The 4,500-square-foot Georgian Revival brick house located at 821 Wake Forest Road was originally owned by William Grimes Haywood, head chemist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and a prominent Raleigh citizen of the early twentieth century. The house was designed by James Salter and features Doric columns, a grand entrance foyer, and French doors throughout. Located within the boundary of the Mordecai Place National Register Historic District, the building has seen use as both a private residence and a commercial business.
In May 2018, Loden Properties purchased the building and immediately began a full rehabilitation, under the direction of Maurer Architecture. The historic interior was retained and preserved while converting the house from residential to commercial use. The repurposed interior spaces were designed by Josh Gajownik. As Loden Properties is in the hotel business and will be launching the Longleaf Hotel later this year, the designer chose a color palette of green and purple for the foyer, the kitchen and the newly created library in order to create an office that had the feeling of the lobby of a hotel.
Restoring the exterior to its former glory, the team shored up the entire first floor, including the former sun room which retained its exterior windows. The existing rear patio was converted to a multi-purpose space perfect for small gatherings. The original Doric columns were restored and the deteriorated pergola was replicated in-kind with the addition of climbing vines that will ultimately create a shaded exterior. All exterior design work was carried out under the direction of Site Collaborative.
The rehabilitation of the house brought a variety of companies together for one goal; and, many of those companies now work under the same roof, calling the Williams Grimes House their home office. Altogether, the house – affectionately known as “Grimwood” – is now home to Loden Properties, Site Collaborative, Drye-McGlamery Engineers, The Northgate Group and the non-profit organization, Band Together.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2019 Anthemion Award to Loden Properties; Maurer Architecture; Site Collaborative; The Northgate Group; Joshua Gajownik for the Commercial Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse of 821 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh.