A Memorable 1932 Tudor Cottage in Thomasville, $259,000

The Ethel and Carson Cox House in Thomasville is a real standout among the multitude of historic bungalows and cottages for sale this spring. Its Tudor style and turret with a witch’s hat roof make it a house you don’t forget, a quality long out of fashion.

The address is 221 Spring Street in the Colonial Drive School Historic District. The house has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms in 2,290 square feet. That comes to a modest (by today’s standards) $113 per square foot. The lot is a spacious 0.29 acre.

Ethel Elizabeth McCormick Cox (1891-1973) bought the property in 1920, and it remained in the Cox family for 99 years. She had married Carson Clay Cox Sr. (1893-1948) by then, but her name alone was on the deed. That’s unusual for its time but it’s seen occasionally in old deeds. By 1933 they had built their home and were living there. I’m always curious about how homeowners arrived at such distinctive designs — was it their idea, their architect’s? Even by the standards of 90 years ago, when architectural character and diversity were still highly valued, this one was remarkable, especially on such a modest scale.

Carson was a coffee roaster and later vice president and general manager of the Lexington Grocery Company. His obituary in the Winston-Salem Journal described him as a “civic and business leader.” He served on the Thomasville school board and during World War II on the local draft board and ration board.

Their son, Carson Jr. (1926-2000), and his wife, Pauline Phillips Walker Cox (1930-2017), owned the house after Ethel. Twelve heirs sold the property in 2019.

~~Sadly, there are no interior photos included with the listing.~~

Update: As soon as I posted this, an updated listing appeared with photos. See the second slideshow below. The interior is in very good shape, although the kitchen is a bit unfortunate and at least one of the bathrooms has a couple things you might want to do.

So here’s a selection of the most distinctive historic cottages and bungalows for sale this spring. Most of the owners have accepted offers, usually within just a few days.