Some intriguing houses and past owners this week.
Who knew the connection between Reidsville and one of Britain’s most important writers and theologians of the 20th century? This 1930 house was the boyhood home of Walter Hooper (1931-2020). “All of us who know and love the writings of C.S. Lewis owe a great debt to another figure, highly regarded in the field of Lewis scholarship but less well known to the wider world of readers: Walter Hooper. Over the course of six decades, Hooper served as literary advisor to Lewis’ estate, dedicating his life to editing, preserving, and sharing the work of C.S. Lewis.” There’s an appropriate Lewis quote painted on a kitchen wall.
Walter and other family members sold the house in 2015. Among the signers of the deed was the noted animal activist Mary Hooper Gold (Walter’s niece, I’m guessing). Mary was a key figure in revitalizing the Humane Society of Guilford County around 2000 and establishing the area’s first low-cost spay-neuter clinic, which is still going strong today (now the Humane Society of the Piedmont).
Remarkable in its own way: A 1935 Cape Cod in Greensboro’s Irving Park that has had only two owners. The sellers accepted an offer after four days.
As previously noted, a 1915 house in Greensboro was relisted this week after getting a bit of a makeover.
Synchronicity: This week’s new listings include a 1930 house in Winston-Salem owned by a prominent Prohibitionist and a former bar in Mount Airy.
Sale of the week: I love this 1940 house in Elkin, which sold for an impressive $510,000, $21,000 above its asking price. The oversized front gable is strikingly creative and distinctive, two qualities highly valued back then.
Money Grab of the Week: This 1940 Cape Cod in Winston-Salem was bought in March for $325,000, quickly flipped and listed this week for $789,900. And they didn’t even restore the windows, putting in cheap replacements (smh, right?). County records show 2,341 square feet, which comes out to a staggering $337 per square foot. On a price per square foot basis, this is the most expensive historic house now for sale in Winston-Salem.
Piedmont Historic Homes 
