 the Carolina Central Railroad, as it completed its line from Wilmington, North Carolina to Charlotte, located a depot beside a stagecoach stop in Stumptown.  Seven years later, in 1879, the town of Matthews was incorporated. It was named after Watson Matthews, a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Carolina Railroad.  Beginning in the 1890’s, Trade Street began to develop into a bustling center for commerce frequented by local farmers and the passengers and crews of the many trains that stopped there daily.

The house had a wraparound shed porch

Though local lore credits the house with being built in 1845 by W.W. Orr, it is more likely that the structure was erected soon after 1880.  It was then that E. J. Funderburk sold the lot on which the house rests to Dr. Henry V. Massey, a medical doctor and Civil War veteran.[1] Funderburk, a prominent farmer, most likely theretofore used the land for growing crops.[2]  The home remained in the Massey family until 1925.  It was then that Dr. Massey’s children, Daisy Massey Alexander and Henry Massey,[3] sold the house to C.C. (Clarence Coatsworth) Clark and his wife Susie Elmore Clark.[4]  Mr. Clark was employed by the Southern Railroad as a section foreman. The couple had five children Paul, Ralph, Ruth, and Helen, who died tragically as a young child of 4 or 5, and an infant who died shortly after birth.[5] When the Clarks lived in the home Matthews was still very rural, and a field next door to the house was used to grow cotton.[6]  Later, in 1950, the Matthews Town Hall was erected next door at 224 North Trade Street.

Clarence Clark

 

Susie Elmore Clark

Paul and Lucy Clark

In 1953, Paul Clark, his wife Lucy, and their children, Jane and Oliver, came to live with the aging Susie shortly before her death. Jane recounts that while her grandmother was alive, her family used one side of the house and her grandmother the other.  Susie had her own living room, to the left of the entrance, and Jane’s family had their own across the hall.  Both families had their own kitchens at the back of the house, though everyone ate meals together in her Susie’s kitchen.  When Susie died, Paul and Lucy removed the second kitchen and put in the bathroom.

Clarence Clark Showing Wraparound Porch In Background

Paul Clark was employed by Williams and Shelton, a wholesale distributor on South Boulevard that sold wares to dry goods stores in Charlotte and its environs. There he managed the Men & Boys Department.  Jane remembers that when she was growing up the house was always full of visitors, because it was located so near to Town Hall and  people often stopped in.  Neighborhood children also frequently ran in and out of the house, the doors of which were never locked.   Mrs. Clark was well known for the Raggedy Anne dolls that she made and gave out to children in the community.  Jane Clark lived in the house until she left for college.  After studying at Emory University, Clark stayed in Atlanta where she became a nurse and received her doctorate.  When her parents died Dr. Clark put the house on the market.  Concerned that the house would be razed for development she sold the house to the Town of Matthews in 1977.[7]

Beginning in November 1979 the Massey-Clark House was occupied by the Matthews Help Center.  The Help Center provided the community an  array of services from the small six-room home, including tutoring for students, a thrift store that provided inexpensive used clothing, helping the elderly in filling out tax and social service forms, and providing emergency funds for Matthews families in need. The center was staffed by members of the Matthews Woman’s Club, Matthews Ministerial Association, and other community volunteers. The founders hoped that the center would make services more accessible to the residents of Matthews, who traveled into Charlotte for such assistance before the opening of Help.[8]  Joan Uhrich, who has worked for Help for 25 years, credits the house and its architecture with creating a nurturing environment for the organization.  She explains that the staff, volunteers, and clients all believed that the offices felt “like home;” providing care was easy in such an environment, Uhrich related.[9]  In recent years a retail store occupied the Massey-Clark House.  The house presently has no tenant, and the Town of Matthews is seeking a preservation solution for the property.

 

 

Architectural Description:

 

The Massey-Clark House was most likely originally built in the hall-and-parlor form.  This type of house is characterized as being two rooms wide and one room deep.  Virginia and Lee McAlester write that this type of house “remained the dominant folk housing over much of the rural Southeast until well into the 20^th century.”[10]  The house is presently cross-gabled, by a later addition.  The back side of the house also has a shed addition, adjacent to the earlier addition. The house is located on a small lot on North Trade Street, a busy thoroughfare in Matthews.

The front of the house is three bays wide. Six over six double-hung sash windows are found on either side of the front door. The front door is wood paneled with a six-pane inset window and is flanked by three pane side lights The front stoop is a concrete slab set on a low brick. A 1979 photo shows that the stoop was originally accessed by brick steps; it is now reached by a concrete ramp, to allow for handicap access. Iron rails flank the ramp.  The small gabled front porch is covered by a low-pitched roof supported by two posts. Green tar shingles cover the building’s roof.        .

Side Elevation

Immediately inside the front door is the central hall.  This approximately 11’ by 4’ space is lined on three walls by shelving, added by Help.  To the right of the entrance is a small room (approximately 11 foot square).  The room contains a non-working fireplace, with a wood mantle. A walk-in closet is accessed through a door in the same wall.  Both the ceiling and walls are covered with beadboard.  A carpet is laid over the floors, which are likely hardwood like many other rooms in the house.  At one time this was a bedroom for room for Paul and Lucy Clark. The room was used by the Help center initially as a meeting room and later as an office and staging area for organizing in-home meal deliveries.

The room to the left of the entrance is a little larger in size, it also has a fireplace on its most rear wall.  The fireplace surround is of a pale brick with a wood mantle painted white.  The floor is also covered with carpet.  The ceiling is covered with a textured spray on application. There is a ceiling fan with light fixture in the ceiling.  The rest of the house is lit by industrial neon lighting.  This room served C.C. and Susie Clark as a living room, and later as a checkout area for the Help organization’s thrift store.

Rear Elevation

Behind the front two rooms, is the dwelling’s most substantial addition. The first two rooms both have wood floors and one six over six double-hung sash window.  They are connected by a small hallway.  To the rear of these rooms is the home’s kitchen.  The kitchen has painted wood cabinetry, and light beige wood paneled walls.  Over the sink, located on the rearmost wall of the house, is a single fixed-pane window.  Joan Uhrich, relates that the kitchen served many purposes for the organization, serving both as a food preparation area, place to consume meals, and as a work area.

Interior

A shed-roofed addition was added adjacent to the kitchen.  This addition contains a bathroom, back hall, and storage area.  The bathroom has a glass paneled door that leads to the front hall.  Jane Clark recalls that the bathroom was added when she was a small child in the 1950’s, which accounts for the door which originally led outside.  Until then the property had an outhouse.  The bathroom floor is linoleum, as is that of the kitchen, back hall, and storage space.  The back hall area’s walls are wood clapboard and six over six sash window opens from the kitchen, showing that the space was added to the house.

 

[1] Mecklenburg County Deed Book, 45, page 211, March 10, 1880.

[2] Born on July 1, 1836, Funderburk was reared near the Lynches River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. He had migrated to Mecklenburg County soon after the end of the Civil War, a conflict in which he served the Confederacy. Dan L. Morill, “Survey and Research Report, The Funderburk Brothers Buildings,” for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission

[3] Henry Massey was married to Mamie Renfrow Massey, the daughter of local dry goods merchant T.J. Renfrow.  From interview with Mary Louis Phillips, March 3, 2006.

[4] Mecklenburg County Deed Book 585, page 171, April 8, 1925.

[5] Interview with Jane Clark, May 8, 2006.  Interview with Tony Clark, May 8, 2006.

[6] Paula Hartill Lester, Discover Matthews: From Cotton to Corporate (Charlotte: Herff Jones Publishing Company, 1999), p. 38.

[7] Interview with Jane Clark, March 10, 2006.

[8] “Help Center Opens Saturday,” Southeast News,  November 7, 1979 and Cheryl Mattox Berry, Charlotte News, “There’s HELP in Matthews for those who need it,” April 16, 1979.

[9] Interview with Joan Uhrich, March 2006.

[10] Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984), Page 94.

This report was written on April 2, 1980.

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Masonic Temple is located at 329 S. Tryon St. in Charlotte, N.C.

2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner and occupant of the property:
The present owner and occupant of the property is:
Masonic Temple Association
327 S. Tryon St.
Charlotte, N.C. 28202

Telephone: (704) 332-7862

3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.

4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.

 

 

Click on the map to browse5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed on this property is recorded in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 290 at Page 326. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is 125-051-01.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property:
The initial grand lodge of Freemasonry was established in London, England, in 1717. This fraternal organization, officially known as the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, was brought to the American colonies by English masons during the first three decades of the eighteenth century. The First Lodge of Boston, organized in 1733 by Henry Price, is the oldest Masonic grand lodge in the United States. The movement prospered in this country, counting among its participants such eminent citizens as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Freemasonry draws its inspiration from the rituals and ceremonies of the guilds of stone workers or masons in medieval Europe. Believing that God is the “Great Architect of the Universe,” masons obligate themselves to advance the brotherhood of man and to live in accordance with the highest ethical standards. Men who accept any monotheistic faith may join. ¹

The origins of the Masonic Temple in Charlotte date from May 19, 1869, when the three lodges in this community created the Masonic Temple Association. ² Samuel Wittkowsky, a leading Jewish resident of Charlotte, headed the organization, the sole purpose of which was to secure funds for the construction of a temple. Its initial fund-raising event was a Masonic Fair and Festival, which occurred in July 1869 on the grounds of First Presbyterian Church. On December 28, 1874, the consecration of the initial temple transpired. Situated in leased quarters on the third floor of the Hutchinson Building in the first block of N. Tryon St., it served the Charlotte masons until January 1902, when they occupied the top floor of the Piedmont Building on S. Tryon St. In 1904, the Masonic lodges in this community purchased a lot at W. Trade and Church Sts. on which to build their temple. The Masonic Temple was not erected at this location, however. ³ On January 22, 1912, the Masonic Temple Association voted instead to sell its property on W. Trade St. and to build on a parcel at S. Tryon and Seconds Sts. which it had bought from Edward Dilworth Latta, president of the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company. ⁴ The Charlotte masons had hoped to occupy their temple by early 1913, but plans were delayed for almost a year because of a disagreement with the City concerning the location of the southwestern corner of the lot. Finally, on January 2, 1913, the dispute having been settled, the Masonic Temple Association announced that it would move ahead with construction. ⁵ Charles Christian Hook and Willard G. Rogers, two local architects who had formed a partnership in 1907, were awarded the contract for the Masonic Temple on July 24, 1912. ⁶

C. C. Hook (1870-1938) was the first architect who resided in Charlotte. A native of Wheeling, W. Va., and graduate of Washington University, he moved to this community in 1891 to teach in the Charlotte Graded School, which was located at the corner of South Blvd. and E. Morehead St. ⁷ Most of his early commissions were for structures in Dilworth, the streetcar suburb which the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company, locally known as the Four Cs, opened on May 20, 1891. ⁸ Among the significant edifices which he designed were the Charlotte City Hall, the clubhouse of the Charlotte Woman’s Club and White Oaks or the James B. Duke House on Hermitage Rd. ⁹ Indeed, C. C. Hook occupies a place of preeminent importance in the architectural history of Charlotte, N.C.

It was altogether fitting and proper that Hooks & Rogers selected the Egyptian Revival style for the Charlotte Masonic Temple. Tradition holds that stonemasonry originated in ancient Egypt among the builders of the great pyramids and that it was there that the Hebrews learned the skills which enabled them to erect the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. ¹⁰ In the United States, the Egyptian Revival style attained its greatest popularity in the 1830’s, manifesting itself in such notable edifices as the Philadelphia County Prison, the New York Halls of Justice and the County Courthouse at Newark, New Jersey. ¹¹ Not surprisingly, the motif enjoyed an enduring popularity among Masonic organizations.

A gala ceremony occurred in Charlotte on March 4, 1914, when masons from across North Carolina joined with their local counterparts in witnessing the laying of the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple. ¹² The new temple will become an edifice of adorning beauty to one of the city’s principal streets and Charlotte will be proud of the moment it lifts its proud head toward the heavens,” the Evening Chronicle declared. ¹³ The Charlotte News predicted that the building would be “one of the crowning glories of the city.” ¹⁴ The Charlotte Observer called it the “Only exclusively Masonic temple of distinctive architecture in the South.” ¹⁵ The most compelling statements concerning the building were made by Francis D. Winston, past Grand Master of the masons of North Carolina. “Other great buildings, designed for commercial uses, may rise here from time to time in the years that are to come. The world can do without them,” he intoned, “but the world today is demanding – more than it ever demanded – the idea that every man owes something to every other man as his brother. This building will stand through the ages for the eternal principle of the brotherhood of man.” ¹⁶ In the opinion of the Evening Chronicle, the Masonic Temple was “a mighty fortress.” ¹⁷

The J. A. Jones Construction Company erected the building. The cost was just over $90,000. ¹⁸ Tragedy struck the Masonic Temple in the early morning hours of March 4, 1937, on the twenty-third anniversary of the cornerstone ceremony. Flames engulfed the structure, completely destroying the interior. Every available piece of fire-fighting equipment was summoned,” The Charlotte Observer reported. ¹⁹ The Masonic Temple Association considered relocating its facilities in the suburbs, where adequate parking could be provided. ²⁰ Happily, it decided instead to rebuild the temple within the extant walls. The architect was Willard G. Rogers, formerly of Hook & Rogers. Construction began in February 1938, and the temple reopened on October 11, 1938. ²¹

 

 

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Notes:

¹ William James Hughan, “Freemasonry” in the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge & New York, 1910) Vol. XI, pp. 78 85. Hereafter cited as Encyclopedia Britannica.

² The Masonic lodges in Charlotte in 1869 were Charlotte Chapter No. 39 Royal Arch Masons, Phalanx Lodge No. 31, and the Excelsior Lodge No. 261 F. & A. M.

³ Historical Sketch of the Masonic Temple Association of the City of Charlotte (Charlotte, 1950). Hereafter cited as Historical Sketch.

⁴ The Charlotte News (January 23, 1912), p. 2. The Charlotte Observer (January 24, 1912), p. 5. The Evening Chronicle (January 23, 1912), p. 1.

⁵ The Charlotte News (January 3, 1913), p. 7. The Charlotte Observer (January 3, 1913), p. 6.

⁶ Historical Sketch. The Evening Chronicle (March 4, 1914), p. 1.

⁷ The Charlotte News (September 17, 1938), p. 12.

⁸ The Charlotte News (May 20, 1891), p. 1.

⁹ Jack O. Boyte & Dan L. Morrill, “Survey and Research Report on Lynnwood for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission,” (January 5, 1977); Jack O. Boyte & Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on the Mecklenburg County Courthouse for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission,” (April 5, 1977); Ruth Little-Stokes and Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on the Clubhouse of the Charlotte Woman’s Club,” (April 1, 1978).

¹⁰ Encyclopedia Britannica.

¹¹ Marcus Whiffen, American Architecture Since 1780 A Guide to the Styles (The M. I. T. Press, Cambridge, MA, 1969), pp. 48-51.

¹² The Evening Chronicle (March 3, 1914), p. 1. For a photograph of the ceremony, see the Evening Chronicle March 5, 1914, p. 6.

¹³ The Evening Chronicle (March 3, 1914), p. 4.

¹⁴ The Charlotte News (March 4, 1914), p. 4.

¹⁵ The Charlotte Observer (March 5, 1914), pp. 1,3 & 7.

¹⁶ The Evening Chronicle (March 5, 1914), pp. 1 & 6. For a text of Winston’s speech, see The Charlotte News (March 14, 1914), p. 7.

¹⁷ The Evening Chronicle (March 4, 1914), pp. 1,5 & 8.

¹⁸ Historical Sketch

 

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Laura A. W. Phillips, architectural historian.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N. C. G. S. 160A-399.4:

 

a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Masonic Temple does possess special historic significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) it is the only building in Charlotte which was erected to serve as a Masonic temple; 2) it is the only example of the Egyptian Revival style in Charlotte-Mecklenburg; 3) it was designed by Hook & Rogers; C. C. Hook is an architect of local and regional importance; 4) it serves as the symbolic landmark of the Charlotte masons.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission judges that the architectural description included in this report demonstrates that the property known as the Masonic Temple meets this criterion. It is true that the interior of the structure was destroyed by fire in March 1937. However, Willard G. Rogers, a co-designer with C. C. Hook of the initial interior, supervised the refurbishment of the building; and, while not restoring the interior, he did remain sensitive to the initial design. The exterior dates from 1914. The Evening Chronicle stated on March 5, 1914, that the Masonic Temple in Charlotte, “for significance and conformity to the Masonic traditions,” would be “unequaled south of Washington.” (The Evening Chronicle (March 5, 1914), pp. 1 & 6.)

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply annually for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes Historic property.” The current Ad Valorem tax appraisal of the .234 acres of land is $255,000. The current Ad Valorem tax appraisal of the building is $465,000. The property is exempted from the payment of Ad Valorem taxes. The building contains 30,000 square feet of floor space. The land is zoned B3.

 

 

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Bibliography

Jack O. Boyte & Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on Lynnwood for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission ,” (January 5, 1977).

Jack O. Boyte & Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on the Mecklenburg County Courthouse for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission “, April 5, 1977).

The Charlotte News.

The Charlotte Observer.

The Evening Chronicle.

Historical Sketch of the Masonic Temple Association of the City of Charlotte (Charlotte, 1950).

The Charlotte Observer (March 4, 1937), p. 1. For photographs of the fire, see The Charlotte News (March 4, 1937), p. 1. and The Charlotte Observer (March 4, 1937), p. 1.

The Charlotte Observer (March 5, 1937), p. 1.

Historical Sketch.

William James Hughan, “Freemasonry” in the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge & New York, 1910) Vol. XI, pp. 78-85.

Ruth Little-Stokes & Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on the Clubhouse of the Charlotte Woman’s Club for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission“, (April 1, 1978).

Records of the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office.

Records of the Mecklenburg County Tax Office.

Date of Preparation of this Report: April 2, 1980.

 

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Director
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
3500 Shamrock Dr.
Charlotte, N.C. 28215

Telephones (704) 332-2726

 

 

 

Architectural Description  

The Masonic Temple is a monumental Egyptian Revival building prominently located on the corner of South Tryon and Second Streets in downtown Charlotte. The architectural firm of Hook & Rogers designed the Masonic Temple, which was built in 1913-1914 by contractor J. A. Jones. A disastrous fire on March 4, 1937 gutted the building, leaving only the four exterior walls. Plans were immediately started for the rebuilding of the Temple under the supervision of Willard G. Rogers as architect and with J. J. McDevitt & Co. serving as general contractor. The rebuilding project began in February, 1938 and a dedication service for the completed project was held on October 11, 1938. Thus the Temple as it presently stands is the result of a 1913 exterior design with major rebuilding — primarily on the interior — in 1938.

In planning their Temple, the Masons were striving for a structure which would be reminiscent of King Solomon’s Temple, as described in the Bible in 1 Kings, Chapter 6 and 2 Chronicles, Chapter 3. In doing so the temple would symbolically reflect the Masonic goal of constructing better men of its members, creating “human temples.” The simple but elegant massiveness of the Egyptian style seemed appropriate for fulfilling these requirements.

With its massive quality, smooth wall surfaces, battered walls with narrow windows, roll-and-gorge cornice and decorative details, the Masonic Temple is a typical representation of the Egyptian Revival style. This style was first popular in America between 1830-1850 and was again revived in the twentieth century, primarily in the 1920s. The Egyptian Revival was never an especially widespread and prolific style, but rather one which tended to be used in specialized cases where the symbolic nature of the style could be played to the fullest. With the occurrence of buildings in the Egyptian Revival style being therefore rather limited, the surprise of finding this building on South Tryon Street, coupled with the boldness of its design, makes the Masonic Temple one of most dramatic buildings in downtown Charlotte.

The primary exterior decoration of this four-story building is concentrated on the South Tryon Street facade, with secondary attention paid to the Second Street facade. The left side and rear of the building are devoid of decoration and are purely functional in design.

The South Tryon Street facade is sheathed in smooth ashlar blocks. Verticality is emphasized in the battered walls (creating perspective distortion), broad and narrow pilasters, narrow-paned windows, and heavy lotus bud columns which flank either side of the entrance and rise to half the height of the building. These typically Egyptian columns, with their lotus flower and basket weave bud capitals, are topped by spheres -a terrestrial sphere above the left column and a celestial sphere above the right. Between the columns is the main entrance, which seems a miniature version of the primary facade itself with its battered jambs and roll-and-gorge cornice, this time accented by a lotus blossom design. The narrow pilasters which extend upward from the entrance way lead the eye to the great vulture-and-sun-disk symbol — Egyptian sign of protection — found just beneath the roll-and-gorge cornice.

The Second Street facade carries out the Egyptian theme with elegant simplicity. It retains the roll-and gorge cornice and ashlar base of the Tryon Street facade as well as two entrances which are essentially identical to the main entrance. The remainder of the wall surface is a combination of tan brickwork, sash windows and a minimum of stone trim. This facade is eight bays in depth, divided by brick pilasters which terminate at their upper ends with banded caps. A strongly vertical feeling is created by these pilasters which dominate over the horizontality of the slightly recessed window spandrels. Interestingly enough, the resulting effect is similar to some of the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright as seen especially in his Larkin Building (Buffalo, N. Y.) of 1904.

Upon entering the Masonic Temple, one is immediately struck by the magnificently detailed Egyptian Revival vestibule. The richness of its Egyptian qualities are seen both in the details and in the colors used. The walls are deep red, the corner pilasters are bright yellow, the doorways are crisp white and the other decoration is polychromed. The corner pilasters are topped by Egyptian male heads. Encircling the top of the room is a lushly decorated coved cornice with geometric and lotus flower designs. The doorways of the vestibule have battered jambs and a roll-and-gorge cornice. The transom area of the doorway leading to a side waiting room features the vulture-and-sun-disk symbol, artistically polychromed. The waiting room to which this doorway leads is generally more classical in feeling, with its pilastered doors, garlanded panels and Adamesque medallions.

Most of the interior is divided into rather nondescript meeting rooms and offices, although in several of the more prominent rooms special attention has been given to details. The main lobby of the building on the first floor is of generally classical design with heavy Doric pilasters and full entablature with triglyph and metope frieze encircling the room. Behind this is a large dining room and kitchen. The lodge hall on the second floor has columns and/or pilasters with simple acanthus capitals at front and rear and a colonnade of the same type of columns along either side. On the third floor the former Scottish Rite room features an auditorium with seating for approximately 300 and a stage with decorative classical surround. On the fourth floor is a room for other affiliate organizations. It features a slightly arched ceiling and a pointed-arch arcade along either long side.

Although much of the space in the Masonic Temple is currently being under utilized, the building — both interior and exterior — has been well maintained.

For more information…

Photo Gallery 6: Gone But Not Forgotten: Lost Buildings of Mecklenburg County

This report was written on January 2, 1980

1. Name and location of the Property: The property known as the Mallonee-Jones House is located at 400 E. Kingston Ave. in Charlotte, N.C.

2. Name, address and telephone number of the present owner and occupant of the property: The present owner and occupant of the property is:

Mercer J. Blankenship, Jr.
400 E. Kingston Ave.
Charlotte, N.C. 28203

Telephone: 333-5092

3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.

4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.

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5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed to this property is recorded in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 3714 at Page 600, The Tax Parcel Number of the property is 123-083-01.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property:

On September 8, 1894, The Charlotte Observer announced that J. N.. Mallonee, a local building contractor, would construct his home on Kingston Ave. in Dilworth.¹ Dilworth, Charlotte’s initial streetcar suburb, had opened on May 20, 1891.² Named for Edward Dilworth Latta (1851-1925), President of the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company or Four C’s, Dilworth revolutionized the built environment of Charlotte. It now became possible for affluent and middle class Charlotteans to reside in the suburbs, where they could simulate the ambiance of a rural existence, replete with large lots, verandahs and manicured lawns.³ Mallonee moved into his Dilworth home on February 21, 1895.⁴ The architect was Charles Christian Hook (1870-1938).⁵ A native of Wheeling, W. Va., and graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., Hook was the first licensed architect to live continuously in Charlotte. He moved here in 1891 to teach mechanical drawing in the Charlotte Graded School, which stood at the corner of South Blvd. and E. Morehead St. By 1892, he was designing structures for the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company. Indeed, most of his early commissions were for homes in Dilworth.⁶ Although Hook specialized in Neo Colonial motifs, he did design Victorian homes. Dilworth retains two of Hook’s Queen Anne style residences, the Mallonee-Jones House (1895) at 400 S. Kingston Ave. and the Robert J. Walker House (1901) at 329 E. Park Ave.⁷

Photograph of house taken in 1897

Julius Morris Mallonee (1867-1907) was a native of Charleston, S.C., where his father, J. C. Mallonee, owned a large lumber business. A graduate of Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie,, N.Y., Mallonee married Emma McRae of Marlborough County, SC, on December 6, 1893. Soon thereafter, Mallonee moved to Charlotte for purposes of establishing himself as a building contractor.⁸ It is reasonable to infer that he vas attracted here by the vigorous economic climate which had been created by the construction of a city-wide trolley system in 1891 by the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company.⁹ On December 15, 1897, Mallonee sold his home in Dilworth and moved to E. Fourth St. in Charlotte.¹⁰ His house stood on the present site of the old Mecklenburg County Courthouse. According to the Charlotte Observer, Mallonee became the “pioneer builder of Charlotte, buying lots, and building homes and selling them outright.”¹¹ He built many of the older homes in Elizabeth, another early streetcar suburb of Charlotte. He constructed the first apartment complex in Charlotte, the Mallonee flats across from his home on E. Fourth St. He was a charter member of the Southern Manufacturers Club, a prestigious organization of local businessmen.¹² Also, Mallonee was the building contractor for the Dilworth Graded School, which opened on January 3, 1905.¹³ J. N. Mallonee died on August 25, 1907. “Always kind hearted and open handed, he made many friends,” the Charlotte Observer reported.¹⁵ A member of First Baptist Church, he had seven children, two of whom predeceased their father.¹⁶ Emma McRae Mallonee, his widow, expired on January 27, 1943. Both are buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte.¹⁷

Charles Wellington Jones & Cora Shepherd Jones

On August 12, 1899, Charles Wellington Jones (1865-1924) and his wife, Cora Shepherd Jones (1873-1974). purchased the house which J. N. Mallonee had erected four years earlier in Dilworth.¹⁸ They occupied the house as newlyweds. A native of Harrisonburg, Va, Charles W. Jones had moved to Charlotte in 1895 as a bachelor. He established a grocery store under the name of “Moore & Jones.” Subsequently, he became an official of the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company, the developers of Dilworth. During his later years,, he established the Industrial Bank of Mecklenburg. Jones died at home on October 19, 1924.¹⁹ Cora Shepherd Jones, his widow, lived in the home at 400 E. Kingston Ave. until her death, at the age of one hundred, on April 30, 1974.²⁰ She was a teacher of history for thirty-three years, first at the D. H. Hill School and later at the old Alexander Graham Jr. High School on E. Morehead St. Affectionately remembered by her students as “Miss Cora,” she was a graduate of Stuart Hall in Staunton, Va. She and her husband were members of Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church where she served as organist for many years.²¹ They had three children, Charles Wellington Jones, Jr., who was killed as a teenager in a train accident, Margaret Jones Ormand, and James Nelson Jones.²² Mercer J. Blankenship, Jr, an attorney, purchased the house on October 9. 1974.²³ He continues to reside there.

 

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Footnotes

¹ Charlotte Observer (September 8, 1894), p. 4.

² Charlotte News (May 20, 1891), p. 1. Daily State Chronicle (May 19, 1891), p. 1. Morning Star (May 24, 1891), p. 4.

³ Charlotte Observer (July 15, 1925), p. 8.

⁴ Charlotte Observer (February 22, 1895), p. 4.

⁵ Charlotte Observer (September 8, 1894), p. 4.

⁶ Charlotte News (September 17, 1938), p. 12. Charlotte Observer (April 3. 1892), p. 4. George Welch, a resident of Charlotte, did design several structures in the community in the 1870’s, including Second Presbyterian Church, the opera house and the jail. None of these structures are extant. Apparently, Welch was not a professional architect (Charlotte News (April 15, 1901, p. 1.)).

⁷ Charlotte Observer (September 19, 1894), p. 4. Charlotte Observer (June 9, 1901), p. 5.

⁸ Charlotte News (August 26, 1907), p. 1. Charlotte Observer (August 26, 1907), p. 7. Charlotte Observer (August 18, 1935), sec.,3, p. 7 (contains a photograph of J. N.. Mallonee), Gravestone of J. N. Mallonee in named cemetery.

⁹ The Edison Electric Co. installed the trolley system for the Four C’s. The cost was $40,000. The first trolley departed from Independence Square on May 18, 1891. The system opened on May 20, 1891.

¹⁰ Mallonee sold his home to Mrs. F. P. Smith of Gaston County, North Carolina (Mecklenburg County Deed Book 1239 p. 579). Mrs. Smith and her husband, John A. Smith, sold the house on October 1, 1898, to Rosa McDonald of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (Mecklenburg County Deed Book 1279 p. 424).

¹¹ Charlotte Observer (August 19, 1935), sec., 3., p. 7.

¹² ibid.

¹³ Charlotte Observer (July 17, 1894), p. 6.

¹⁴ Gravestone of J. N. Mallonee in Elmwood Cemetery.

¹⁵ Charlotte Observer (August 26, 1907), p. 7.

¹⁶ Charlotte Observer (August 18, 1935), sec. 3., p. 7. Gravestone of J. A. Mallonee in Elmwood Cemetery. Gravestone of J. F. Mallonee in Elmwood Cemetery.

¹⁷ Mecklenburg County Death Book 62, p. 93.

¹⁸ They purchased the home from Rosa McDonald, wife of Edward McDonald of Mecklenburg, County, North Carolina. The price was $2200 (Mecklenburg County Deed Book 139, p. 503). Gravestones of C. W. Jones and C, S. Jones in Elmwood Cemetery.

¹⁹ Charlotte Observer(October 10, 1924), p. 10.

²⁰ Charlotte News (May 1, 1974), p. 8. Charlotte Observer (May 2, 1974), p. 11F.

²¹ Charlotte News (May 1, 1974), p. 8.

²² Mecklenburg County Deed Book 3714, p. 600. Interview of Ann Jones Mudge by Dr. Dan L. Morrill (September 19, 2007).

²³ ibid.

 

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7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of th e property prepared by Carolina Mesrobian, architectural historian.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria set forth in N. C. G. S. 160A-399.4:

a. Special significance in terms of its history. architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Mallonee-Jones House does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) it is one of the earliest houses in Dilworth, Charlotte’s initial streetcar suburb, 2) it is one of the two Queen Anne style houses in Charlotte definitively attributable to Charles Christian Hook, Charlotte’s first resident architect and an architect of regional importance, and 3) its owners have occupied positions of leadership and influence in the local community.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission judges that the architectural description included herein demonstrates that the property known as the Mallonee-Jones House meets this criterion.

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply annually for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes “historic property.” The Ad Valorem Tax appraisal on the .161 acres of land is $2500. The Ad Valorem Tax appraisal on the improvements is $11,700. The most recent annual tax bill on the land and improvements was $296.53.

Bibliography:

The Charlotte News.
The Charlotte Observer.
The Daily State Chronicle (Raleigh, N.C.).
Gravestones in Elmwood Cemetery, Charlotte, N.C.
The Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.).
Records of the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office.
Records of the Mecklenburg County Tax Office.
Vital Statistics of Mecklenburg County.
Date of Preparation of this Report: January 2, 1980.

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill

 

 

An Architectural Description  

by: Caroline Mesrobian
August 1, 1979

The Mallonee-Jones House, located at 400 East Kingston Avenue in the Dilworth section of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a two and a half story frame house in the Queen Anne style. It was designed by Charles C. Hook, built by J. N. Mallonee, a lumberman, in 1894, and was occupied in early 1895. The house stands on a narrow city lot with a small front yard. Behind the house is a German-sided garage which appears to be original to the property and which is in a very dilapidated state. A comparison of Sanborn Insurance Maps shows that a northeast section was added to the garage between 1911 and 1929, but it is no longer extant.

The house rests on a brick foundation, is of German siding, and has a hip roof with composition shingles and two interior brick chimneys. The massing is very picturesque, it being characterized by a front two story bay window, a wrap around front porch, breaks in the northwest facade, multiple roof lines, and irregular placement of windows.

The front facade (Kingston Avenue) contains a two story bay window with an overhanging cross gable containing a smaller pedimented cross gable in the apex of the larger gable. The cross gables have wooden sunburst designs, the lower portion of the gable containing a louvered vent framed on either side by applied wooden blocks simulating dentils. A blank panel flanked by sawnwork brackets is situated between the gable and a Victorian sash 1/1 window, this fenestration being typical to the house. These windows have wide plain surrounds, and all had louvered shutters at one time.

A one story front porch with turned posts and a balustrade angles around the bay. The east side of the porch is enclosed as a sunroom and contains three casement windows, two of which are floor length. Examination of the 1911 and 1929 Sanborn Insurance Maps shows that this section of the porch was enclosed as a sunroom between the two dates. The diagonal entrance bay of the porch, which faces due north, bears a cross gable with the sunburst design. The front glazed and paneled door with single pane transom is decorated with reeded pilasters and corner blocks with incised flower designs. The screen door bears decorative sawnwork brackets. A small balcony with turned posts and balustrade is situated over the entrance way.

The northwest side (Euclid Avenue) contains three bays; two of these sections project out in a step-like manner. A narrow bay which abuts onto the front corner contains a narrow second story window with 1/1 sash. It is also characterized by a small cross-gable with sunburst design, a boxed molded eave that surrounds the house, and applied wood blocks which simulate a dentil cornice. Both the Euclid and Kingston oriented sides of the middle projecting bay contain a Queen Anne stair window with colored glass borders and plain surrounds on the first story. The final projecting section is pierced by a pair of 1/1 sash windows on each story. Three paneled sections flanked by sawnwork brackets are situated above the second story windows. This projection also has a cross gable with a smaller pedimented cross gable in its apex, the sunburst pattern, and a centrally located louvered vent flanked by applied dentil squares.

The rear (southwest side) of the house contains a bay pierced by a narrow first story side window with 1/1 sash. A one story lattice work porch with lattice work door extends along the flank of the two bayed kitchen wing projection. This projecting section also contains a small casement window in the first story of the northwest side. The screened sleeping porch above the lattice porch is an addition, as shown by a comparison of the 1911 and 1929 Sanborn Insurance Maps. The second bay of the kitchen wing contains a window with 2/2 sash on each story.

The southeast facade of the house is characterized by three bays. The southern most bay contains a first story 2/2 sash window and a second story 1/1 sash window. A narrow 1/1 sash window pierces both stories of the middle bay, while the northern most bay contains a pair of 1/1 sash windows on both stories. All windows have plain surrounds. The applied dentil cornice is present on this facade.

The plan of the house is unsymmetrically arranged and has a number of small scale decorative details. One of the most interesting features of the interior is the corner Eastlake style pine staircase in the entrance hall. The massive newel post is decorated with fluting in the center of the sides and has chamfered corners with lamb’s tongue. The top has convex roundels, molded cornice, and a turned finial. The staircase is also defined by slender, turned balusters, a molded handrail, and a plain, closed string. Two colored glass Queen Anne style windows light the stair landing.

The entrance hall leads into a parlor located in the front of the house. A corner of the parlor is cut away, a feature which combines the parlor with the hall and which creates a large, flowing space. The corner is supported on an Eastlake style massive turned post with side grooves into which large sliding doors fit. The parlor contains a late Victorian style mantel. Bracketed pilasters support a beaded shelf; the plain frieze has a fluted shell or fan motif in the center. The mirrored overmantel bears a shelf on each side as well as across the top and is decorated with beading and convex roundels. A tile hearth and surround and a cast iron coal grate also comprise the fireplace. Although the mantel is ornamented similarly to the rest of the woodwork, it is less robust in form. It was most likely mail order with the rest of the woodwork being custom made.

The dining room, located behind the parlor on the southeast side of the house, contains a mantel which is more similar to the woodwork. It has a plain surround, a dentil and molded cornice and beaded shelf. The mirrored overmantel bears shelves and slender columnettes on each side and a delicate balustrade across the top.

The library, on the northwest side of the house, contains a mantel with mirrored overmantel which is somewhat like the one in the parlor but is not as ornate. The three globed ceiling gas light fixture may be original. The bottom half of the walls in this room, as well as in others excepting the parlor are paneled in heart of pine; the top half is plastered as are the ceilings. Woodwork is characterized by a vertical beaded wainscot, a wide beaded chair rail, and a high beaded baseboard. Window and door surrounds are symmetrically molded and have roundel cornerblocks. Doors have five raised panels with chamfered stiles. Hardware consists of ornate brass stamped doorknobs and escutcheon plates with a brass finish. The double windows in the dining room and library have raised paneled aprons beneath them. All floors are of hardwood.

A hall runs between the dining room and library, its entranceway transom having a wooden latticework arched screen with roundel corner blocks. The rear section of the house contains a bathroom, said to have been originally the butler’s pantry, on the southeast side, and a small center hall with an enclosed servant’s stairway. A tiny stair beneath the rear stair was evidently put in when the basement was dug out for a furnace to replace coal burning at a later date.

The completely unmodernized kitchen is located at the extreme rear of the house. Its walls and ceiling have narrow beaded sheathing; this was the only woodwork in the house that was painted. Cabinetry may be original. A free standing gas stove and the main buzzer box with which to summon servants from other parts of the house are still in the kitchen. A well was located in the back porch, part of the porch having been converted into a second bathroom at a later date.

The second floor contains four bedrooms with a central hall, a bath on the southeast side which has its original wash basin and a tub on legs, and plenty of closets and storage space. It also consists of the enclosed sleeping porch on the southwest rear side which was added between 1911 and 1929; two doors leading from the porch to the hall and the southeast rear bedroom have been added.

The master bedroom is located in the bayed projection in the front of the house and has a dressing room area and spacious walk-in closet on the northwest side. This room also opens onto the small balcony which sits over the entrance to the house. Fireplaces and mantels in the master bedroom (corner) as well as in the bedrooms on the northwest and southeast sides are similar and bear decorative incising, brackets and beading.

This report was written on January 4, 1988

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Lyles-Sims House is located at 523 North Poplar Street, Charlotte, NC.

2. Name, address, and telephone number of the present owner of the property: The owner of the property is:

Jane R. Lesser
523 North Poplar Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

Telephone: (704) 334-1485

3. Representative photographs of the property: This report contains representative photographs of the property.

4. A map depicting the location of the property: This report contains a map which depicts the location of the property.

 

 

 

Click on the map to browse5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed to this property is recorded in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 5547, page 161. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is: 078-036-14.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property prepared by Dr. William H. Huffman, Ph.D.

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains a brief architectural description of the property prepared by Dr. Dan L. Morrill, Ph.D.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria for designation set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-399.4:

 

a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Lyles-Sims House does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Lyles-Sims House, erected between 1867 and 1869 and substantially enlarged and modified sometime between 1870 and 1887, is a rare survivor of nineteenth century domestic architecture in Charlotte and exhibits the impact which growing prosperity had upon the built environment of Charlotte; and 2) the Lyles-Sims House is among the few older houses in Fourth Ward that occupy their original sites.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling, and/or association: The Commission contends that the architectural description by Dr. Dan L. Morrill which is included in this report demonstrates that the Lyles-Sims House meets this criterion.

9. Ad Valorem Tax Appraisal: The Commission is aware that designation would allow the owner to apply for an automatic deferral of 50% of the Ad Valorem taxes on all or any portion of the property which becomes “historic property.” The current appraised value of the improvement is $95,600. The current appraised value of the .190 acres of land is $66,250. The total appraised value of the property is $161,850. The most recent tax bill on the property was $1,995.29. The property is zoned UR1.

Date of Preparation of this Report: January 4, 1988

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
1225 S. Caldwell St.
Charlotte, NC, 28203
Telephone: (704) 376-9115

 

Historical Overview  

Dr. William H. Huffman

The Lyles-Sims House is one of the few original houses in Charlotte’s Fourth Ward, and incorporates the distinctive “Charlotte Gable” in its architecture. Originally built between 1867 and 1869 by Eli Washington Lyles (1829-1914), the second owners, James Monroe Sims (1840-1922) and his wife Frances (Fannie) E. Moody Sims (1845-1912) improved the house into its present form between 1870 and 1887.

Eli W. Lyles was a prosperous strawberry farmer who was the first to raise them in the county. Born in Anson County, he settled on a plantation four miles northeast of Charlotte (near Sugar Creek Church) in 1858, and was married three times, to: Elizabeth Ann Williams of Union County; Jane Elizabeth Moore (1832-1885), also of Union County, and Elizabeth Douglas of Mecklenburg.¹ As was common in those days, Lyles bought and sold real estate in the city and county for investments, and also apparently built himself a town house. In 1863, he bought about an acre fronting on what is now Poplar Street for $700.00, but due to the Civil War, the deed was not recorded until 1867.² Two years later, a mortgage deed on half the land mentions that it “adjoins the fractions of lots on which E. W. Lyles and J. E. Lyles (his wife) now live.³ The following year, 1870, Lyles sold the subdivided tract as two 1/2 acre lots: the vacant one went for $300.00, and the house lot was sold to J. M. Sims for $1500.00.⁵

J. M. Sims was a native of Cabarrus County, the son of James A. and Isabella Deweese Sims. He came to Charlotte as a young man, and began his grocery merchant career as a clerk in M. D. L. Moody’s store, which was located opposite the First Presbyterian Church on Trade Street. When the War Between The States broke out, he enlisted and left with the Charlotte “Greys,” and served in Company A, 11th North Carolina Regiment, where he became quartermaster. Wounded in the first days fighting at Gettysburg, Sims also fought alongside Henry Wyatt, the first soldier to be killed in the war. At war’s end, he returned to work in Moody’s store.

On February 15, 1869, he was married to Frances E. Moody of Lenoir. The daughter of William and Martha Barber Moody of Lenoir, at the time of her marriage she was living with her uncle, M. D. L. Moody, J. M. Sims’ employer. The Simses raised four daughters to adulthood; one son died at the age of four months.⁷

In the spirit of Horatio Alger, a hard-working, determined person should make good, and so it was with J. M. Sims. A few years after returning from the war, he went into the grocery business with Henry McGinn and a Mr. Cochran; eventually, in the late 1870s, opened a store of his own on the west side of N. Tryon Street, three doors north of Trade.⁸ Sims was fortunate in being in a good place at the right time. Charlotte was just coming out of the effects of the war and Reconstruction and was about to enter an era of unprecedented, sustained prosperity. New South industrialization, based on cotton mills and related production, transformed Charlotte from one of many small towns in the state in 1880 to a regional banking, distribution and mill center of the Piedmont and the largest city of the Carolinas by 1930.⁹ It was during much of this time, from the late 1870s to about 1912, when he retired, that J. M. Sims operated his grocery business in the city.¹⁰

Indeed, his prosperity could be seen by the fact that by 1883, he bought a 198 foot square tract of land at the southwest corner of Eighth and Poplar for $1375 at public auction, and in 1887 sold the former Lyles house (for $2200.00) and built a bigger residence on the new property. About twenty years later, the Simses moved out to Dilworth, the city’s first streetcar suburb (opened in 1891), and put up another house on South Boulevard.¹² Before the turn of the century and the advent of streetcar suburbs, however, Charlotte’s Fourth Ward was a popular place for the town’s middle-class business and professional people to live (the wealthier citizens lived in grand houses along Trade and Tryon Streets).

The Lyles-Sims house was sold in 1887 to another grocer, Willis I. Henderson, whose store was around the corner from Sims at 32 East Trade Street.¹³ In 1896, Samuel W. Brooks, the manager of William J. Matheson Co., a dyestuffs and chemical company located at 12 North College Street, purchased the house,¹⁴ and in turn sold it to A. Earle McCausland and his wife, Ella T. McCausland, in 1902.¹⁵ The McCauslands lived in the house for forty-seven years.¹⁶

In the thirty-one years after Mrs. McCausland s death in 1949, the house went through a series of related owners, and was part of a neighborhood that declined rapidly and became, as was common in post-war American cities, an inner-city slum area that seemed beyond saving.¹⁷ But in the 1970s, the energy and foresight of some dedicated individuals and groups, most notably the Junior League, Berryhill Preservation, Inc., and the Historic Properties Commission, resulted in the complete transformation of the neighborhood by preserving some of the original houses that remained, moving others in from various areas of the city undergoing development, and infill construction of modern condominiums. Its establishment as a historic district completed the recognition that it is one of the most important areas of the city’s early history. As one of the few original houses to be preserved in Fourth Ward, the Lyles-Sims house, with its distinctive “Charlotte gable,” also deserves recognition as being historically significant.¹⁸

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Notes

¹ Charlotte Observer. June 5,1914, p. 6; ibid., March 12, 1885, p. 3.

² Deed Book 5, p.158, 28 February 1863.

³ Deed Book 6, p. 131, 26 June 1869.

⁴ Deed Book 6, p.658, 10 February 1870.

⁵ Deed Book 6, p.618, 1 February 1870.

⁶ Charlotte Observer. July 16, 1922, p.4.

⁷ Ibid., August 5, 1912, p.2.

⁸ Ibid. July 16, 1922, p. 4; Charlotte City Directory. 1879/80, p.89, et seq.

⁹ Thomas Hanchett, “Charlotte Neighborhood Survey,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission, 1983.

¹⁰ See note 8.

¹¹ Deed Book 33, p. 138, 15 February 1883; ibid., Book 57, p.60, 9 November 1887.

¹² Charlotte City Directory. 1907. p.180, et seq.

¹³ Deed Book 57, p.60, 9 November 1887; Charlotte City Directory, 1889, p. 9,, et seq.

¹⁴ Deed Book 108, p. 469, 24 January 1896 (price; $3300.00); Charlotte City Directory, 1902, p.211.

¹⁵ Deed Book 170, p.418, 12 September 1902.

¹⁶ Will Book 7, p. 324 (1949).

¹⁷ Deed Book 141d, p.567; 1758. p.381; 2885, p.22; 1263, p. 365.

¹⁸ In 1980 it was purchased by Jane and Philip Lesser. Ms. Lesser presently operates a bed and breakfast in the Poplar Street home; Deed Book 4323, p. 13.

 

 

Architectural Description  

Dr. Dan L. Morrill

Statement of Significance

Unquestionably, the Lyles-Sims House has experienced major alterations over the years. The historical significance of its architecture, however, must be judged in terms of the local context. Specifically, Fourth Ward is the only pre-streetcar Charlotte neighborhood that retains even a hint of its original streetscapes. Years ago, the Commission secured the historic designation of most of the other Victorian era houses in Fourth Ward that are situated at their original locations. This is probably the last potential historic property in Fourth Ward, and it is a rare survivor of the nineteenth century domestic architecture of Charlotte, the largest urban center in the two Carolinas.

Description

The Lyles-Sims House, a two and one-half story modified Queen Anne style frame dwelling with a complex hip roof in slate with cross gables and a gable on the left front, faces east toward Poplar Street in Fourth Ward, the neighborhood which comprises the northwestern quadrant of Uptown Charlotte.¹ The Lyles-Sims House, unlike many older homes in Fourth Ward, is on site; and, like the Overcarsh House at 326 West 8th, its original site; and, like the Overcarsh House at 326 West 8th St., also in Fourth Ward, it represents a rare example of the evolution of domestic architecture during the second half of the nineteenth century in Uptown Charlotte. Specifically, the Lyles-Sims House was first built as a modest frame dwelling between 1867 and 1869. Later, sometime between 1870 and 1887, when the cotton mill campaign began to bring greater prosperity to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, the house was enlarged and substantially modified, to make it more stylish and fashionable, so to speak. As one would expect, the architectural style which was selected was Queen Anne.

In keeping with the fundamental eclecticism of Queen Anne style architecture, the Lyles-Sims House is essentially asymmetrical in form and heterogeneous in ornamentation.² The most distinctive exterior details are: 1) a broad, open wraparound porch which is bordered by a forceful balustrade with turned pickets and large Doric columns which support a shed roof in slate; 2) distinguishing gable end treatments, each consisting of a “checkerboard” panel above supported by brackets and an embellishment below which resembles half-timbering; and 3) a front entryway, composed of a transom with small, geometric lights, broad pilasters with decorative corner blocks, and a door with a single, rectangular light. The clapboard sheathing has been covered with aluminum siding. The house has simple boxed eaves, enclosed gutters, brick piers with brick infill, two offset brick chimneys, predominantly 1/1 windows, and a deck off the rear of the house. The lot, in keeping with the walking scale neighborhood in which the Lyles-Sims house is located, is long and narrow but is otherwise devoid of historical features.

The interior of the house also exhibits the asymmetrical complexity associated with Queen Anne style architecture. The most impressive space is the front parlor. One enters directly from the outside into the room itself, which is dominated by a stairway on the right with two quarter landings, turned pickets, heavy newels with bulbous finials, and a pendant. Wainscoting extends up the stairway and along the walls of a portion of the front parlor. The front parlor also contains an original single-shelf mantelpiece. Doorway and window surrounds, in the front parlor and throughout the Lyles-Sims House, are typically Victorian — molded with “bull’s-eye” corner blocks. The crown moldings and the base moldings are quite simple, again throughout the house.

Immediately behind the front parlor is the dining room, entered on the right by a new hallway and on the left by an enlarged hallway. It has a mantelpiece, originally located in an upstairs bedroom, with a pair of attenuated columns supporting a shelf with a mirror above; and wainscoting extends along the walls of part of the room. Behind the dining room is the original pantry. Substantial changes have been made in this portion of the Lyles-Sims House, which is probably part of the original dwelling. The pantry entrance has been moved from one end of the room to the other; and a new hallway has been built into a large, modern kitchen, which bears no resemblance to its historical antecedents. A large bathroom on the right rear of the first floor with beaded ceiling has been divided into a bathroom and a laundry room, but the original woodwork, including window surrounds, has been retained. The final major space on the first floor is a room to the right of the dining room, which contains an original mantel and woodwork.

The Lyles-Sims House has also undergone major changes on the second floor, which contains three bedrooms and two baths. The center hallway, originally extending to the rear of the house, has been shortened to create closet and storage space. A large bathroom across the back of the house has been divided into two bathrooms and updated. The two bedrooms off the left of the hallway have been joined by the creation of a passageway, and an original doorway from the hallway has been eliminated. Finally, a small room on the right rear of the second floor has been sacrificed for additional storage space. The extensiveness of these modifications notwithstanding, the Lyles-Sims House does retain original woodwork and window surrounds throughout most of the second floor.

 

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Notes

¹ For a detailed history of the development of Fourth Ward, see Thomas W. Hanchett, “Charlotte And Its Neighborhoods: The Growth of a New South City, 1850-1930”, Chapter 4 (an unpublished manuscript in the offices of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission).

² For a description of the Queen Anne style, see Marcus Whiffen, American Architecture Since 1780: Guide to the Styles (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969), pp. 115-122.