HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC meeting summary 08242022 Corrected
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Orange County
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Approved Meeting Summary
August 24th, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Bonnie Davis Center, 1020 US 70 West, Hillsborough
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MEMBERS PRESENT: Tom Loter, Cecelia Moore, Paul Noe, Steve Peck,
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Peter Sandbeck GUESTS: Todd Dickinson, Art Menius
ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:35 pm.
ITEM #2: CHANGES OR AD DITIONS TO AGENDA: Dickinson asked for some time to highlight the
two fine recent Ribbons of Color editions of the Eno River Association Journal.
ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES for June 22, 2022 (Attachment 1): Moore moved to approve
the minutes; seconded by Noe; motion approved.
ITEM #4: TEMS FOR DECISION:
a. Troy and Roberta Andrews House National Register Nomination: Staff provided an
overview of the historical and architectural significance of this unique modernist house,
which the HPC first evaluated as a possible local landmark candidate back in 2018, when
it passed that test with flying colors. Discussion followed about the restriction on our ability
to designate a local landmark within the special zoning district around Carrboro, as
landmarking is essentially a form of zoning ordinance. However there is no restriction on
our ability to undertake a National Register project. Most of the land of the Andrews family
farm was placed in a conservation easement a few years ago so the larger 60+ acre
parcel is protected. This house sits on a small lot surveyed out of that larger farm, which
also includes a farmhouse dating from 1890 and updated in the 1920s, and an important
log house that probably dates to the first quarter of the 19th century. The site is dramatic
and rocky, hence the house is built of the local rocks that were gathered up and laid up by
two Black stonemasons from Carrboro. The house was designed by a student of Frank
Lloyd Wright’s. Members remarked on the special Modernist and Wrightian architectural
qualities of the house and its setting. Noe moved to direct staff to proceed with the
National Register nomination process, seconded by Moore; motion passed.
b. Dickerson Chapel AME Church: Staff included in the agenda to allow the HPC to make
and approve a motion to officially support Dickerson Chapel’s proposed application for a
grant from the National Trust’s new Preserving Black Churches Grant Program. Members
viewed a brief PowerPoint presentation on the architectural and historical significance of
this structure, which was built in 1790 as the third Orange County Courthouse, then later
moved up Churton St. in 1846 after the present courthouse was built, to its present site
where it served as the town’s first Baptist Church. It was then sold in 1862 to George
Bishop of New Bern who moved up to Hillsborough as one of the refugees from the Union
Occupation of the coastal plain. He ran a woodworking shop there, then sold it in 1866 to
the Quakers who opened a Freedman’s School there, at the same time the Rev. Job
Berry founded the first AME congregation in the area and later the Rev Billy Payne
preached here. You can see the original hewn oak and pine 1790 framing members under
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the building and in the attic. It was remodeled in the 1890s, with the addition of the Gothic
Revival windows and the steeple. The brick veneer was added in 1947. Peck noted that it
is arguably the most historic building in Hillsborough. While it was a courthouse, it also
served as the town’s primary meeting house for all denominations following the demise of
the 18th century Anglican Church. Peck moved that the HPC support their grant
application, seconded by Moore; motion passed.
ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS
a. Field trips to the Ridge Road School and theTroy and Roberta Andrews House:
Staff proposed working on scheduling a field trip to both these resources in the coming
months, depending on the schedules of the owners.
b. Preservation NC Annual Meeting in Winston-Salem: Members are invited to attend all
or portions of this year’s conference, which is the first in-person on since before covid.
There is money in the HPC budget to help pay for registration. Staff asked that members
let him know if they wish to attend and he’ll make the arrangements for you. It was noted
that Noe attended the regional CLG training session in Alamance County, which helped
us meet our training goals for the year.
c. Membership: Staff has been discussing HPC membership with several qualified
candidates and has some positive leads. We still need to enlist a new member this fall.
ITEM #6: UPDATES AND INFORMATION ITEMS
a. Blackwood Farmhouse Restoration Project: Work has now begun on the long-awaited
project to restore the exterior of the farmhouse, including restoration of the wood windows
and siding, as well as the repointing and repair to the very significant stone chimneys. Jeff
Bergman, a preservation craftsman from Durham (who actually trained under our very
own Todd Dickinson, is doing the carpentry work, with our local skilled mason Wayne
Thompson handling the chimney restoration. Our goal is to complete the exterior by the
end of the year, then start work on the interior to return it to its 1920s appearance.
b. Ridge Road School National Register Nomination Schedule: We are in the process of
generating a contract for the consultant for the project, Heather Fearnbach, who did the
NR nominations for the NC Industrial Home for Colored Girls and the Schley Grange.
c. Book Project: Our author, Laura Phillips, has finished editing her initial drafts of the
architectural and historical essays, using input from Catherine Bishir. She is now working
on editing all the property entries following Bishir’s advice; she has been submitting these
to staff in batches and has finished the county entries. She expects to complete the
Hillsborough entries by the end of September. Once that work is finished, staff will have to
read over the entries and make some final edits before submitting to our book designers
who are already under contract, being paid by the Alliance. The essay chapters will be
available for HPC members to read and edit; several members indicated interest.
d. Open air time: Noe reported on the CLG training workshop. One topic was the nature of
protection afforded to a property by listing on the National Register. He also learned that
local preservation commissions have the ability to petition the Dept. of Cultural Resources
to make a determination of statewide significance, which does provide complete
protection; this process was used to help protect the Colonial Inn for example. The
session included some explanation of the CLG membership requirements. Staff invited
members to register for the planned brickwork workshop proposed for Oct. 15th. Peck
mentioned the wonderful video recently done by PNC about the Bellamy Slave Quarters.
Noe mentioned the state’s new story map program, which might help us with our marker
program. He offered to pull something together to show at a future meeting.
ITEM #7: ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm.
Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck, DEAPR staff