An Eye-Catching 1940 Cottage in Winston-Salem’s Ardmore Historic District, $250,000

The Long-Robbins House at 626 Knollwood Street in Winston-Salem is an almost-perfect-looking little 1940 cottage. Get rid of that aluminum screen door, and the exterior is about as charming as any you’ll find.

Among listings in the Ardmore Historic District these days, the $250,000 price is a real attention-getter. It reflects the relatively small size, 1,426 square feet. That comes out to $175 per square foot, which puts it in line with other bungalows and cottages for sale in the neighborhood.

The district’s National Register nomination describes it in detail without doing justice to the home’s charm: “Period Cottage. Cross gable (with front gable projecting above ridge of side gable); brick; one story; six-over-six, double-hung sash; gabled entry pavilion; facade chimney; engaged side porch with segmental arch openings; metal awning at entry [now removed]; lattice in front gable peak; half-height, brick walls with curved tops at entry pavilion [also removed]; buttresses at corners of side porch.”

The house isn’t perfect. It has wall-to-wall carpeting, replacement windows, a dated-looking kitchen. A two-car garage and driveway eat up most of the back yard. But the house isn’t in bad shape at all.

The place has had only two owners in 83 years. The address first appears in the city directory in 1941 with Thomas Virgil Long (1903-1975) and Julia Waye Shelton Long (1904-1980) listed as residents. Thomas was a clerk at the City Department of Public Works. He later worked in similar capacities for the city revenue, tax and water departments. They lived in the house until 1960.

In September 1960, the house was bought, for $5,500, by Ernest Hoover Robbins (1929-2011) and Eulala Bradley Robbins (1916-1996). It hasn’t been sold since. Ernest was a welder with the William J. Fishel Steel Shop. Eulala was a stenographer. The house is now being sold by their daughter.