For the Residential Rehabilitation of the George Upchurch House, 1024 Waldo Rood Boulevard, Cary
The c. 1890 George Upchurch House is the older of two houses built by brothers in the late nineteenth century in rural southwest Wake County, an area historically referred to as Upchurch. The house features a triple-A roof, exterior rear brick chimneys and Victorian details including a wraparound porch, fishscale shingles in the gables, and an original front door with rounded glazed panels. Interior details include heart pine flooring, chevron patterned beadboard throughout, original mantels and windows, and a historic floorplan that has had little modification.
In June 2013, Capital Area Preservation, Inc., with the assistance of a short-term loan from the Town of Cary, relocated the George Upchurch House to 1024 Waldo Rood Boulevard from its original site across the street and placed it on a new foundation. The move became necessary when a developer purchased the original tract for a townhome development. In order to preserve the house, which had been vacant for years, the developer donated the house and a tract across the road from the original site to Capital Area Preservation, Inc. CAP stabilized the house on the new site, repairing damaged floors and removing vinyl siding to expose the architectural detailing. In August 2015, CAP, Inc., sold the house to Kent and Whitney McLeod with a preservation easement and rehabilitation agreement attached to the deed.
Fast forward one year later and the results are nothing short of astounding!. Both the interior and exterior have experienced a transformation that has passersby slowing down to marvel at this restored jewel. Working within the protections provided by the preservation easement with CAP, the back addition was expanded vertically to accommodate a large master bedroom, all while keeping the original pitch of the gable intact. Exposed beams display the location of some of the original walls that were expanded, opening up the house for livability. The heart pine floors were refinished and the fireplaces repaired, including the removal of a 1950s brick mantle and replacing it with the original which had been found in the barn behind the house before it was relocated. Sheetrock covering walls was removed to expose the unique chevron beadboard throughout the house. The windows were reglazed, the damaged pressed tin roof was replaced with architectural shingles and the corbelled chimney caps were repaired. The aluminum columns were replaced with reproduction wood columns based on an original column found in the barn. Even the original fixtures left in the house were refurbished and reused.
The George Upchurch House stands today as a testimony to the success of historic preservation as an economic development strategy and as a model for similar partner projects in Cary as well as across all of Wake County. The story of the house, from its endangerment in the path of development to its relocation and stabilization, to its meticulous restoration at the hands of its new owners, is one giant success story, years in the making, for historic preservation.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2016 Anthemion Award to Kent & Whitney McLeod; David Price Construction, LLC; Thorne Cope Interior Design for the Residential Rehabilitation of the George Upchurch House, 1024 Waldo Rood Boulevard, Cary.