Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House

This report was written on June 14, 1999

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House is located at 7314 Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road in the Long Creek Community of Mecklenburg County.

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

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
2100 Randolph Road
Charlotte, N.C. 28207

Telephone: (704) 376-9115

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 maps that depict the location of the property.

5. Current Deed Book Reference to the Property: The most recent deed to Tax Parcel Number 03314598 is found in Deed Book 10151, page 145.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property: This report contains a brief historical sketch of the property by Marilyn Croteau and Dr. Dan L. Morrill.

7. A brief architectural sketch of the property: This report contains a brief architectural sketch of the property by Dr. Dan L. Morrill.

8. Documentation of why and in what ways the property meets the criteria for designation set forth in N.C.G.S. 160A-400.5:

a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture, and/or cultural importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House (c. 1865) is representative of the two-story frame farmhouses built in rural Mecklenburg County in the post- bellum or New South era and is reflective of the robust cotton economy that characterized Mecklenburg County during those years, and 2) Thomas Gluyas, the initial owner, was a prominent figure in the public affairs of Mecklenburg County in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition to superintending his farm, Gluyas served as a captain in a local militia company during the Civil War, was a founding member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and was elected to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Legislature.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling and/or association: The Commission contends that the attached architectural description by Dr. Dan L. Morrill demonstrates that the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas 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 that becomes a designated “historic landmark.” The current appraised tax value of the improvements on the property is $116,350. The current appraised tax value of the 2.15 acres of land is $44,100. The total appraised tax value of the property is $160,450. The property is zoned R4.

Date of Preparation of this Report: June 14, 1999

Prepared by: Marilyn Croteau and Dr. Dan L. Morrill
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission
2100 Randolph Rd.
Charlotte, NC 28207

Telephone: (704) 376-9115

 

 

Architectural Description

 

Site Description The Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House is located on approximately 2.6 acres of land on the south side of Mount Holly – Huntersville Road in the Long Creek community of Mecklenburg County. The house faces the road and sits atop a slight rise. The front yard is mostly wooded, and the rear yard is essentially an open lawn. A dirt driveway of recent origin extends from the road to the side yard immediately west of the house. Just to the west of the driveway is a frame, gable-roofed garage, most likely dating from the first half of the twentieth century. A stone sidewalk leads from the original driveway (now replaced) to the front of the house. A new residential subdivision surrounds the site and occupies the land once devoted to farming.

Building Descriptions

The Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House is a three-bay-wide by two-bay-deep frame building with a gable roof of asphalt shingles and single- shouldered end chimneys in brick with stone foundations and simple corbelled caps. A large, one-story, gable-roofed addition, dating from c. 1900, projects from the rear of the house. A shed-roofed porch supported by chamfered wooden posts resting upon granite blocks extends across the north elevation of the house. A shed-roofed porch of recent origin extends across the south elevation of the rear addition, and a small stoop of no historical significance is located near the rear of the west elevation of the rear addition. Two brick chimneys with arched tops protrude through the asphalt-shingled roof of the rear addition. None of the original windows of the house survives, and the only distinctive door leading to the outside is the front door. It has a single light above and three raised wooden panels below. The entire house is covered with asbestos shingles, most likely added in the mid-twentieth century.

The interior of the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House is uncomplicated in format and design. The predominant wall and ceiling covering is flush board. A wide center hall with hardwood floors and wooden pegs for hanging clothes extends from the front to the rear of the house. A stairway rises in a straight run from the hallway to the second floor. It has simple wooden newels, unadorned rectangular pickets, and a rustic, wooden handrail. The second story has two bedrooms and a center hall with wide board flooring — older than the hardwood floors found on the first floor. The house contains five fireplaces. All have a single attached shelf and restrained fireplace surrounds. Parts of the original rear porch on the addition have been enclosed for a modern bathroom and a modern kitchen. On balance, the Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House was built to meet the functional needs of a farming family. There is nothing pretentious or fancy about it. It is, however, an important part of the rural heritage of the Long Creek community, which is experiencing rapid and largely insensitive suburban development.

Summary Statement of Significance

The Thomas and Latitia Gluyas House possesses local historic significance in the areas of Agriculture and Public Affairs. Built c. 1865 in the Long Creek Community, the Gluyas House is a manifestation of the flourishing cotton economy of Mecklenburg County during the so-called New South era of the late nineteenth century. With the establishment of the Charlotte Cotton Mills in 1881, Charlotte and Mecklenburg County began to experience rapid industrial growth, especially in textiles. Mecklenburg farmers found ready markets for cotton, both locally and regionally; and those like Thomas Gluyas, who had the ability and the resources to take advantage of this expanding economic opportunity, prospered. Thomas Gluyas was a prominent figure in the public affairs of Mecklenburg County in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition to superintending his farm, Gluyas served as a captain in a local militia regiment during the Civil War, was a founding member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and was elected to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Legislature.

 

 

Historical Overview

 

The Captain Thomas Gluyas House was built c. 1865 in the Long Creek Community of Mecklenburg County. Thomas Gluyas (1826-1912), was its initial owner. The second son of John Gluyas (1796-1858), an experienced mining engineer from Cornwall, England, and Mary Bennetts Gluyas (1801-1876), Thomas Gluyas had accompanied his mother and father to the United States in 1837, when he was only eleven years old. In 1838 the family moved to Mecklenburg County, where John Gluyas became an official of the Mecklenburg Gold Mining Company and oversaw the steam-powered machinery at the Capp’s Hill Gold Mine off Beatties Ford Road. ¹

In the 1840’s Thomas Gluyas went to Jamestown, N.C. (near Greensboro) and became an apprentice to a gunsmith. ² It was there that he met and married Latitia Beeson Gluyas (1831-1909). ³ Thomas and his young wife returned to Mecklenburg County about 1850 and established their residence on his father’s farm. In May, 1860, Thomas purchased a moderate size tract of land consisting of 220 acres on what is now the Mount Holly Huntersville Road and set about having his own home erected. ⁴ In subsequent years he bought adjoining land, bringing the size of his farm to 440 acres at the time of his death. ⁵

The Gluyas Farm prospered during the years following the Civil War and continued to be active agriculturally well into the early part of the twentieth century. The principal cash crops were corn and cotton. Thomas Gluyas participated and prospered in the expanding cotton economy of Mecklenburg County during the so-called New South era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Historian Thomas W. Hanchett notes that after the Civil War “the Southern attitude toward industry changed radically.” “The end of slavery crippled plantation agriculture,” he explains, “and the region’s investors began to work toward a ‘New South’ based instead on industrial development.” ⁶ The expansion of the textile economy of Mecklenburg County was nothing short of spectacular. “Cotton was not an easy crop to grow in Mecklenburg County,” writes preservation consultant Sherry Joines. “In fact, only 6,112 bales were ginned in 1860. However, after the discovery of the fertilizer, Peruvian guano, the production rapidly increased to 19,129 bales in 1880. The production of cotton peaked in 1910 with 27, 466 bales.” “Thus, between 1860 and 1880,” says Joines, “the image, economy, and lifestyle of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County changed dramatically.” ⁷ An additional stimulus to the local cotton economy was provided by the establishment of a substantial number of textile mills in Mecklenburg County during the New South years. ⁸

Clearly, these developments brought new challenges and opportunities to local farmers. Among them was the rapid growth of the city of Charlotte, which placed greater pressure on farmers to supply the more diversified needs of Charlotte’s increasing populace and burgeoning textile industry. Successful farmers like Thomas Gluyas learned that they had to specialize in order to maintain a profit. In addition, the growing demand for products meant that expensive machinery replaced beasts of burden; and as land also grew more costly, losses were felt more intensely. Many farmers in Mecklenburg County could not keep up with these new financial and technological demands. Those like Gluyas who could, saw their incomes increase substantially.

In addition to members of the family, African American tenants lived and worked on the Gluyas farm. The farm contained the Thomas Gluyas House, tenant houses, a log outbuilding, a log kitchen house, a log smokehouse, barns for hay and animals, and a cotton gin. Across the road stood a gunsmith shop. The shop was used to craft rifles and repair them. Long rifles are now recognized as an early American art form that had reached the height of artistic form and function between 1776 and 1830. The only buildings that survive are the Thomas Gluyas House, one tenant house on adjacent land currently being developed, and the log smokehouse, which was moved in 1998 to nearby property owned by John O. Gluyas III.

Thomas Gluyas was active in public affairs and was recognized by local citizens as a leader in his community. During and after the Civil War, he was known locally as “Captain Thomas Gluyas.” He remained on his farm during the Civil War, but like most men who stayed behind he served in a local militia group. He was a Captain in the 86th Regiment North Carolina Militia, under Colonel B. G. Brown.⁹ He had the unenviable job of arresting persons liable to Conscription Law and all soldiers absent from their regiments without leave. Thomas Gluyas was one of the founders of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. In 1883, he joined with a group of Long Creek residents who were attending Hopewell Presbytarian Church. Dissatisfied with strict Calvinism, the disgruntled Presbyterians wanted to start an Episcopal Church Mission in the Long Creek community. Although Thomas Gluyas had no formal religious affiliations, he was attracted to the Episcopal Church because of his English ancestry. On October 25, 1884, the day the Church was formally organized, he was appointed, Treasurer. ¹⁰ St. Mark’s Church was built on Mt. Holly Huntersville Road not far from the Gluyas Farm. Thomas & Latitia Gluyas are buried in the church cemetery along with many descendents of their family.¹¹

In 1874, Thomas Gluyas was elected to serve a four year term on the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, under the chairmanship of T. L. Vail. In 1890, he was approached by T. L. Vail to run for the State Senate representing the Prohibition Party. He declined. ¹² However, he was elected in 1903, at the age of 77, to the North Carolina Legislature, and served one term representing Mecklenburg County. ¹³

Thomas and Latitia Gluyas had five children — four daughters and one son. Two daughters , Mary (1850-1919) and Nancy Alice (1853-1925) were both born before Thomas and Latitia Gluyas established their residence on Mt. Holly Huntersville Road. Martha Addie May (1858-1903) was the first of Thomas’s children to be born on the Gluyas Farm. According to family papers Martha was born in the “old log house by the spring on this place”. In 1863, John Oliver , the fourth child, was born “in the old log kitchen house in the yard here”. First indication that Thomas built or moved his family into a farmhouse was the birth of Lelia, (1868-1960). Family notes indicate “Aunt Lelia was born in this house”. ¹⁴

Three generations of the Gluyas family lived in the Thomas Gluyas House until 1995. The 400 plus acres of land owned by Thomas in 1912 were subdivided into five tracts. His wife Latitia Beeson Gluyas had preceded him in death in 1909. The estate was therefore inherited by his four surviving children, Mary McCoy, Nancy Parks, John Oliver Gluyas, Lelia Gresham, and the heirs of his daughter Addie May (Craven), who had also preceded him in death.. His son, John Oliver Gluyas (1863-1912), died unexpectedly just 10 days after his father of complications from an emergency appendectomy, at age 49. ¹⁵ His wife Sallie (Whitely) Gluyas and eight of their dependent children inherited the “home tract” of 85 acres including the Thomas Gluyas House. ¹⁶

 

The Gluyas Family

Sallie Gluyas never remarried. She oversaw the operation of the farm until her death in 1944, at age 83. Sallie and John Gluyas had ten children, all of whom were reared on the Gluyas Farm. Four of the six daughters never married. After completing their education and working outside of the home, three daughters returned to Long Creek to live in the Thomas Gluyas House. Lucy, (1888-.1974) after attending Normal School in Greensboro (now the University of North Carolina ñGreensboro) taught in Florida for a brief period and then worked for many years for the Mecklenburg County Board of Education. Julia (1901-1973), a registered nurse, studied in Chicago, worked at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, as well as Wayne County Memorial in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Alice Josephine (1903- 1995) attended Art School in Philadelpia and worked as a salesperson at Iveys Department Store in Charlotte. Lelia Gluyas Gresham (1868-1960), youngest daughter of Thomas and an aunt to Lucy, Julia and Josephine, returned to live at the family homestead from Richmond, Virginia after the death of her husband. She was cared for by her nieces until her death in 1960. Alice Josephine lived alone with the aid of outside help for more than twenty years on the property, until her death in 1995. She relied on her nephew, John Oliver Gluyas III, who lived across the street to assist with the upkeep of the property. ¹⁷ In 1998, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission purchased the Thomas Gluyas House and approximately 2 acres of land. The property is now being offered for sale.

 

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¹ Gluyas Family Papers, unpublished, “Reminiscences of Captain Thomas Gluyas” as dictated to his granddaughter Lucy Gluyas in 1911.

² Whisker, James, Gunsmiths of the Carolinas, 1660-1870 .

³ Guilford County Marriage Bond 55670, February 18, 1847.

⁴ Mecklenburg County Deed Book 6, page 186.

⁵ Mecklenburg County Will Book AEG 1A, page 250.

⁶ Thomas W. Hanchett, “Charlotte’s Textile Heritage: An Introduction (1984). Charlotte- Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.

⁷ Sherry L. Joines and Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “Historic Rural Resources in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina(1997). Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission.

⁸ For a description of the textile mills established in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, see Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey of Cotton Mills In Charlotte And Mecklenburg County For The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission (1997).

⁹ Gluyas Family papers, unpublished order per Governor Vance, Oct 2, 1962.

¹⁰ Cheshire, Jos. Blount, St. Mark’s Church, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Its Beginnings: 1884-1886.

¹¹ For a description and history of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, see Dr. Dan L. Morrill, “A Survey and Research Report on the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (March 1, 1983).

¹² Gluyas Family Papers, unpublished letter to T. L. Vail to T. Gluyas, dated August 6, 1890.

¹³ Cheney, John L., Jr., North Carolina Government 1585-1974.

¹⁴ Gluyas Family Papers, unpublished.

¹⁵ Gluyas Family Papers, Charlotte Observer & News, Obituary, John Gluyas.November 1912.

¹⁶ Mecklenburg County Book of Wills, AEG-1A p. 250, will of Thomas Gluyas

¹⁷ Interview with John Oliver Gluyas III, Novermber 23 and 30, 1998. Conducted by Marilyn Croteau.

THE GAUTIER-GILCHRIST HOUSE

This report was written on January 7, 1981.

1. Name and location of the property: The property known as the Gautier-Gilchrist House is located at 320 E. Park 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:
John B. Bloom & wife, Pamela Everhardt Bloom
320 E. Park Ave.
Charlotte, NC. 28203

Telephone: (704) 374-0328

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.

5. Current Deed Book Reference to the property: The most recent deed to this property is listed in Mecklenburg County Deed Book 4142 at Page 568. The current tax parcel number of the property is 123-076-11.

6. A brief historical sketch of the property:

Dilworth, Charlotte’s initial streetcar suburb, opened on May 20, 1891, when the Charlotte Consolidated Construction Company, locally known as the Four Cs, began selling lots there. ¹ Among the early residents of Dilworth was Mrs. A. R. Gautier, a wealthy widow in her 40’s who moved from New York City to Charlotte in September 1895.² Her son, T. B. Gautier, had recently located in Charlotte and also lived in Dilworth with his family. ³ A refined and sophisticated woman, Mrs. Gautier signed a contract in January 1896 to erect an imposing Colonial Revival style home on Park Avenue in Dilworth. ⁴ After briefly living there, however, she sold the house in June 1896 and began arrangements to build another Colonial Revival style dwelling next door. Construction of the second house began in November 1896 and ended in early 1897.⁵ Now known as the Gautier-Gilchrist House, this structure is the only one of Mrs. Gautier’s homes which survives in Dilworth.

The architect of the Gautier-Gilchrist House was Charles Christian Hook (1870-1932), a native of Wheeling, W.Va., and graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. Hook had come to Charlotte in 1891 to teach mechanical drawing in the Charlotte Graded School, which was situated in the building at the northern edge of Dilworth that had formerly housed the North Carolina Military Institute. By 1892, Hook had entered private practice as an architect. ⁷ Most of his early commissions were for houses in Dilworth. On September 19, 1894, the Charlotte Observer reported that Hook had developed a specialty in the Colonial Revival style. It was this motif that C. C. Hook introduced into the built environment of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, in such imposing dwellings as the Villalonga-Alexander House, the Walter Brem House and, most notably, in the James B. Duke Mansion, also known as Lynnwood or White Oaks.⁸ But the Gautier-Gilchrist House is the oldest extant Colonial Revival style house that one can definitively attribute to C. C. Hook in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Consequently, the structure occupies a position of great importance in the architectural history of this community. ⁹

The life style which Mrs. Gautier maintained in Dilworth was elegant and tasteful. She was a gracious Victorian hostess. For example, she held exquisite teas in her home and superintended a luncheon there every Thursday. ¹⁰ Mrs. Gautier was also active in the world of business. In January 1897, she purchased the Cherokee Inn, a hotel in Blacksburg, SC. ¹¹ In March 1897, she bought the Mecklenburg Flouring Mill, which had opened in November 1895 on South Boulevard in Dilworth. ¹²

When Mrs. Gautier purchased the Cherokee Inn in Blacksburg, SC, she met and became friends with Peter Spence Gilchrist (1861-1947) and his wife, Ethel B. Porter Gilchrist (1868-1954). Gilchrist, a native of Manchester, England, and a chemical engineer, had moved to Blacksburg in 1895 to become superintendent of a gold mine. He lived in the Cherokee Inn. ¹³ Gilchrist was familiar with Charlotte having designed the plant in 1886 of the Charlotte Oil and Fertilizer Company. ¹⁴ No doubt Mrs. Gautier also talked about her home town during her visits to Blacksburg. On January 1, 1898, the Charlotte Observer noted that Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrist would move to Charlotte “in the course of a week or ten days.” ¹⁵ He, his wife and his son, John, moved into a home in Dilworth, and Mr. Gilchrist rent about the task of establishing himself as a consultant for the sulfuric acid industry. Soon thereafter, Gilchrist learned that his father, John Gilchrist, was coming from England for a visit. Gilchrist decided that he would have to build a grand home in Charlotte so that could entertain his father in proper opulence. His friend Mrs. Gautier, however, persuaded Gilchrist to buy her house on Park Avenue instead. ¹⁶ “The most interesting realty transaction that has taken place lately was the sale by Mrs. A. R. Gautier of her elegant house at Dilworth to Mr. P. S. Gilchrist”, the Charlotte Observer stated on March 3, 1898. ¹⁷ The price was $7500 – a substantial sum for a house at that time. ¹⁸ The Gilchrists moved into the house in late March 1898. Mrs. Gautier rented a room in her former home until shortly after 1900, when she left Charlotte, probably to return to New York City. ¹⁹ Mr. Gilchrist died in the home on December 31, 1947. ²⁰ Soon thereafter, Mrs. Gilchrist sold the house but continued to reside in Charlotte until her death on September 6, 1954.²¹

Peter Spence Gilchrist established an international reputation as a chemical engineer. Indeed, in the opinion of the Charlotte Observer, his career was “perhaps unparalleled by that of any other Charlotte citizen.” ²² He was a pioneer in the development of the phosphate industry in the Southeastern United States; he designed and oversaw the installation of hundreds of sulfuric acid plants, both in this country and abroad, including Japan. “He furthered ideas which have become standard whereon sulfuric acid plants are built,” the Charlotte Observer contended. ²³ In 1914, he met with I. Heckenbleikner, T. C. Oliver and A. M. Webb in his office in his home to form the Chemical Construction Company, of which he was president until the firm was sold in 1932 to American Cyanimid. Gilchrist was vice-president of the Charlotte Chemical Laboratories, which was established in 1911. Moreover, Peter Gilchrist was active in civic and church affairs. For example, he was instrumental in the creation of Dilworth School. He was a charter member and a founder of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He served on the official boards of Queens College and the Presbyterian Foundation and was president of the Charlotte Y.M.C.A. ²⁴

After Mrs. Gilchrist sold the house, it became a rooming house. Happily, However, in the late 1970’s, Mr. and Mrs. Bloom purchased the house and have begun the process of restoring the house to its earlier grandeur.

 

 

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Notes

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

² United States Census (1900). Charlotte Observer (September 26, 1895), p. 4.

³ Mr. Gautier lived in a home in Dilworth which belonged to Mr. John McDowell.

⁴ Charlotte Observer (January 18, 1896), p. 4.

⁵ Charlotte Observer (June 14, 1896) , p. 6. Charlotte Observer (November 27, 1896), p. 1. Charlotte Observer (February 9, 1897), p. 4

⁶ Charlotte Observer (November 27, 1896), p. 1.

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

⁸ Charlotte Observer (September 19, 1894), p. 4. For detailed descriptions of the structures which Hook designed in Charlotte, see the various Survey and Research Reports which the Commission has deposited in the Carolina Room of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Public Library on N. Tryon St. in Charlotte.

⁹ This writer believes that the Jones-Garibaldi House (1894) on E. Park Ave. is the oldest extant Colonial Revival design of Hook’s in Charlotte. But no conclusive evidence has been found.

¹⁰ Charlotte Observer (September 25, 1897), p. 5. Charlotte Observer (October 12, 1897), p. 6.

¹¹ Charlotte Observer (January 22, 1897), p. 4.

¹² Charlotte Observer (March 14. 1897). p. 2. Charlotte Observer (November 26, 1895),

¹³ Graves in Elmwood Cemetery of Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrist. Peter Spence Gilchrist, Jr., My Father Peter Spence Gilchrist (Charlotte, N.C., 1943) p. 23. Hereafter cited as Gilchrist.

¹⁴ Ibid., p. 24.

¹⁵ Charlotte Observer (January 1, 1898), p. 5.

¹⁶ Gilchrist, p. 25.

¹⁷ Charlotte Observer (March 3, 1898), p. 6.

¹⁸ Charlotte Observer (March 9, 1898), p. 5.

¹⁹ United States Census (1900). Charlotte City Directory (1901). Gilchrist, p. 25.

²⁰ Charlotte Observer (January 1, 1948), Sec. 2, pp. 1-5.

²¹ Charlotte Observer (September 7, 1954), Sec. B, p. 1.

²² Charlotte Observer (January 2, 1948), p. 14A.

²³ Charlotte Observer (January 1, 1948), Sec. 2, pp. 1 & 5.

²⁴ Gilchrist, pp. 28-29.

7. A brief architectural description of the property: This report contains an architectural description of the property prepared by Caroline I. Mesrobian, Architectural Historian.

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

 

a. Special significance in terms of its history, architecture and/or importance: The Commission judges that the property known as the Gautier-Gilchrist House does possess special historic significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) it is the oldest extant Colonial Revival style house that one can definitively attribute to C. C. Hook in Charlotte-Mecklenburg; 2) Charles Christian Hook was an architect of considerable local and regional importance; and 3) Peter Spence Gilchrist was a figure of great importance in this community and elsewhere.

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 Gautier-Gilchrist 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 current Ad Valorem appraisal on the Gautier-Gilchrist House is $7500. The current Ad Valorem appraisal on the .402 acres of land is $6250. The most recent Ad Valorem tax bill on the house and land was $248.61. The property is zoned R6.

 

 

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Bibliography

Charlotte City Directory (1901).

Charlotte News.

Charlotte Observer.

Peter Spence Gilchrist, Jr., My Father Peter Spence Gilchrist (Charlotte, N.C., 1943).

Records of Elmwood Cemetery.

Records of the Mecklenburg County Register of Deeds Office.

Records of the Mecklenburg County Tax Office.

Some Designs by Hook & Sawyer, Architects Charlotte, NC, 1892-1902. (Queen City Printing & Paper Co., Charlotte, N.C.).

United States Census (1900).

Date of Preparation of this Report: January 7, 1981.

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

Telephone: (704) 332-2726

 

 

 

Architectural Description

 

The Gautier-Gilchrist House, built during 1896-97 from a design by Charles C. Hook, is one of the largest residences in Dilworth. The magnificent Colonial Revival style, two and one half story frame house stands five bays wide and three bays deep. The design, which originally had a T shape plan, has withstood a number of alterations over the years; these have substantially changed the orderly nature of the house.

The symmetrical facade has a center recessed entrance on both levels. The main entrance features double doors with sidelights and transom. This recess was enclosed around 1899, when Peter Gilchrist, a chemical engineer from Manchester, England, bought the house from Mrs. Gautier and converted the northwest wing into his offices; the entrance was enclosed to provide a separate entry to his business. Two double hung, 1/1, symmetrically placed windows flank the central entrance on both stories. The gabled slate roof with modillion cornice and inside end chimneys contains two large dormer windows with arched sash. A balustrade originally connected these windows. Old photographs show that a very wide porch with balustrade originally wrapped around the front and sides of the main block on both levels. Slender classical columns on pedestals, which are still extant, supported the second story balcony. The house was reached originally by a semi-circular walk which led to a central staircase with flights located to the sides and a front balustrade.

The right elevation (northwest) features a small, single story addition; located directly behind the side porch, it contains a double hung, 1/1 window and a doorway. Sanborn Insurance maps show that this wing was added at some point between the 1911 and 1929 map issuance; it was used as part of Mr. Gilchrist’s office. The second story of the house’s main block contains two double hung, 1/1 windows, while a Palladian window is set into the gable end of the roof.

The rear elevation (southwest) is comprised of a central projecting block which does not appear to be original to the house but which is shown on the 1911 Sanborn Insurance map. Two double hung, 1/1 windows at one time pierced each story; the lower left window has been converted into an entrance. The gable of the roof contains a small Palladian window, and the cornice bears dentil work which runs around the main block of the rear elevation. Interior end chimneys rise from the main block. A small, single story addition with louver windows was added to the left of the central projecting block, perhaps during the early 1950s.

The first story porch was enclosed on the left elevation (south-east side) before the 1929 Sanborn Insurance map inventory was taken; it is now pierced by a four-part window. The second story features a later, enclosed sleeping porch. The attic story, in order to maintain the original symmetrical nature of the design, contains a Palladian window in the gable.

The Colonial Revival style used for the exterior design was not employed for the interior. Instead, the house is thoroughly Victorian and features a circular, flowing arrangement of space, darkly stained woods, and symmetrically molded door and window trim with corner blocks found throughout the house. The unusually large front entrance hall is highlighted by a three bay arcade of stained pine which is supported by classical columns and wall pilasters on paneled pedestals. A wide, classical staircase with finialed newel posts rise behind the arcade along the rear wall in two flights with a landing.

The function of a number of the remaining rooms on the first floor (ceiling height 11 feet) was changed when the Gilchrist family purchased the house. The northwest, front parlor and the kitchen area behind it were converted into Mr. Gilchrist’s offices. The kitchen was then moved to the central rear section of the house, with the dining room located in the southeast rear room. The latter two areas are now two small apartments.

The most refined and relatively unaltered room is the northwest parlor which features a neo-classical mantel and overmantel with oval mirror, both of unpainted curly maple. Decoration includes carved rosettes, swags, and fluted columns which support shelves. The room’s molded door and window surrounds are also of curly maple. A brass picture cornice surrounds the room, while an original brass combination gas and electric chandelier, which retains most of the frosted glass globes, is suspended from the center of the ceiling.

The second floor (ceiling height 10 feet) has five large rooms which are reached from a spacious center hall. Four of these bedrooms contain fireplaces with classical mantels. An enclosed sleeping porch joins the southeast rear bedroom. The northwest rear room was probably used originally as the servant’s quarters. This floor is also distinguished by a number of large closets and storage areas, many with beautiful built-in shelves and drawers.

Sanborn Insurance maps show that there were two outlying structures located at the rear of the property. The large, one and one half story frame building with two double doors, located on the south corner of the lot, is still extant. Once a stable, it was later converted into a garage.

THE GARIBALDI & BRUNS BUILDING

This report was written on June 5, 1985

Name and location of the property: The property known as the Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building is located at 104-106 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

2. Name, address and telephone number of the present owner of the property:
City of Charlotte
600 East Trade Street
Charlotte, N.C., 28202

Telephone: 704/336-2241

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 Deed Book 4578, Page 001. The Tax Parcel Number of the property is 073-011-12.

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 by Mr. Thomas W. Hanchett.

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 Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building does possess special significance in terms of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Commission bases its judgment on the following considerations: 1) the Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building, incorporating elements of Granite Row, an 1850-51 commercial complex in Charlotte and probably the only antebellum commercial structure which survives in Charlotte, draws its principal physical significance from its association with Louis Asbury, an architect of local and regional importance; 2) the 1909 Garibaldi and Bruns facade is the earliest known example of a commercial store front in Charlotte designed by Louis Asbury, who began his practice in 1908; 3) the founders of the company, Joseph Garibaldi, William L. Bruns, and Harry W. Dixon, were important businessmen in Charlotte, and their firm survives in Charlotte as a leading jewelry store; and 4) the Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building is one of the two remaining small-scale business structures on the first block of South Tryon Street and, therefore, is an important link with Charlotte’s commercial history.

b. Integrity of design, setting, workmanship, materials, feeling, and/or association: The Commission contends that the attached architectural description by Mr. Thomas W. Hanchett demonstrates that the property known as the Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building 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.” It should be noted that the Old Garibaldi & Bruns Building comprises only a portion of the overall parcel. The current appraised value of the .204 acres of land is $1,064,760. The current appraised value of the improvements is $105,020. The current appraised value is $1,169,780. The property is presently exempted from the payment of Ad Valorem taxes. The property is zoned I3lUD.

Date of Preparation of this Report: June 5, 1985

Prepared by: Dr. Dan L. Morrill
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission
1225 S. Caldwell St. Box D
Charlotte, N.C. 28203

Telephone: 704/376-9115

 

 

Historical Overview  

Dr. William H. Huffman
May, 1985

The Garibaldi and Bruns building, located just off the Square on South Tryon Street, is a critically important historical asset of the city of Charlotte. Its significance goes beyond the local community to both the state and national levels. The handsome, three-story facade of the building, designed by Charlotte architect Louis Asbury in 1909, covers two storefronts of a five-store row built in 1850-51 known as “Granite Row.” Along with its companion one door to the south, the Thomas Trotter Building (which was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places), these surviving buildings of Granite Row are the only antebellum commercial structures remaining in the city, and some of the few left in the State of North Carolina. They are also the only small-scale retail buildings still standing on the first block of South Tryon Street in the heart of the city.

The original development of Granite Row was done in anticipation of the coming of the railroad to Charlotte (service started in 1852), which gave it vital links to the sea through Columbia and Charleston, and direct access to the markets of the Northeast. ¹ The rail connections started the city on the path to grow from a village of just over one thousand in 1850 to the largest city in the Carolinas by 1930. ²

At the beginning of that period, in 1850, a group of Charlotte merchants bought what was known as the “Davidson Corner,” (it had been owned by the family of Thomas Davidson from 1794 to 1842), and divided it into five separate store lots. ³ In place of the wood buildings which were there, they built five storefronts of brick, each having three stories and a common facade of granite or granite-like stone. Thus they identified themselves in their advertisements as being located in numbers 1 through 5 Granite Row, respectively, and retained that name for the next fifty years. ⁴ In addition to its other unique features, Granite Row, or, as they first called it, Granite Range, may have been the first brick commercial buildings built in the city. Construction of the stores began in July, 1850, and they were first occupied in September, 1851, when several merchants advertised in the papers that they had “removed to the Granite Range.” ⁵

When the new stores opened in 1851, Granite Row was occupied as follows: # 1, Brem & Alexander, dry goods; #2, Elias & Cohen, dry goods; #3, John F. Irwin, dry goods; #4, J. Sloan & Co., dry goods; #5, Thomas Trotter, jewelry. ⁶ During the remainder of the century, #3 and #4 Granite Row, the present Garibaldi and Bruns building, was occupied by a succession of different businesses, which included the Southern Express Co., a telegraph office; business offices; a bookstore; and a tailor. ⁷

In 1896, a new jewelry firm, Garibaldi and Bruns, was started by Joseph Garibaldi (1864-1939), William L. Bruns (1876-1937), and Harry W. Dixon (1872-1916). The oldest member of the three, Joseph (“Uncle Joe”) Garibaldi, was widely known as a business and civic leader of the community. Born in Mecklenburg County,0 the son of natives of Italy, John and Louise Garibaldi, he was also a descendent of Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian patriot known as the liberator of Italy. The Belmont area was developed by his grandfather, and the rail stop there was originally known as Garibaldi Station. Beginning his career as an apprentice in the jewelry store of P. Lasne on West Trade Street opposite the First Presbyterian Church at the age of twelve, he worked for several different jewelry concerns until 1896, when he formed his partnership with Bruns. His civic service included being mayor pro tem of the city council, and being twice elected to the State Legislature. ⁸

William L. Bruns was a Columbia, S.C. native who came to Charlotte as a young man and trained in the jewelry business before going in partnership with Garibaldi in 1896. When the new business was formed, the two founders took on a young man of twenty-four, Harry W. Dixon, as bookkeeper. Born in the Hopewell area of Mecklenburg County, Dixon was educated at the old Alexandriana School there, following which he trained in the jewelry business with several Charlotte firms. In 1901, he was made a full partner, and, until his untimely death in 1916, the name of the company was changed to Garibaldi, Bruns and Dixon. ⁹

When Garibaldi and Bruns was formed in 1896, they leased #5 Granite Row, where Thomas Trotter, a noted North Carolina silversmith and jeweler, had his business from 1851 to 1865. ¹⁰ Good fortune was on the side of any well-run business started during those years, for Charlotte experienced sustained rapid growth from the 1880s to the end of the 1920s based on its being a hub of New South industrialization in the Piedmont Carolinas. Thus in 1904, the prospering Garibaldi and Bruns, as individuals, bought the building at #3 Granite Row. Five years later, in 1909, they also bought #4 Granite Row, and planned for a new facade to cover both buildings. ¹¹ To design their new stores, they hired Louis Asbury (1877- 1975), the city’s first professionally-trained architect, in December, 1909. ¹² Asbury was a Charlotte native who used to help his father build houses in the city as a youth in the 1890s. The son of S.J. and Martha Moody Asbury, he attended Trinity College (now Duke University), and completed his architecture studies at MIT. After gaining practical experience with some architectural firms in New York City, Asbury returned to Charlotte in 1908 to begin his nearly fifty-year career in the city. Among the outstanding designs of the over one thousand in the area from his studio are the old County Courthouse (1926), the C.P. Moody house on Providence Road (1913), Myers Park Methodist Church (1928), the Law Building (1926), and the Hawthorne Lane Methodist Church (1915). ¹³

Garibaldi and Bruns opened their newly remodeled building about 1910, and were soon flanked by two other new Louis Asbury facades: the Southern Real Estate, Loan and Trust Co. to the north (1913), and the Thomas Trotter building to the south (1911). ¹⁴ Over the next seven decades, many businesses came and went around them, but the familiar jewelry store remained in the same location until 1977. About 1934, Joe Garibaldi retired from the business, and was succeeded by his son, Joe, Jr. A year later, the partners sold their interest in the real estate to James Parks Grey (1860-1942), a wealthy hosiery manufacturer and benefactor of Davidson College, from whose heirs the City of Charlotte acquired the property in 1981 for a park site. ¹⁵ Not only is the Garibaldi and Bruns building important because of its uniqueness as one of the last remaining antebellum commercial buildings in the state, it is also distinguished by being one of the two remaining small-scale business structures on the first block of South Tryon Street; by its association with a longtime Charlotte business; and by its facade, which was designed by one of Charlotte’s best pioneer architects. This building is a significant link with Charlotte’s past, and it would serve it well if it were carried into the future.

 

 

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NOTES

¹ Le Gette Blythe and Charles Brockman, Hornet’s Nest: The Story of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (Charlotte: Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, 1961), pp. 259-261.

² William H. Huffman, “Charlotte, N.C.; From Cotton to Commerce,” Charlotte Mecklenburg Historic Properties Commission,1984.

³ Unrecorded deed dated 6 July 1850; Deed Book 3, pp. 243-245, 11 Dec. 1850.

⁴ Cf. note 11.

⁵ The Charlotte Journal. July 31, 1850, p.2; Ibid., Oct 8, 1851, p. 2.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Sanborn Insurance Maps, 1885, p. 5, and 1900, p. 10; Beer’s Map of Charlotte, 1877.

⁸ Charlotte Observer. Dec. 29, 1939, p. 1; Ibid., Feb. 13, 1916, p. 4.

⁹ Charlotte News. Sept. 29, 1916, p. 1.

¹⁰ William H. Huffman, “A Historical Sketch of the Thomas Trotter Building,” 1984.

¹¹ Deed Book 190, p. 307,22 Sept. 1904; Ibid., Book 248, p. 128, 21 June 1909.

¹² Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Louis Asbury Papers. Architectural Job List, #37, 10 Dec. 1909.

¹³ Ibid.

¹⁴ Ibid.

¹⁵ See note 8; Deed Book 871, pp. 191 and 192,20 Sept. 1935.

 

 

Architectural Description  

Thomas W. Hanchett

The Garibaldi & Bruns Building is a handsome three-story commercial building adjacent to the Square at the heart of downtown Charlotte. The side and rear walls of the structure contain portions of an 1850-51 building known as Granite Row. These remnants are of minor importance, for they consist only of brick wall segments: all original window openings, cornice trim, and parapets are gone. The appearance of the building in 1985 dates largely from a 1909 remodeling by Louis Asbury, the city’s first professionally-trained architect and a designer of regional significance in the Carolinas. Above the first-story level, both the interior and front facade of the building remain very much as Asbury designed them.

The opening of Granite Row about 1851 marked the beginning of Charlotte’s transformation from a back-country farm town to a railroad center. The Row looked down the hill toward the East Trade Street station of the Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad, western North Carolina’s first rail line when it began operation a few months later. The Row was actually five matching three-story brick loft structures. Between each unit was a shared brick wall that extended above the roof-line to form a stepped parapet. Gable roofs, molded brick cornices, and granite shop fronts gave the Row a Greek Revival architectural flavor calculated to impress visitors as they walked up to the Square from the train.

By the end of the century Charlotte was in the midst of another transformation, from railroad town to textile manufacturing center. Owners of the five buildings in the Row gave their structures elaborate new Victorian facades to keep up with the times. Around 1909 several of the buildings were remodeled again, this time in the Neoclassical style. Prosperity continued, and by 1985 units one and two had been demolished for a planned park, and unit five was hidden by a smooth stucco covering. Numbers three and four Granite Row still retained their handsome 1909 Neoclassical facades, created by Louis Asbury for the posh Garibaldi & Bruns jewelry firm.

Asbury did such a thorough remodeling of the two Granite Row-units that neither a passerby on Tryon Street nor even a visitor inside the building would guess it incorporated earlier work. The architect removed the entire front wall of the two units. He also seems to have removed most of the brick wall between them and replaced it with metal columns to support the floor joists. He gave the combined structure a unified three-bay front and a hidden sloping roof in place of its old gables. Only on the rear wall and in the basement could one see evidence of the original 1850s brickwork. Asbury set new metal window units inside the arched rear openings that had been created during the Victorian remodeling, and he added new brickwork in place of the old cornice above the window-line, but here and there one could still see patches of early age-darkened brick. More of the soft old brick remained visible in the basement.

Asbury’s 1909 facade is a simple but elegant application of Neoclassical motifs then popular in commercial and institutional architecture. The front is constructed of beige brick with large window areas and trim of wood and stamped sheet metal. Along the top is a brick parapet, above a stamped-metal cornice with modillions and dentil work. Asbury carefully chose his cornice line to relate to the adjacent Southern Real Estate Building and Thomas Trotter Building, both Granite Row structures which he had remodeled. These remodelings have vanished, but the cornice continues to relate to the carved stone belt cornice of One Tryon Center, a Neoclassical bank skyscraper designed later by Asbury and erected in 1926.

Below the Garibaldi & Bruns cornice is a wide band of brick with metal letters reading “GARIBALDI – AND – BRUNS,” set off by a band of molding. Beneath this are the three arched window openings. Each is a full two stories high and surrounded by a corbeled brick course. Stone-like trim blocks act as springers for each segmental arch, and each has its own keystone. Inside each arched opening, a tripartite stamped metal panel separates the second-story windows from the third-story ones. These window-units are again divided into threes: a central fixed pane flanked by a pair of double-hung sash.

Asbury’s original first-floor shop front consisted of a small cornice above a wide prism-glass transom, with marble-and-metal-trimmed plate glass show windows below. By early 1985 all traces of this early design had been replaced by later remodelings that divided the shop-front into two separate stores.

Early photos show that Asbury’s store interior for Garibaldi & Bruns was simply detailed. Plain round columns marched down the center of the space. There was little architectural trim beyond a stamped metal ceiling. Today the space is cut into two, and the columns are hidden. Part of the badly-damaged 1909 ceiling is visible above a later tile ceiling in no. 104.

Upper floors of the building are reached by a pair of narrow stairways located in a small two-story brick addition thrown up across the back of the structure. Originally, upper levels were reached by stairways that opened onto Tryon Street, and it is not clear whether the present arrangement is Asbury’s or part of a later renovation. The second and third floors are finished with a thoroughness that reflects both Asbury’s professionalism and Garibaldi & Bruns ability to pay. All spaces have molded mop boards, and stairs have square balusters with newel posts and heavy molded handrails. Asbury and his clients did not succumb to the era’s tendency to skimp on upper-floor trim.

The no. 104 half of the second story is divided into a corridor and three offices by means of wooden partitions. These date from early in this century, and are constructed of beaded tongue-and-groove boarding and rippled-glass windows. This area was used most recently as Garibaldi & Bruns jewelry repair area and there is a large free-standing jewelers’ bench that appears to be many decades old. The no. 106 half of the second story is almost entirely open. A short section of plaster wall divides the main area from the rear stair corridor, and there is a small rear bathroom inside a beaded tongue-and-groove partition. A wide, open stair rises from near the front of the space along the south wall to the third floor. The third floor is not divided into two halves, but instead is a large open space punctuated only by a row of columns, and by a pair of plaster walled bathrooms at the south rear corner that almost certainly date from Asbury’s 1909 remodeling. Except for the boarding-up of the huge front windows, these second and third floor spaces remain as handsome as when they were created early in this century.

The basement of the Garibaldi & Bruns Building still features the brick center, side, and rear walls of Granite Row. Coal chutes from Tryon Street have recently been filled with cinder block. Portions of the early dirt floor remain, but most of the basement has been excavated an additional foot or so and concreted. Wooden barrels and packing cases in which Garibaldi & Bruns received silver pieces from far- away suppliers may still be seen.