Greensboro Daily Photo

Houses of the Rainbow- Pretty in Purple

Rainbow House week ends with this purple beauty in the Aycock Historic District, just across the Bessemer Avenue Bridge from Fisher Park and just north of downtown. The Aycock neighborhood, a designated historic district,  is listed on the National Register of HIstoric Places. It is named for Charles B. Aycock, the 50th governor of North Carolina. Governor Aycock was Captain Fisher's contemporary. Both in North Carolina at a time Greensboro was growing.

If you like active neighborhood associations and neighbors who are committed to making neighborhoods neighborly, Aycock District is the place for you. On weekends, residents head to the Yanceyville Farmer's Market, hang out in Sternberger Park, and play soccer on the fields of Aycock Middle School. Especially around Cypress and Percy Streets, you can see beautifully painted houses like this one. Lemonade on a wrap-around porch anybody?

We apologize for the drab sky on this recent winter day; however, we're still going to share the photo with Skywatch Friday! Tomorrow, a fun hobby; Sunday... First Presbyterian Church. Stop back!

 

Houses of the Rainbow- Robin's Egg Blue

Fisher Park is featured on GDP again. There are just so many beautiful houses there and, after all, it was "Greensboro's first planned suburb park." In 1902, real estate investor Captain Basil John Fisher deeded 28 acres to the City of Greensboro (14 east and 14 west of Elm Street). Were he alive today, Captain Fisher would be pleased to see the neighborhood named for him. As we've seen this week, houses in Fisher Park are well maintained and have great character. This robin's egg blue house is found on South Park Drive overlooking the actual neighborhood park. Greensboro's Historical Museum has archived digitally many papers relevant to the interesting and generous Captain Fisher-- find the link here. 

On another note, some of you may know that Greensboro Daily Photo is one of over 1,000 City Daily Photo sites. Eric Tenin began this movement with his Paris Daily Photo five years ago. He is known for his interesting perspective when taking photos. This orientation is not as drastic as Eric's but we did take a side/low angle shot. Eric has not missed a day of posting on his blog in 5 years!   Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Houses of the Rainbow- Lemon Yellow

This lemon yellow house on East Hendrix St. is about the yellowest house we've found in Greensboro. Many homes are a soft buttery yellow, but lemondrop is yellow with attitude. The house, located in Fisher Park near Church Street, is characteristic of the bungalow style homes in the neighborhood. Extending deep into the lot, the house is larger than it appears at street level. Hopefully, the people who live here are as sunny on the inside as their house is on the outside! Its colonial revival neighbor, one street over, is the top most-viewed house in our archives. See it here. In recent years, Fisher Park has added a nice touch to houses in their neighborhood. Above the street sign is an additional sign that says "Fisher Park."

Finally, for the ABC Wednesday crowd, as serendipity would have it, "H" is for HOUSE!

 

Houses of the Rainbow- Red

Red brick houses are common in the south; however, wooden houses painted cherry tomato red are harder to come by. Here we see a fine example of a red wooden house at the corner of Simpson and Victoria Streets in Historic Fisher Park (established 1902). The façade above is on Simpson Street. On Victoria Street, to the right, is a lower-level apartment, likely a converted garage. In Greensboro, older neighborhoods usually have houses with attractively painted exteriors to complement the architecture. Unlike the wedding-mint palate of the beach resorts, Greensboro's painted beauties are often bold, unpredictable colors. As we will learn later in the week, sometimes the color comes with controversy. 

In honor of Ruby Tuesday, we're featuring this red house. See another red home in GSO  here. Please stop back to see more of our showcase of homes. Feel free to nominate candidates in our comment bar!

 

Across Market Street

Here are a few houses directly across West Market Street from UNCG's School of Music. The brick wall frames the houses and hides the busy street. We don't know what the owners think of their front-door view being a GIGANTIC music building; however, they don't have far to walk to hear great music. This particular section of Market Street has maintained its charm and these houses are a good example of our town's character. 

Junior League's Antebellum Beauty

The Junior League of Greensboro got its start is the mid-1920's as the inspiration of Kathleen Price (Mrs. Joseph M. Bryan) and nine members of her book club. The organization emphasizes volunteerism, leadership and community service in its members. Here is a photo of their Greensboro Headquarters, located at 3101 West Friendly Avenue. If you are a history buff and love shows like HGTV's "If these walls could talk," you will love the detective work that went into dating the age of this house to the mid-1800's. During renovation, saw marks, square nails, roofline, and other clues lead to the dating of the house to before the Civil War. Read more here.

We LOVE the fact that the Junior League values its history and archives information on their website. The organization is a great example to all of us. From Scarlett O'Hara to Eva Peron, that balcony is just waiting for a strong woman to impart a powerful message.

 

Not in Kansas

Here is a view of a light pole at the corner of Yanceyville and Cypress Streets. On Wednesday, winds of over 50 miles per hour ripped through Greensboro and left a trail of items askew and teetering. We snapped this photo the day after when all was calm, the skies were blue & the air still, but brisk. Owners of the cozy green house above are lucky that the mature tree in their yard did not topple with the relentless, persistent winds. 

Students in nearby Aycock Middle School reported that the historic school, built in 1923, sounded as if the walls were whistling. Floorboards and doors were creaking. Debris was tap, tap, tapping on the schoolhouse windows. Knowing that all are safe, we are happy that students could experience such an interesting weather event. If they ever have a writing prompt that starts with.... "it was a cold and windy winter day"........ they'll be set!

We're posting the scene on  Sky Watch Friday where you can view skies and weather events from Greensboro to Siberia and back!

 

Round House on Walker Ave.

Living in the round gives new meaning to the expression, "I feel like I'm running around in circles." Seriously though, people have been living in round abodes for thousands of years. Those who sell round homes will tell you they are quite durable, wind resistant, and functional and, in many ways, better than traditional, square homes. This one, without many windows, resembles the cloth and felt yurts of the Mongolian steppes.  If there is ever an open-house at this residence at 2416 Walker Avenue, we'll be first in line. We'd love to see how they slice the pie! 

We've featured the round building on Holden here and Greensboro's Lustron homes, here and here. If you have an interesting home in your neighborhood, please let us know. We love to explore the different ways that Greensboro residents live.

 

Little Red Mill House

This little house near Spring Garden and Merritt Drive, likely, was a mill house. Recently, Pamona Cotton Mill, within view of this little red house at 3707 Melvin Place, was torn down after 110 years. For nearly a century, people worked the mill and walked to nearby homes like this one. Back in the day, people gathered on porches and shared stories about working in the mills. Barbara Presnell captures these years in her poem, "Piece Work." We like the snipet Steve Summerford, Assistant Director Greensboro Public Library, shares on a News & Record webpage:

Ten years he's worked that same machine,

and not one time complained........

He gardens on the lot beside his doublewide.

Corn, tomatoes, beans. His wife works nights

at the nursing home, changing diapers, giving baths.

Some days she comes home crying, another one gone,

and another.

-- from "Velma and Bud on First Break at the Mill"

It takes a confident person to paint one's little house red. Do you think maybe Bud surprised Velma and painted it her favorite color...... just because? Bud, Velma, and the mill have moved on. The little red house on Melvin Place remains. 

Here's to sharing with you guys over at Ruby Tuesday.

 

World's Smallest House

Childhood is a time for superlatives. Biggest, tiniest, youngest, oldest, strongest, weakest.....

Every time we drive on North Church Street with children under 7, as we approach this house, we drive really slowly and say, "We're about to pass the world's smallest house. Just look how tiny." Wide-eyed children marvel at how the garbage can on the left is half the height of the house, how the front door reaches the roofline. They are convinced that this really IS the world's smallest house. 

This is a part of Church Street that is changing before our eyes. We don't know how long this house will survive before the property is sold and a franchise is constructed here. For now, we'll continue to delight in this tiny, seemingly unencumbered way of living. 

 

White Christmas (a Week Early)

Merry Christmas from Greensboro, NC. 

We at Greensboro Daily Photo hope you are with family and loved ones today. Greensboro doesn't usually have snow before Christmas, so Christmas 2009 arrived with great fanfare. This house in Lake Jeanette, with the light in the entrance hallway and wreaths on every window, looks quite inviting. Soon after taking the photo, giant snowflakes covered the bushes and silenced the roads. Today, with a cup of hot chocolate and fresh gingerbread cookies, snowflakes are long forgotten and we are watching wrapping paper stack on the floor around us. We love the gifts but are even more grateful for our beautiful city, our family & friends, our faithful readers and above all, this special holiday. A heartfelt embrace from us to you. 

***************************************************************************************************************************

 

Up on the Rooftop

Tonight, Santa won't have any trouble getting up on these rooftops that back up to Horse Pen Creek Road. The weather has been on everyone's mind these days, including ours. In Greensboro, all someone has to do is mention bad weather and we rush to the store to buy bread and mild. However, on this Christmas Eve Day, the weather is cooperating. You should be able to make the most of this one last shopping/travel day. 

If you have a chance over the holidays, introduce your family and friends to Greensboro Daily Photo. If you look at the column on the right, you can peruse our posts over the last several months. 

 

Blue Beauty on Spring Garden

Walking by this blue beauty on Spring Garden Street in the College Hill neighborhood of Greensboro, we could still smell the fresh paint. The house was photographed the day after her facelift was complete. Near the banana tree house, and only a block east of UNCG, this abode with the oh-so-southern wraparound porch is charming, convenient, and spotless. What a setting! Imagine gentleman sitting on the upper balcony, pre-1968,  watching the young women stroll by-- back in the day when UNCG was for women only!

House Formerly Known as Zenke

In August, we brought you the Zenke House in its former location across from Blandwood Mansion in downtown Greensboro. Here we see the same house just a bit north on Cedar Street. Although the new owners don't yet have the structure restored to its original splendor, we can see that it has been given a foundation-- a permanent home-- and appears to have been here for a century. We haven't followed the saga of the other displaced Zenke structures but hope they have an equally happy ending. 

We're sharing this for Monochrome Weekly and will return in color when renovations and landscaping are complete!

Little Log Cabin Near Wendover

If you live in Greensboro, you know that Wendover Avenue is one of the busiest retail corridors in the city. Big box stores and traffic jams abound. Well, about a half a mile off of Wendover, at the corner of Norwalk and Railway Avenues, sits this little log cabin, straight out of a century or two ago. On its small corner lot, the little log cabin looks so tranquil, until you realize that it is surrounded by warehouses, businesses, and traffic jams. We'd love to know the story of this little abode.

We hope you have a chance to get out and explore our town/your town this weekend. If you are local, please let us know where you've been. We're always looking for new places to photograph. Can you believe we're getting close to 300 posts?

House on East Lee Street

We wish we knew more about this house on East Lee Street. At one time, it must have been grand. The arched headers above the windows are quite an interesting architectural detail. The house looks as if it has been around since the 1800's and, at one time, was part of an estate.  As you approach the house, it becomes obvious that it is in need of some tender loving care, even some relocating as it is on the side of busy Lee Street. Finally, were the photo in color, you would see the red bed sheets serving as curtains and that they match the reddish-brown roof. This house is a poster house for "If these walls could talk."  If you know the history of this property, do share. In the meantime, we'll try to find out.

This is our black and white shot to kick off a new week and is our contribution to Alieni's Monochrome Weekly!

David Caldwell Park

David Caldwell Historic Park is located on the grounds of the Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden between Hobbs and Holden Roads. According to the park's website, "(t)he Reverend Dr. David Caldwell (1725-1874) was a Presbyterian minister, a self-trained physician, and an early educator in colonial North Carolina. At this site in 1767, he opened an academy for young men. The academy produced five state governors!" 

The interpretive center, shown above, was dedicated April 20, 2007. The center is dynamic, offering several programs for people of all ages. It is believed that the property may be a wealth of history waiting to be unearthed. If you look to the right, you can see a couple out walking the trails and enjoying the warm, fall day under the sapphire blue sky.

Stucco House on Walker Avenue

The Spanish stucco house featured today is located on Walker Avenue, across from Ebenezer Lutheran Church. Likely, the house is owned or rented by someone affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). This type of architecture is not common to Greensboro; however, it fits with this eclectic neighborhood. In recent years, the façade has been spruced up and this house is a charming casa near campus, just down the street from the little log cabin we featured in January. We're wondering if the chair on the right is a Uhwarrie Chair Company product made in nearby High Point!

This photo is our contribution to the Monochrome Weekly.

Blue Sky over Blandwood Mansion

We started the week with a silhouetted interior photo of Blandwood Mansion and are closing the work week with a view of the façade of this historic Italianate villa. Architect Alexander Jackson Davis designed the prototype for Governor Morehead in 1844 and it was completed two years later, a year after he left office. You may recall our June 4th post of the house on Isabel Street in Greensboro with a similar façade.

If you have not visited Blandwood, please put it on your "to do" list. If you are not local, please follow the above link and visit it virtually. For those of you who are history buffs, do you know how many governors came before Gov. Morehehead and his political affiliation?  (He was the twenty-ninth governor and was a Whig). For those of you who are visiting through the Sky Watch Friday group, we hope you like the way the blue sky and white clouds frame Greensboro's oldest example of Italianate architecture!

Santa of Chapman Street Remembered on July Fourth

If you are a Greensboro local, likely, you visited Santa of Chapman Street at Christmastime. He was on this earth from 1932-2003 bringing happiness to children far and wide. Today, on the Fourth of July, we see his legacy being celebrated by his sons, Roger and Jacky. Happy Fourth of July, Santa.

Across the window on the left is an "it's a girl" banner. Santa, may someone step up to the plate and bring your granddaughter the holiday happiness you brought to other children for so many years. Those of us in Greensboro, drive by 507 Chapman Street and honk for "Grandaddy Santa" as you are en route to Fun Fourth!

Chevy C10 Circa 1980's Vintage on Gracewood Drive

Today, we offer this Circa 1980 Vintage Chevy C10 truck. As Southerners, we have our frugal, thrifty side and we also love our trucks. This particular truck is in the process of being sanded down to be repainted. We're betting the owner wants to get another ten years out of his vehicle.  This truck, spotted (pun intended) on Gracewood Drive, was full of landscaping/yardwork equipment. 

The two-story, split-level house in the background is typical of the homes in this well-groomed neighborhood just off Holden Road and Brian Blvd. We love the photogenic, snakelike patina on the truck, but are not so sure property owners on Gracewood would want it parked (as is) in one of their driveways permanently! 

For Rent All Around Campuses in Greensboro

As mentioned before on Greensboro Daily Photo, our city is blessed with several institutions of higher education. In the time between when universities finish the academic year and after the public schools are out for the summer, several properties are available for rent. With all of the new construction in Greensboro, landlording is not quite as easy as it used to be. Nevertheless, properties like the one shown above, tend to rent quickly when they are located near an IHE. This one is on Walker Avenue, a stone's throw from UNCG and part of the College Hill neighborhood/historic district.

As far as college rental property goes, this apartment has tremendous curb appeal. Fresh paint and new chairs on a cozy, shaded porch. 

Colonial Revival House at 314 Isabel Street

Entry # 118 in the 1976 publication, An Inventory of HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE of Greensboro, N.C., is this house at 314 Isabel Street. In the publication, the property is referred to as the Stanley House with the accompanying text, "Curious Colonial Revival style house with a full 2-story Corinthian portico dwarfing the 1 1/2 story frame structure. Within the center bay of the portico is a stuccoed round arch reminiscent of the architecture of Sir John Soane, famous 19th century British architect."

More recently, in the News and Record, Jim Schlosser published an informative article about the Isabel St. property. As Schlosser recounts, a 2004 fire gutted the 18-room house and owner Paula White returned her home, she has owned since 1979,  to its original splendor-- and then some. White hired Diana Young to research the home's provenance. The family who built the house is not entirely determined; it is attributed to either the Brooks or Carmichael family. Apparently, the correct spelling of the street is not conclusive either as the plaque on the house reads "Isabell" and the Fisher Park street sign reads "Isabel."  Regardless, it is a fine example of historic preservation in Greensboro and the determination of an individual citizen! Kudos to Ms. Young! If the property ever appears again on a tour of historic homes, we will be first in line to admire its beauty!

Teal House on Fernwood Avenue

Painting brick is extremely popular throughout the older neighborhoods of Greensboro. Mostly, brick is painted white or lighter colors. This house caught our eye because it is so close in color to the nearby Lustron home. When the azaleas were in bloom last month and the trees were just starting to green out, this house looked as elegant as a peacock! It is located on Fernwood Avenue, just down the street from Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, in the Kirkwood neighborhood. We love this color but don't know if we have the flair to carry it off as an exterior paint color! 

Faithful readers: Our main computer is in the shop with a possible hard drive problem. Hopefully we can find an alternate way to upload pictures to the blog. In the meantime, we're glad we were a little ahead on posting! Stay tuned and keep reading!!