For the Relocation & Residential Rehabilitation of the Levin-Tarlton House, 414 New Bern Avenue, Raleigh
The Neoclassical Revival frame two-story house now located at 414 New Bern Avenue was built c.1914 for Julius and Martha Levin, Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Julius was a music teacher and the Levin’s two sons were also musicians. Their personal residence was located on the corner of N. Harrington and E. Jones Streets. The relocated house, formerly located at 208 N. Harrington Street, was constructed by the Levins on the back of their lot, most likely for use as a rental property. Among the last of Raleigh’s side-hall-plan houses, it contains exceptional Neoclassical Revival details throughout. While, over the past 100 years, the house changed hands numerous times, one of the most notable owners was former North Carolina Secretary of State Thad Eure.
Mr. Samuel Tarlton approached Capital Area Preservation, Inc. in the late 1990s regarding his desire to save and rehabilitate the house on its original site. CAP fully supported his efforts and was integral to saving and restoring the house, for which, in 2002, Mr. Tarlton received CAP’s Anthemion Award. By 2015, the entire block containing the Levin-Tarlton House was slated for redevelopment. CAP began working diligently with the developer as well as with the Raleigh Historic Development Commission (RHDC) to find and purchase an appropriate lot in Historic Oakwood for its relocation. CAP ultimately selected a city-owned lot – 414 New Bern Avenue – and negotiated with the City of Raleigh for its purchase. On January 12, 2016, CAP acquired the lot by deed from the City of Raleigh and immediately resold the lot with a historic preservation easement and rehabilitation agreement attached to the deed.
Jason Queen of Monarch Property Co. worked with Maurer Architecture and the RHDC staff concerning the logistics of moving the 75-ton house across downtown – approximately 0.9 of a mile. Once relocated to its new lot (February 20, 2016) Jason Queen and Maurer Architecture worked with CAP to design a small (500 square feet) addition to the rear of the house, providing additional living space. The addition included closing in the open porch and turning it into a beautiful new kitchen with a master bedroom above. Exterior wood siding on the addition was intentionally applied vertically to clearly differentiate new construction from the original structure. Following the guidelines provided by CAP’s preservation easement and rehabilitation agreement, the rest of the house was faithfully restored; and, by March, 2017, had been successfully marketed and sold to a new tenant. Restored and with its sensitive addition, the Levin-Tarlton house represents a perfect addition to Historic Oakwood’s iconic inventory of historic homes – as if it had been there all along.
The Board of Directors of Capital Area Preservation, Inc. is pleased to present a 2017 Anthemion Award to Monarch Property Co.; Telegraph Road Properties, LLC; Blake Moving & Rigging, LLC; Maurer Architecture; Saebert Construction, LLC for the Relocation & Residential Rehabilitation of the Levin-Tarlton House, 414 New Bern Avenue, Raleigh.