For the Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Bailey-Gallant House 507 North Blount Street, Raleigh
When the Legacy Construction Group, Inc. acquired the one-story Queen Anne style Bailey-Gallant House in June 2009, it had been vacant for about three years after the State of North Carolina sold the property to the Blount Street Commons developer and in use for twenty-five years before that as a State office. The house had undergone several additions over the years since its construction around 1898 by Raleigh postmaster Christopher T. Bailey, but still retained many original interior and exterior details and features. With the completion of the project in December 2009, the Bailey-Gallant House became the first rehabilitated structure in the Blount Street Commons redevelopment area.
Legacy’s goal was to rehabilitate the house for use as its primary office while respecting historic integrity of the building. Throughout the project Legacy worked closely with interior designer Laura Myers. Ms. Myers was instrumental in the choosing of paint colors, tile, and wood flooring finish, electrical and plumbing fixtures, wallpaper, cabinets, countertops, and many other aspects of finish selection.
During the rehabilitation of the Bailey-Gallant House, beautiful heart pine flooring was revealed as aged carpet was removed. Legacy performed limited patching of the floors with reclaimed pine wood and installed a clear sealer to accent the wood’s natural beauty. Throughout the home, all of the original windows have been retained and made operational. All trim repair and replacement performed inside the house was matched to the original trim. The existing bathroom tile was also retained and repaired in kind where necessary. To ensure the integrity of the house’s layout, no new walls were added or removed. Additionally, a soapstone countertop was installed that matches the existing soapstone in the mantel of one of the fireplaces, the parlor mantel was removed from the house, dipped and stained, and the tile fireplace surrounds were restored where they had been pieced together over the years. Although the basement was previously a garage and photo lab, it is now fully finished and acts as a meeting room with a full bath and additional room that could serve as storage, office space or a bedroom.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2010 Anthemion Award to Legacy Construction Group, Inc.; and Laura Myers for the Commercial Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Bailey-Gallant House, 507 North Blount Street, Raleigh.