For the Residential Rehabilitation of the Royall-Brasswell-Luddy House, 339 North Main Street, Wake Forest
When Julie Luddy and her father, Robert Luddy purchased the Royall-Brasswell House, Julie described the house as “a diamond that needed to be polished.” The house was built around 1900 by the Royal family, owners of a local cotton mill and later owned by the family of Professor George Brasswell whose family lived there for thirty years. The two-story late-Victorian dwelling is prominently sited on an elevated corner lot 339 N. Main Street in the Wake Forest Historic District.
Prior to the Luddy’s acquisition, the house had been vacant for three years. It remained in good structural condition, and fortunately the extensive later additions and alterations had only obscured the original materials, and not destroyed them. Julie, with help from a professional carpenter began the long process of peeling back the accumulated layers.
For six months the pair removed walls, additions, a rear deck, a gazebo and non-historic finishes on both the interior and exterior. All wood was saved and stored for reuse in later phases of the project. The aluminum siding was removed exposing, for the first time in many years, the home’s weatherboard siding and trim details. Even the massive square porch posts were taken down and special trays built to hold them as they were soaked to remove layer upon layer of old paint. With the grand porch restored, the exterior was painted a tranquil green color with brown trim to set off the architectural details. The striking historic slate shingle roof was retained.
On the interior, four bathrooms were added, and a room converted to a master suite. The kitchen was redone with modern cabinetry, countertops and appliances. The house has been fully updated for modern life yet the character-defining large interior spaces were retained, and the high quality materials and architectural details are now displayed to full effect.
As a result of the rehabilitation, Julie gained not only a home but valuable experience and lifelong carpentry skills. She says the process was “one of my greatest life lessons.” Today, the house is rightfully known as the Royall-Braswell-Luddy House.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2009 Anthemion Award to Julie Luddy and Robert Luddy for the Residential Rehabilitation of the Royall-Brasswell-Luddy House, 339 North Main Street, Wake Forest.