Historic mansions and other big houses tend to draw out-sized attention, overshadowing smaller but still remarkable bungalows and cottages. Here are 12 smaller, and sometimes even affordable, historic homes sold in the Piedmont Triad this year.
Their histories are often less well documented than the typical historic mansion; so, too, are the lives of their owners. But they are long on charm and elegant design. Details on each house are below; click on the address links for more information.
315 Brewer Street, Star, Montgomery County, 1892
- Sold for $145,000 on January 18, 2023 (originally $155,000, later $210,000)
- 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,592 square feet
- Price/square foot: $56
“Potential” comes to mind when looking at this little Queen Anne with a wrap-around porch and swooping front gable. All the neighbors must be eager to see it painted.
1129 N.C. Highway 65, Wentworth, Rockingham County
Blog post — 4 Historic Former Neighborhood Stores For Sale as Homes or Outbuildings
- Sold for $130,900 on May 12, 2023 (originally $189,900)
- Two houses and an old store building, 4 acres total
- The Robert G. Mitchell Store — county tax card: 1900, 720 square feet, no heat, no electrical, construction grade F, unsound
- The Robert G. Mitchell house — county tax card: 1907, bedrooms and bathrooms not listed, 1,216 square feet, no heat, no electrical, construction grade F, unsound condition
- The Dewey Adams House, 1935: 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1,164 square feet
- Price/square foot: $42
The property is in Wentworth but has a Reidsville mailing address. The owners most likely were Robert Gibbons Mitchell (1870-1954) and Jannie Stanford Mitchell (1888-1946). Robert was a merchant and lifelong resident of Wentworth.
803 W. Academy Street, Winston-Salem, 1910
- Sold for $285,000 on September 8, 2023 (listed at $260,000)
- 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,317 square feet, 0.11 acre
- Price/square foot: $216
- Neighborhood: West Salem Historic District (NR)
District NR nomination: Queen Anne cottages “with high hip roofs and front-gable projections, illustrate the complexity that a modestly-sized house could obtain. The house at 803 Academy Street (c.1910) is a good example and features a high, hip roof, weatherboard siding, a hip-roof dormer, Tuscan porch columns, and a trefoil-motif attic vent.”
Originally a rental property, Maude Hoffman bought the house in 1920. Her husband, Roy Basil Hoffman, was co-owner of Hoffman Brothers auto repair shop, but her name alone was on the deed. They were listed at the address until 1926.
800 Walker Avenue, Greensboro
The Roach-Slayton House, 1914
- Sold for $478,000 on November 30, 2023 (originally $525,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, 2,130 square feet, acre
- Price/square foot: $224
- Neighborhood: College Hill Historic District (local and NR)
Contrary to what both the listing and the NR nomination say, this is not the only stone house in College Hill. But it’s one of only two. Listing: “Detached stone carriage house … with a full bath and space that can be used for an office, art or fitness studio or guest suite (there is a deed restriction allowing only use as a single family home).”
District NR nomination: “[T]he choice of granite for this bungalow and its garage and retaining wall is not surprising. [William M.] Roach, for whom it was built about 1914, was president of the Rowe and Roach wholesale granite company.”
1014 N. Rotary Drive, High Point
The James and Leo Kidd House, 1928
- Sold for $332,500 on November 2, 2023 (listed at $325,000)
- 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,042 square feet, 0.17 acre
- Price/square foot: $163
For a smaller house, the front of this Tudor Revival sure has a lot going on. After having a variety of residents and a foreclosure in the 1930s, the house was bought in 1940 by James Arthur Kidd (1909-1962) and Amelia Leo Dardine Kidd (1910-2006), who owned it for 46 years. James was a salesman and a member of the American Association of Textile Colorists. He died of a heart attack at age 52. Leo sold the house 24 years later in 1986.
164 N. Jones Street, Denton, Davidson County, 1930
- Sold for $175,000 on June 14, 2023 (originally $275,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, 2,473 square feet, 0.39 acre
- Price/square foot: $71
The unusual exterior is blue slate. The property includes a 1-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath “carriage house.”
221 Spring Street, Thomasville, Davidson County
The Ethel and Carson Cox House, 1932
Blog post — A Memorable 1932 Tudor Cottage in Thomasville, $259,000
- Sold for $247,500 on May 24, 2023 (listed at $259,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,290 square feet, 0.29 acre
- Price/square foot: $108
- Neighborhood: Colonial Drive School Historic District (local)
Ethel Elizabeth McCormick Cox (1891-1973) bought the property in 1920, and it remained in the Cox family for 99 years. Although she had married Carson Clay Cox Sr. (1893-1948) by the time she bought it, her name alone was on the deed. By 1933 they had built the house and were living there.
Carson was a coffee roaster and later vice president and general manager of the Lexington Grocery Company. He served on the Thomasville school board and during World War II on the local draft board and ration boards.
800 Brent Street, Winston-Salem
The Carl and Pauline Charles House, 1938
- Sold for $381,000 on July 20, 2023 (listed at $398,900)
- 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,097 square feet, 0.22 acre
- Price/square foot: $182
- Neighborhood: Ardmore Historic District (NR)
District NR nomination: “Period Cottage. One and a half story; side gable; front-gable projection; brick; front-gable entry pavilion; six-over-six, double-hung sash; stuccoed gable ends; recessed entry with arched opening; arcaded, engaged side porch; facade chimney with decorative brickwork.”
The original residents were Carl Teague Charles (1898-1975), Pauline Hyatt Charles (1904-1998) and their son, Carlyle Hyatt Charles (1927-2022). Charles was a postal clerk. Carlyle grew up to become a colonel in the U.S. Army and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
626 Knollwood Street, Winston-Salem
The Long-Robbins House, 1940
Blog post — An Eye-Catching 1940 Cottage in Winston-Salem’s Ardmore Historic District, $250,000
- Sold for $260,000 on July 27, 2023 (listed at $250,000)
- 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1,426 square feet, 0.21 acre
- Price/square foot: $182
- Neighborhood: Ardmore Historic District (NR)
District NR nomination: “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 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.
812 Ferndale Boulevard, High Point
The Robert and Helen Armfield House, 1948
- Sold for $320,000 on May 23, 2023 (listed at $300,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,380 square feet, 0.29 acre
- Price/square foot: $134
The house is across the street from High Point Central High School. The street was called Jones Street when the house was built. The house number has always been 812.
It had only two owners in its first 59 years. The original owners were Robert David Armfield (1905-1963) and Helen Allred Armfield (1910-1993). Robert was a printer for the Greensboro Daily News. Helen sold the house in 1964 to James Herbert Blair (1925-2009) and Helen Marie Bayne Blair (1926-1973). James was a Navy veteran of World War II. He was co-owner of Green House Fabrics. Herbert and his second wife, Edith Lucille Calloway Blair (1932-2017), sold the house in in 2007.
4814 Old Walkertown Road, Winston-Salem
The Moser House, 1949
- Sold for $223,500 on July 13, 2023 (listed at $220,000)
- 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms, 1,285 square feet, 0.21 acre
- Price/square foot: $174
The sun and moon built into the chimney are especially novel. Charlie Ray Moser (1901-1959) bought the property in December 1945. The deed was put into the name of his wife, Nellie Brooks Moser (1902-1992), in 1947. She gave the house to William Kent Moser (1963-2011), one of their grandchildren, in 1988. His heirs sold it in 2011.
1024 Savannah Lane, Hamptonville, Yadkin County, 1994
- Sold for $190,000 on February 2, 2023 (originally $215,000)
- 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,352 square feet, 0.62 acre
- Price/square foot: $141
- Built in 1994
It’s a hexagonal house built into an embankment. The house was sold in 2019 for $18,000.
Piedmont Historic Homes 